Work For the Sake of Work

Abstract Prior to the abolition of slavery, the colonial administration of Saint Barthélemy instituted a system of convict labor for convicts of minor crimes, intended to institute labor discipline as well as reducing the cost of clearing up public lots. In accordance with this system, a person who could not pay their fine would have it converted to convict labor for a period ranging from a week up to a year. While this system was inspired by other legal systems of labor discipline on nearby islands, in particular St Kitts, in St Barthélemy it operated under different circumstances, due to the lack of plantations. Even if it was ostensibly intended to support a struggling economy and reduce public expenditure, it primarily functioned to enforce social structures between classes and races through largely unproductive labor tasks.