South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1917-03-03
USING CONV|CTS
FOR ROAD WORK
Government Experts Trace
Growth of This Practice
in United States.

WASHINGTON, March "A
steady decrease since 1885 in the
proportion of convicts in the United
States employed in miscellaneous
work under lease and contract and
a marked increase i'm the proportion
employed for the benefit of the state
on highways and other public works
are shown in statistics just publish
ed by the office of public roads and
rural engineering of the United
States department of agriculture
These statistics are included in de-
Earment bulletin Ala. a professional
paper. which reports one of the first
exhaustive studies made in this
country covering the administrative.
engineering, economic. disciplinary,
and health conditions in convict
road camps. Representativ es of the
United States public health service
cooperated with the specialists OF
the department of agriculture i'm
making the studies. The systems
adopted by the several states are
discussed and recommendation are
made for the achievement of greater
efficiency in operation of the convict
camps and conduct of the road
work.
The systems of convict labor are
classified jim the report as lease. con-
tract, and piece-price systems, un-
der which the labor of the convictS
is for the benefit of private individ-
NJ l. or in, hn
manufacture of commodities: the
public-accOunt system. under which
the convict made goods are sold by
the state; the state-use system, un-
der which goods are manufactured
only for use in state institutions:
and the public works and ways sys-
TEN. under which the labor of the
convicts is de~oted TO public struc-
ture and roads. The latter system
has grown in popularity, il is point
, ed out, because it makes use of the
convict labor with a minimum OF
competition with free labor. con-
| tributes fairly lasting benefits TO the
/ whole community, affords healthful
and even somewhat reformative en-
ployment TO the convicts. and re-
duces congestion in penal institu-
tions. The most satisfactory use of
the system, i'm the opinion of the de-
partment's road specialists. is under
state rather than county administra-
/ ton. Since 1855, the report shows,
/ the percentage Of convicts in a large
number of representative institu-
tons workins under the public
! account. state-Use. and public works
and ways systems, has increased
from SO TO SO per cent. while the
proportion engaged in road work
alone has increased from Is per
cent 10 nearly Is per cent.
Convicts should not be indiscrim-
| inately put to work on roads, il is
| pointed out Only those who are
| physically fit for the work should be
! employed IT may be even desirable
and practicable in many Instances to
I reserve assignment TO the Open-air
work as a reward for good behavior
! Physically and by former mode of
\ life. statistics cited in the report
show, about three-fourths of the av-
erage male prison population is bet
I ter fitted for outdoor labor than for
| shop work In practice, when all
| considerations are taken into &C
( count, il has been found that from
% 10 so per cent Of the male in
mates of prisons are available for
| road work.
The employment of state convicts
\ in road making, the report shows,
B first became general in the south in
| the early COS. Such use OF state
| -onvicts has been made by northern
and western states, however, mostly
during the last 10 years.