Nebraska measure would ban slavery as criminal punishment

LINCOLN, Neb. – A Nebraska lawmaker wants to close a 143-year-old loophole in the state constitution that allows people to be enslaved as punishment for a crime.

Sen. Justin Wayne, of Omaha, says he will introduce a ballot proposal to amend the Nebraska Constitution during the legislative session that begins Wednesday.

The state constitution has banned slavery and involuntary servitude since 1875, except as punishment for a crime. Wayne says the loophole was used to force former slaves back into unpaid labour for private parties, a system known as convict leasing.

Wayne says the constitution serves as the moral and legal foundation for Nebraska’s laws, and removing the language shows slavery is not a Nebraska value.

The measure would need approval from the Legislature and voters to take effect.