Convict labor contracts
Official text prohibited actmental stateif conditionpenaltylegal term
Whoever, being an officer, employee, or agent of the United States or any department or agency thereof, contracts with any person or corporation, or permits any warden, agent, or official of any penal or correctional institution, to hire out the labor of any prisoners confined for violation of any laws of the United States, shall be [1] or imprisoned not more than three years, or both.
History: (June 25, 1948, ch. 645, 62 Stat. 703 (PDF, 39 MB); Pub. L. 103–322, title XXXIII, §330016(1)(K), Sept. 13, 1994, 108 Stat. 2147 (PDF, 52 MB).)
1 See 1994 Amendment note below.
Simplified explanation
It is a federal crime for a federal officer, employee, or agent to contract with any person or company to hire out the labor of federal prisoners, or to allow a prison official to do so.