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A chain gang is a group of prisoners chained together to perform menial or physically challenging work as a form of punishment. Such punishment might include repairing buildings, building roads, or clearing land.〔(【引用サイトリンク】url=http://www.credoreference.com.wc-ezproxy.westminster.edu/entry/worldcrims/chain_gangs )〕 This system existed primarily in the southern parts of the United States, and by 1955 had been phased out nationwide, with Georgia the last state to abandon the practice. Chain gangs were reintroduced by a few states during the "get tough on crime" 1990s, with Alabama being the first state to revive them in 1995. The experiment ended after about one year in all states except Arizona, where in Maricopa County inmates can still volunteer for a chain gang to earn credit toward a high school diploma or avoid disciplinary lockdowns for rule infractions. The introduction of chain gangs into the United States began shortly after the Civil War. The southern states needed finances and public works to be performed. Prisoners were a free way for these works to be achieved. ==Synonyms and disambiguation== A single ankle shackle with a short length of chain attached to a heavy ball is known as ''a ball and chain''. It limited prisoner movement and impeded escape. Two ankle shackles attached to each other by a short length of chain are known as a ''hobble'' or as ''leg irons.'' These could be chained to a much longer chain with several other prisoners, creating a work crew known as a chain gang. The walk required to avoid tripping while in leg irons is known as the ''convict shuffle.'' A group of prisoners working outside prison walls under close supervision, but without chains, is a work gang. Their distinctive attire (stripe wear or orange vests or jumpsuits) and shaven heads served the purpose of displaying their punishment to the public, as well as making them identifiable if they attempt to escape. However, the public was often brutal; swearing at convicts and even throwing things at them. The use of chains could be hazardous. Some of the chains used in the Georgia system in the first half of the twentieth century weighed twenty pounds. Some prisoners suffered from ''shackle sores'' — ulcers where the iron ground against their skin. Gangrene and other infections were serious risks. Falls could imperil several individuals at once. Modern prisoners are sometimes put into handcuffs or wrist manacles (similar to handcuffs, but with a longer length of chain) and leg irons, with both sets of manacles (wrist and ankle) being chained to a ''belly chain.'' This form of restraint is most often used on prisoners expected to be violent, or prisoners appearing in a setting where they may be near the public (a courthouse) or have an opportunity to flee (being transferred from a prison to a court). Although prisoners in these restraints are sometimes chained to one another during transport or other movement, this is not a chain gang — although reporters may refer to it as such — because the restraints make any kind of manual work impossible. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Chain gang」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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