The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1913-07-24
PLAN CAREFULLY WORKED OUT
All Prisoners Serving Time in the Coun-
ty Jail May in the Future be Forced
to Work on the Roads or at Other
Employment Selected by the Sheriff.

county Jail or other similar institu-
tons in Wisconsin from henceforth
will be provided with ample employ
ment under the provisions of an amend
ment which has been passed by the
! legislature and which is now in effect
following publication.
The measure is far reaching in scope
and covers such cases where a county
work house is maintained and also in
stances where there is no such insti
tuition In the latter case the sheriff
is given the power to make contracts
for the employment of the prisoners
and in all cases the wages of the
prisoners, or portion of them, 60 to
the support of persons dependent on
the prisoners.
With the present law the matter is
largely cleared away and is left as an
administrative duty on the part of the
sheriff
The law as passed is given in full
below and will doubtless meet with
the ready approval of all persons in
the county who are acquainted with
the present conditions
CHAPTER 625, LAWS OF 1918.
No. 500, (s) pub. July -, 1879
4 An act to amend section 697c of the
statutes relating to the employment
of persons committed to jails and
work houses at hard labor and the pay.
ment of their earnings to those de.
pendent upon them.
The people Of the state of Wisconsin
represented II the senate and assembly
do enact as follows:
Section /. Section 697c of the stat.
utes is amended to read: Section
697c. /. Upon the completion of any
such WorEhouse the county clerk shall
notify in writing each justice of the
peace, police justice and the judge of
every court held in his county of
the fact and thereafter whenever any
male person over sixteen years of age
shall be convicted within such county
of any offense of which a Justice of
the peace under the general law has
4 jurisdiction to hear, try and determine
or any person convicted in any court
Of any felony, where Jail sentence is
imposed by the court, he shall be pun
ished by Imprisonment in the work
house or in the county Jail as provided
in the next subsection in the discre-
tion Of the court at hard manual labor,
and the commitment shall be to such
work house at hard manual labor Any
person committed to such work-house
4 who shall being of sufficient ability to
do so, refuse to work diligently may
| be punished by being placed in soil
tary confinement therein not to exceed
ten days for each refusal to so work,
the period Of such confinement being
discretionary with the superintendent,
and shall receive bread and water
only during such time. No intoxicat-
ing beverage shall be furnished to or
used by any person committed to any
work house during his confinement
therein.
4 2. GAY In any county, having no
work house, such sentence shall be to
Z the county Jail at hard labor. Any
person SO committed shall be required
to do and perform any suitable hard
u labor for not to exceed ten hours each
day, except in case Of farm labor not
less than ten hours nor more than
twelve hours each day, Sundays and
/ holidays excepted, provided for by the
4 sheriff anywhere within said county.
The court sentencing such persons
shall have power at the time such sent
ence is imposed o. at any time there
Il after during the time Of such sentence
to direct the kind of labor at which
such persons shall be employed and
the nature Of the care and treatment
such person shall receive during such
sentence. Such direction Of such court
shall be based upon reasonable con-
sideration of the health and training of
i such persons and his ability to per-
form labor Of various kinds and the
4 ability Of the sheriff to find and furnish
various kinds of employment. The
county jail of such county is extended
to any place within the county where
said work is so provided by the sheriff
The sheriff shall at all times have
the custody of such convicted persons.
| (b) Every person employed under
| the provisions Of this subsection who
shall perform faithfully all the duties
assigned to him, shall for willingness,
industry and good behavior in such
performance, be entitled to deduc-
ton from the time Of his sentence Of
one fourth Of the time thereof. Any
such person who, being Of sufficient