chain gang
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chain gang:
see convict laborconvict labor,work of prison inmates. Until the 19th cent., labor was introduced in prisons chiefly as punishment. Such work is now considered a necessary part of the rehabilitation of the criminal; it is also used to keep discipline and reduce the costs of prison maintenance.
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chain gang
US a group of convicted prisoners chained together, usually while doing hard labour
Collins Discovery Encyclopedia, 1st edition © HarperCollins Publishers 2005