Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1913-12-13
IBy Latest MALL

| NEW YORK. - The practice of put.
! ting convicts on their honor, especial.
ly prisoners who are at work con.
stlucting orsfepairiIags highways, has
Teen started In several states and Is
meeting with much success accord
ing to reports received by the ma.
tional committee on prison labor,
North Dakota, Oregon. New Jersey,
Michigan, Ohio and Colorado are
among the states where the honor
system has been developed to its
highest degree, -7 : =. - !
Under the laws of North Dakota.
the board Of control m:H employ con
ricts on the public highways, their ex-
penses to be paid by the respective
counties in which they work. The
law stipulates that the. prisoners per
form their duties under the supervi.
sion OF skilled laborers, who act as
guards; but, so far as possible, the
law declares, the convicts are to be
placed on their honor. -.... -.
Another feature of North Dakota g
prison laws is Worded as follows:
Each sh0rt-time convict worked upon
said state roads shall receive credit
upon his time of 10 days for each 30
days that he shall faithfully and dill.
gently work upon said state roads,
and In case of conviets serving life
sentences, such privileges shall be
given him as in the judgment of the
warden is proper, but in case that any
convict fails to do faithful and eff
cient work or attempts to escape, he
shall forfeit all or as many of said
credits as in the judgment of the war,
den shall be proper"
OF 275 eonHicts who were worked
under the honor system in Ohio, cniy
1S-less than per cent = attempted
to escape, according to the report OF
Warden Preston E. Thomas. of the
Ohio state penitentiary.5 While these
men were thus employed, there was
no barrier except their own honor be.
tween them and freedom. OF the Is
men who broke faith, all but seven
! were caught and returned to the pri
son, SO that the percentage Of those
who failed to serve their full sen
fences was only two and one-half
This record, says Warden Thomas
compares favorably with faith as it
is kept in the outside world.
Also in Michigan, where all persons
convicted of drunkenness or va
grancy are sentenced to work on the
roads instead of to Jail, the practice
of trusting prisoners has been found
successful. Not only that, but accord
ing to w. M. Bryant, good roads com
missioner of Michigan, the sentencing
of convicts to work on the highways
tends to eliminate much petty crime
1t was in Colorado, under Warden
! Thomas J. lyman that the honor sys
! TEN was first employed among pris
onefs at work ON the highways, and II
| is in that state and in Oregon that the
system has been most extensively de
iyeloped. Governor West, of Oregon
in, a statement to the national com
mittee on prison labor concerning the
honor system among prisoners al
| work on the roads, said:
Our road gangs are made up from
Is to Is men, with free man as fore
man, who lives and works with his
! crew. His word is law in camp, ane
his report as to conduct of the prts
Cners carries great weight with the
prison officials. 1t is most essential
| therefore, that great care be exercis
ed in the selection of these foremen
We have had unexpected success II
| the operation Of our road gangs. Some