The Colorado statesman., 1917-02-24
Uncle Sam Goes on Record in
Favor of Much-Discussed
System.
PRISONERS HEALTH FACTOR
Government Highway and Health Ex-
perts See Big Benefit to Men So
Employed, as Well AS to
the Public.

advocate of the employment of convict
labor on the public roads.
]. e. Pennybacker and III. s. Fair
banks of the office of public roads of
the department of agriculture and DR..
w. f. Draper of the public health
service recently collaborated on bull
letin which set forth the ideas of the
government experts on the subject.
"This may sound like an old story"
said Mr.. Pennybacker, chief of the di-
vision of road economies, in discussing
the interest taken by his office in the
subject, "and it is fundamentally, but
until recently it's most important and
promising angles have been lost to
sight.
Employing convicts on open-air
work is by no means radical depar-
ture from established methods-from
long g-established methods, l may say.
There are numerous references in his
tory to the employment of prisoners ON
the public works of the ancient king
doms and almost inva .ably these
works were performed in the open air.
In fact, the practice of indoor labor is
of comparatively modern origin, and
dates back no further than the devel-
opment of the workhouse in the six
teenth century, while the penitentiary,
as it is now known, is product of the
nineteenth century.
"In America perhaps the earliest
record of the employment of prisoners
on public works is to be found in an
enactment of the Virginia colonial as
sembly of 1853. 1 might trace the his
tory of convict labor throughout the
ensuing years to the present and the
facts would prove that outdoor labor
of many forms has been widely agi-
tated for convicts at all times in the
life of this country.
Objections Are Overcome.
$50 you see we are not setting forth
an original idea. Yet, when we recon-
mend the utilization of prison labor
to maintain and improve the road sys-
TENS of the country, we do say that
If road work by convict labor Is un-
dertaken with proper attention to all
of it's possibilities, the results will
succeed in quelling the many objec-
tions that economists and criminolo-
gists are raising everywhere. Our
scheme has, of course, its objection
able features, but full consideration
of it's advantages and drawbacks seem
to show that such employment might
be provided for at least part of the
prisoners in all the states with good
results.
81 think that the advantage which
carries the greatest force is that road
work is undoubtedly more healthful
than any form of employment provided
in prison shop. Hard manual labor,
in close touch with fresh air and sun
shine, is universally recognized as
most beneficial, while continuous dwell
ing within doors is n most unnatural
life and can exert no marked good
effect upon any of the states prison
ers. Prison statistics show that ma
jority of prison inmates are of the Ia
boring class and their habits of life
kept them out of doors. This being
the case, outdoor work would ma
terially fit them to take their place in
the world ut their release and resume
their former occupation.
Free Labor Not Affected.
"Prison officials favor road work for
the reason that it removes the convict
as far as possible from competition
with free labor, and this is a most i'm
portant point. No matter what form
of employment is adopted for prison
ers, unless it be entirely unproductive,
1t Is true that the interests of free Ia
Dor are affected to Il greater or less
extent, and this, obviously, is not fair
condition to impose upon the law-abid-
ing citizen body. But road work, being
performed in the interests of the pub
lie only, enriches no private employer
to the injury of the free laborer, nor is
its product placed on sale in competi-
ton with that of free labor. What is
more, the convict is not depriving the
free laborer of work, since much of the
road work performed by convicts could
not be undertaken at all, for financial
reasons, if it were necessary to em-
ploy free labor.
"As now practiced in a number of
states, work with the road camp is re-
served as q reward for prisoners who
have proved their merit and good in
tention in confinement By doing away
with all marks of degradation, such as
stripes and chains aid shaven heads,
and by granting a degree of freedom
as the ability to use 1t Is manifested,
the publicity of the convict's position
on the roads is transformed from a
mark of disgrace to an acknowledge
ment of the confidence of his keepers.
Such practice in self-restraint and
proper living under the guidance of the
camp fits him to live life of similar
circumspection after his discharge. All
prison officials who have followed this
system declare that this is the actual
effect on prisoners who have been road