Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1902-11-21

Portable prisons on wheels are novel
ties which are now in use in several
localities. These movable jails appear
to solve the problem of preventing the
escape of cenvicts employed at great
distances from their prison proper. In
exterior appearances they are freight
gar bodies provided with barred win
dows and mounted upon wagon trucks.
AS the road improvement progresses
they are drawn forward by horses and
collected in some convenient grove or
open field, selected as the temporary
prison camp. Morning and evening the
convicts are marched along the road
from and to their quarters. To facil-
itate their being safely guarded
during the night without too great risk
and expense, each prisoner, when he
goes to bed, has either one foot or one
hand nianacled loosely to a chain or
rod from which he can be easily re-
leased the following morning.
Tiers of hunks inside comprise the
sleeping quarters. These are easily
and cheaply made comfortable. Ample
ventilation is afforded in summer and
during the cold months there is a stove
in each car.
One of these portable prisons, which
can be disjointed and transported in
sections, is in use on the public roads OF
North Carolina. One of these movable
jails can be heightened to accommo-
date fifty conyicts. Its sides and ends
are of boards bolted together in Sec
tons. The roof, of corrugated iron, is
also in sections. Large tents are used
In States.
= Women prisoners do the cooking and
4 A,washing of some migratory camps.
This work is usually done, however,
by trusty male convicts, and in some
cases it is performed by hired labor
The younger prisoners are usually as
signed to such tasks as the carrying of
water or the running of errands.
4 ball and chain are attached to con-
victs who show Il desire to escape.
While these encumbrances make it i'm
possible for prisoner TO run rapidly,
they do not seriously hamper his move
ments during the regular road work.
Critics of the convict system OF road
building say that 1t offers 700 many
opportunities for the escape OF prison
ers; as matter of fact, however. the
annual escapes amount to less than
two men out of each hundred. Almost
300 counties, representing ten States.
employ convict labor upon their roads.
This furnishes an army OF 4377 road
yuilderS, each of whom costs his State
Hhrty-thrce and one-half cents a day.
Were he left in the county Jail he
would cost one and one-half cents more
day. Hence he is cheaper article
toiling upon the roads than languishng
In cell or Jail yard. All told, the cost
Of convict labor in these States ranges
from one-third to one-half that of hired
labor employed in the same work.
The Southern States employing con-
vict road builders are Florida. Georgia.
Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi,
North Carolina. South Carolina. Ten.
nessee Texas and Virginia. In :he
two Carolinas and Georgia such a per
fection of systems is reached that large
camps are operated at cost of only
twenty to thirty cents Per convict er
day. Provisions are purchased for ae
prison camps at wholesale at compf;i-
tive rates; the convicts do their own
cooking and washing. Owing to he
huSually good sanitation of the car ps
Sand the benefits of exercise TO the |, ie-
oners. the cost of medical attentions is
almost nothing.
Another virtue of the system is tiiat
the prisoners, after injuring their ctm-
munities by the commission of thnir
crimes, and after adding to its financial
burdens by incurring expense for tleir
capture, conviction and punishmcn:.
are put in position 10 benefit that
community. Having served an appr, i.
iiceship in the handling of road bu.tl-
ing machinery the convict leave
prison with a training which enables
him TO earn better living than ic
probably made before.
Only prisoners convicted OF mis.le g,
meanors can be assigned to work on
the public roads of Virginia, West Viz
gnia, Kentucky, Tennessee. Louisia n.
Mississippi, Texas, Florida and Geor-
gia. The terms of such convicts do
not usually exceed one year. In Ais-
A1ama all able bodied male prisoners
whose terms do not exceed two yea"-,
may be sent to the roads. In SOU
Carolina the limit is five years and in
North Carolina ten.
An experiment is now being made n
some Southern counties In the employ
ment on the roads of captured. but ua-
convicted prisoners, unable to give
bail. If the prisoner be acquitted at h.s
trial he is paid for his services. II con.
victed, his period of labor On the roads
is deducted from his term.
Many convicts in the Southern Statcs
are employed on farms, in factories a.
ia mines, being worked under the lease
cr contract system, or in some case; |
Vnder State control.
California convicts quarry and crush !