Title 18, Crimes and Criminal ProcedureRelease 119-102
§1586 Service on Vessels in Slave Trade
Title 18 › PART I — CRIMES › CHAPTER 77 — PEONAGE, SLAVERY, AND TRAFFICKING IN PERSONS › § 1586
Summary
A U.S. citizen or resident who willingly serves on a ship used to carry enslaved people between foreign places can be fined, jailed for up to two years, or both.
Full Legal Text
Title 18, §1586
Crimes and Criminal Procedure, Source: USLM XML via OLRC
Whoever, being a citizen or resident of the United States, voluntarily serves on board of any vessel employed or made use of in the transportation of slaves from any foreign country or place to another, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than two years, or both.
Legislative History
Notes & Related Subsidiaries
Historical and Revision Notes
Based on title 18, U.S.C., 1940 ed., § 427 (Mar. 4, 1909, ch. 321, § 252, 35 Stat. 1139). Mandatory-punishment provisions were rephrased in the alternative.
Editorial Notes
Amendments
1994—Pub. L. 103–322 substituted “fined under this title” for “fined not more than $2,000”.
Reference
Citations & Metadata
Citation
18 U.S.C. § 1586
Title 18, Crimes and Criminal Procedure
Last Updated
Aug 21, 2026
Release point: 119-102