The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1912-09-07
WOULD PUT Ale
WORKING ROADS
MAJOR WOOD ADVOCATES A LAW
TO WORK PRISONERS IN
COUNTY JAILs.
PLACE FOR IN S AN Z
EMPTY BUILDINGS At PENITEN-
TiARf WILL sgPPLY A PLACE
FOR THIS CLASS OF
CRIMINALS.
PLACE FOR IN SANE

Major ,fa.tf1es B. Wood superinten-
dent Of the State penitentiary, favors
law similar to that introduced at
the last session of the legislature. mt
ting city and county jail prisoners as
Wen as the penitentiary convicts on
the road. Such law would increase
the State road force to about $500
men.
AT this time there are about 900
men on the road force, of which num-
ner 700 or more are penitentiary con-
Victs and the rest Jail prisoners, who
were sentenced to road work. After
May, 1913, this number will be in
creased to more than 1900, by the
operation IF the law passed by the
iast general assembly sending all
/ sohViets TO the roads except life and
lohg term prisoners. those sentenced
{ ol attacks upon women, the physi-
CARY lhcapacitated and women. The
balance of the thirteen hundred prts-
un"rs VIII be employed under a CON
tract TO be made by the board of five
To fake effect at tho expiration of the
present contract with the Thacknr
hoot and Shoe company. Bids made
by Chicago firm for the working of
theSe hve hundred were rejected some
.ithe ago. and as yet the prison board
,raS rot considered any other contract,
ne 1haeker Boot and Shoe company
contract expires In May, 1918
Place For Criminal insane.
The operation ef -t,e,v-iz,r--,r-ftt-
reduce the number of convicts in tho
about 500. The taking away Of those
seven or eight hundred prisoners win
leave empty buildings in the peniten-
siary enclosure which can he put TO
some use What this use will be will
nave to be determined by the general
assembly of 1914, 1t ia probable that
the state board of charities ana cor
rectlons VIII recommend that the
criminal insane Of the State be pIa ,ef
IN one Of the buildings Provision
naSs haRRs made fer the. esrereefssr 4s~ A.
building at Marion and another NJ
petersburg for the housing OF this
element That at Marion has been
punt but the State could save money
ny using one Of the penitentiarv build
ihgs In lieu of that proposed to be
erected at Petersburg.
speaking of the work of tho rood
Iorce Yesterday superintendent Wood
said that the men are kept hard at
work building roads and thar the force
~ kept up to the limit all the time
II all the Jail prisoners were nut
on the roads" said Superintendent
wood, the State would have "A force
or about 1880 men on the roads en-
gagged In building highways for the
State"
Put All 70 Work.
Inc superintendent is arranging his
plans for putting all convicts EXCEPT
the five hundred or more who are
exempt, on the roads next May.
Inc suggestion to put prisoners in
city and county jails upon the roads
Is not new one. a bill embodying
rms feature among others having been
introduced In the general assembly of
1879, failing. however, of passage
RMS measure provided for the aholi-
tion OF the State penitentiary and the
erection of ten district prisons. one in
each congressional district Under
tine provisions of the bill all those
sentenced before justices of the peaca
or IN CITY police courts would he sent
to one OF these district prisons instead
or to the Jails and from those prisons
to the various State con
Wet camps. This measure did NOT
come up for passage
City and county prisons in MANY
parts of the State are oyercrowded |
costing the State considerable money.
State Auditor Moore thinks that many |
II these prisoners could be and should !
0e sent 10 the road to Hefk for the T
State instead OF living in idleness |
It the expense of the taxpayers The I
numerous bills Incurred in Keeping |
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