The record-union. [volume] (Sacramento, Calif.) 1891-1903, 1897-09-17
TO ABOLISH THE LASH.
New System of Governing Convicts
Proposed in Georgia.


The convict system of Georgia is TO
be radically changed, says an Atlanta
correspondent in the Cincinnati En-
quirer." The lash is to be abolished,
more humane methods of control sub
stituted, the parole system and the
grade system established and indeter-
inmate sentence adopted. This is the
result of a protracted study Of the
question by principal keeper J. S. Tur-
ner and Governor Atkinson. With a
view to recommending a plan for dis
posing of the 2,400 convicts to be re-
turned to the State by the present
lessees, the Governor and the principal
keeper have visited the penitentlaries
of several States. Since then Mr..
Turner has made study of the con-
Wet system of all the States. and has
formulated a plan which he thinks
will give Georgia the best penitei'tiary
system in the Union. 1t will take five
years to carry it into effect fully and
finally get rid of the lease system alto
gether. 1t is proposed to begin work
on the permanent penitentiary next
year, and have it ready at the end Of
five years. The cost will be nearly ST.
100000, but it will be reduced by con-
Wet labor. Mr.. Turner's plan is APP
proved by the Governor, and will
probably pass the Legislature at this
falls session. The Legislature will
have to act this fall as the lease ex-
pires in 1889, and it will take a good
part of next year to provide DISPOSE
ton for the convicts who will be re-
turned to the State.
Principal Keeper Turner recommends.
first, the purchase of 5000 to 1000
acres of good land as the site for a
permanent penitentiary. 1t must be
accessible to all parts of the State, ana
must contain deposits of clay and quar-
ries of building stone, with a stream of
not less than 500 horsepower.
Temporary stockades, hospitals and
other buildings are to be erected by &C
convicts, who will be separated from
the rest As soon as the present lease
expires all the females, boys under II
years of age and infirm or diseased
convicts are to be placed on these
works. Each class will be separated
from the1 others and separate cells viii
be provided. The.women will be en-
plOyed at making clothes and the boys
at making shoes and implements or N
farming. To these will be added $50
able-bodied men, retained by the State
to build a new penitentiary, make
brick, quarry stone etc.
This will leave 1,S00 able bodied men,
who will be hired for five years, the
State retaining control of them and
furnishing the food clothing, guards
ed that after paying all expenses their
labor Will return to the State $4,000
in five years. This sum will be eX-
pended in building a permanent peni-
tertiary on the tract above referred to.
BY reason of using $50 men in making
brick, quarrying stone and otherwise
preparing material, the State will get
for this sum a plant which would orig
inally cost very near million. When
this is completed which will be within
the five years, convict leases will be
done away with, and the State will take
entire control of her convicts, working
them in mills, factories, quarries, brick
yards, farm work, and the women in
clothing factories, which will be parts
of the plant.
and establish the grade system, as in
Illinois, and the parole system, as in
other States. In addition, convicts
guilty of moral turpitude will be sep
arated from juveniles and from con-
victs guilty of offenses committed in
the heat of passion. The indetermi-
nate sentence allows a short and long
limit, the convicts to be released on
parole at the short limit on good behav-
ior.
The present lease contract was made
twenty years ago, and two United
States Senators, Joseph E. Brown and
John b. Gordon, with several of the
wealthiest men in the State, were par
ties to it. Gordon withdrew in 1876,
but Brown retained his interest until
his death.
Although there were some abuses
during the earlier part of the lease.
the administration has improved since
the investigation by Governor Gordon
in 1886. During the first eight years
the death rate was 81 per 900. Since
that time it has fallen to fifteen, which
is about the rate Of mortality among
negroes in the Southern States, and
less than their mortality in the cities.