The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-07-09
MAY PROGRAMME
 PENAL SYSTEM
Probe Committee Has Not Made Public Convict
 Department Bill

Montgomery. July S.-(Special. )-while
 the legislative Investigating committee has
 not yet made public the bill which it will 1 introduce providing for the reorganiza- l tion of the state convict department,
 enough has been learned to warrant the
 conclusion that 1t contemplates a com
 plete revoutionizing of the states penal
 system.
 l As announced In today's Age-Herald.
 the bill provides for the amagamation of i the highway and convict departments. l. further contemplates the amalgamaton
 of the prison inspection department. the three departments to be operated as one
 and to be known as the state prison com
 mission
 This commission. which will be ap- pointed by the legislature. if the bill passes will have three members-a physi- elan inspector. a highway engineer and
 an executive head. The members will be appointed for terms of six years each, at
 salaries of s4OOo per annum.
 Convicts on the Roads The prison inspector of the board will
 have the duties of the present state in-
 spector. with authority over both state and
 county convicts, and with authority over
 all penal institutions, The highway engi-
 neer will exercise the duties of the pres
 ent highway engineer with entire control
 and supervision of all convicts at work on the public roads of the state. The third member, who will be a strong business
 man, according to the plan of the commit tee, will be the executive head of the comm ssion, having charge of all finan- cial matters pertaining to the commits sion.
 The new bill contemplates the working of convicts on the roads of the state,
 though this innovation will be by a grad
 ual process. Not all convicts will be ,, taken out of the mines immediately. but their transference from the mines to the public roads will be gradual. Probably 1 1t will take four years or more to effect
 a complete change in this direction, but steps will be begun at once to put the reform into operation.
 The present appropriation of s154000 an- nuallg Go the highway department will be
 withdra VII, and in lieu thereof an appro- priGtion will be provided from the re- oeipts of the motor vehicle department The states share from this fund last year amounted to $17OO00, and it Is proposed to allow the highway engineer A00,J0O an-
 nually to carry on the work of highway construction in the state.
 The prison inspector member of the com mission vii have supervision over all the convict camps, and will be given prac- tically the same authority as that now en- l joyed by Dr. William Fl. Oates Of course the bill contemplates a large , number of other changes in the states penal system, but the main features pro- vided by the bill have ben outlined above The principal innovation provides for working convicts on the roads. Regarding the personnel of the commis- i sion, there is not much speculation, even granting that the bill should become a law. According to every indication, the legisla ture. should it appoint the members of the commission, will name Dr. William H. Oates, present prison inspector, the physician member of the board, and w.
 s. Keller highway engineer, the member
 in charge of the engineering department. ] There is no way of telling who the third menher, or executive head of the com
 mission will be.