The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1909-11-11
PRACTICAL REFORM
What Sheriff Tracy is Doing
in Washington County
Jail
PRISONERS ON HONOR

Confidence In Their Integrity Sell
dom Abused-MOney Saved for the
State and New Start in Life Az
forded.
a group of % contented looking work.
men may be seen coming out Elm
street to take the early street car
They are Sheriff Tracy's men, pris-
oners in Washington county Jail, SEN
tenced for various misdemeanors, who
under wise legislation are allowed to
earn money for themselves and the
State instead of being kept in idle
ness. No officer accompanies them,
no guard keeps watch over them while
at work. They leave the a up near
the car barn, tramp a mile or more
up to the site of the new dam Of the
Cory, Deavitt, Frost Company, work
steadily and faithAttiy all day, and at
night repeat their tramp and their
ride, returning to the Jail as regular
Iy as chickens go to roost. They are
as free from supervision as any other
workmen, they wear no distinctive
garb, there is nothing about their APP
pearance to indicate that they are
prisoners, and they are only made to
realize that fact by their enforced
confinement at night and because they
actually receive only about three
quarters of what money they earn.
The prime object of the legislation
of 1906, permitting the employment
of prisoners outside the Jail yard, was
to reduce the great expense of MAIN
tanning them in county jails or the
House of Correction, but under the
management of Sheriff Tracy it has
been a means of accomplishing a
great deal of good for the prisoners
themselves.
AS economy was the first object, so
a statement of the financial results is
of first interest. Only six counties
furnished employment TO such pris-
oners with profit the first year the
law was in effect, and of these Wash
ington county turned over the larg-
est surplus to the State. $4S9.33. Ben
nington county turned in $50.50, Chit
tenden $S4.30, Orange $4.09, Windham
$33.2S, Windsor $71.96. Thus out of a
total of $733.46 Washington county
contributed about two-thirds. But this
does not tell the whole story, for
some counties tried the system of out
door employment only to lose money
by it, and that fact does not appear in
any State report, as it was a matter
for the county alone.
This year the Sheriff is confident
that he will turn over to the State
more than 81 900, after deducting
something like $500 for clothing and
other accounts. This means that the
have earned from $500 to 3d.
900. Instead of finishing their term
of confinement penniless, with no.
thing for their families if they have
families, or for themselves, they have
a respectable sum to support them
while looking for work again.
The first work given the men after
the law went into effect was cutting
and saving wood OR Sheriff Tracy's
farm. There was no other employ
Incnt to be secured for them. In the
and summer some were sent
to work at the Poor Farm. and a gang
employed digging a conduit for
placing the wires of the telephone
company under ground. At first
guards were stationed over the men,
then only n was employed and at
length they were sent to work with
out any officer in charge. OF course
this was not done till the matter had
been talked over with the men and
they had given some assurance that
they would not attempt to escape. For
two years and a half no guards have
been kept over them and in that time
only one man has run away. He was
captured and was an object of scorn
to his fellow prisoners during the re-
mainder of his term. The general
feeling among the men is that they
are getting a square deal from Tracy
and ought to give him one in return.