Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1905-11-01
cONvIcTS EARNING MONEY.
Many Able TO Send Money Home 10 Their
Families

! Herman Grotophorst, member al
the state board of control, gives some
! interesting facts re reyArded the opportun.
tiles now afforded at the state prison 10
convicts to earn money for themselves
or their families
Since the removal of the b0ot and shoe
factory and the institution OF the knit
ting with the new system 9f manage.
ment In regard to the WORK expected
from each prisoner, the earnings on The
contract with the knitting company
have aggregated S6,500 per month in
! that department alone, while the cost of
maintenance ia about S. $50 for the
same period.
About 400 OF the inmates are employ
ed in the knitting works, and each man
is given a certain task by the warden TO
perform each day. When this task has
been accomplished, whatever the prison
or is able to do in addition, pays him q
certain amount for his own disposal
These tasks are set by the warden within
the reach of every man according to his
capacity for work and as result there
is not man working in this depart
ment but can and does have some money
at the end of the month that he may
send home, as Is done many times, or if
the man is free from the dependence Of
anyone upon him, this money earned is
saved and given to him upon his release
in addition to the things that are always
| furnished to the men at that time
1t Is well known that men turned out
OF prison without any money to carry
them until they can fiud employment,
and especially in the winter time find
their way back again to the prison doors
ahnnt as soon 81 the mills of Justice can
grind them there
Under the present system the conYicts
are taking some pride in the work they
are doing and in the obtaining of the
money that is paid them for the faith
fulness to the duty imposed Not alone
is the work being done greater, but
there has never been "A time in the his
tory of the prison when the discipline
was as good
The state receives from the knitting
company 65 cents per day for all the
prisoners used by them, and some of
these men, after performing the work
that is given them rs task by the war.
den, MAKE as much as $50 per month for
themselves, while Others as low az 3
cents a day, but everyone employed gets
something for himself Under this sys-
tenn the prisoners are anxious TO do all
that is possible, and last month there
were only two who had to be punished
for insubordination
None Of the prisoners unless they are
sick, are excused from doing certa a
amount of work, Those that are not
employed in the knitting works are en-
gagged on the farm or in the kitchen OK
in making the numerous improvements
that are adding to the faculty Of the in
stitution. Those at work on the farm
and around the yards are 'trusties" and
because they are ont in the open air are
perfectly content to let the Others in the
factory make the money
A new dining room has been eomplet-
ed large enough to seat all the prisoners
at one time. The WORK imposed by the
erection Of this new, hospital, shops
coal sheds, power house, machine shops
and the present construction of new
cold storage, gives employment to the
men not in the factory and saves the
hiring OF this work.