The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1922-12-24
BIG PROFIT SHOWN
BY CONVICT BOARD
DESPITE EXPENSE.
Feagin's Report Shows Million
Dollar Prison Constructed.
Income For Four Years
IS S2,467, 3O4.73
STATE CAPITAL BUREAU
THE AGE-HERALD

THE AGE-HEHALD )
Montgomery, Ala, Dec. 2S
Depite the fact that the state
maAe permanent Improvements in its
prison system at cost Of $1,2o3.-
905.6s during the past four years, the
convict department produced a net
income of s2.4s7,so4.7s over total ex-
penses and permanent investment
This fact Is shown in y report for
the last quadrennium submitted to
Governor Kilby by William r. Fea-
gin, state warden-g general, and made
public today.
Tho report 10 a remarkable docu-
ment because 1t tells OF the recon-
struction of the states prison system
from the beginning of tho Kilby ad-
ministration until today. Every state
penal institution in Alabama has re-
ceived some attention from the pub
lie funds during the past four years
and after these expenditures are de-
Quoted the net profit from the opera
ton of the prison system has been
more than $4,000 every year
VI Facts regarding the expenditures
of the state for the reconstruction of
the prison system are given in detail
for the first time and answer many
inquiries made in recent months
about the total of the state funds
used in such work. For instance, the
report shows that the states total in
vestment In Kilby prison. which it
constructed near Montgomery, was
$1.176.257.5S. This includes every
thing in connection with the prison,
except $44.S75, which the state re-
Gently paid for 265 acres of land adj
joining the land originally purchased
for Kilby prison.
Cost of Prison
The site for the prison, exclusive
of the recent purchase, cost $50,005;
the buildings proper cost 500. COSTS,
the cotton mill building cost s14s,-
1871: the cotton mill machinery,
S13,3S0.21; the dairy barn, $43,S9l.31;
the swine building. s1.055.S1 cot
tages for employees, s6,20s.2S; and the
potato house. $371.16. In addition to
this investment. the state constructed
new prison barracks at Speigner at a
cost of $13,025.36 and remodeIed the
old prison at Wetumpka at cost
of $14.622.74.
But the statement regarding per-
manent investment does not mean
that the state actually produced the
cash to meet the cost OF the i'm
proyements. Convict labor was used
extensively In tho building opera
lions and the report showed that the
following deductions should be made
from the monetary cost to the state
as result OF the use of convict la
Dor: Kilby prison. $136,916.04; build
'ings at Kilby other than the prison
proper, s10.6334<; buildings at We
tumpka, s2,3575o; buildings at Speig-
ner. $3.50. making a net value Of
convict labor of s151. 1908 and re-
duclng the monetary cost of the i'm
provements to s9S9.243.49. r.
The labor of convicts engaged in
the construction work was figured
on the basis of the cost TO the state
had FREQ labor been employed to do
the work.
Property Valuable
The report also shows the total
value of all property owned by the
state for the use of the convict de-
partment to be $2,3s8.0S3.47. OF this
amount $2,156,172.37 represents real
estate and improvements on real es-
tate and the remainder OF the total
value represents prison equipment.
hospital equipment, farm equipment
and live stock. This total value of
prison property includes Kilby prison
but does not include 265 acres of land
purchased by the state after the re-
port was prepared.
One of the many remarkable tables
in the report shows a comparison of
the receiptssand disbursements of the
convict department for the years
from 1890 to 1922. In 1899 the net
revenue, in other words. the profit
to the state from the operation of the
convict department. was s25.422.66. In
1900 this net revenue or profit drop
ped to $6.253.14. Then 1t began to
climb gradually year by year until
1921, when the. net profit for that
year was $7S2,574.34.
When the quadrennium was begun
October l, 1918. the state prisons
held 2.465 persons who had been
sentenced for felonies. When, the
quadrennium ended there were S,06S
I, convicts. an increase for the four
years of sos. This paragraph of it.
| self must write a story of pathos
| for many families of Alabama and a
story of joy for many others because
/ in these figures must be included the
many persons who were forced "a
go behind prison bars during the four
| years and the many persons VIII
passed from behind prison bars after
! paying their debt to society and the
i state.
$3.50 Convicts
During the foer years, $3.50 mer
and women were received into the
| penitentiary from jails after having
been convicted of felonies. One hun
| dred and fourteen were returned tt
prison after having been recaptured
| Forty five were returned because al
the revocation of paroles. This covers
| the pathetic side.
! And on the side of joy may BIZ
, written the fact that 2.046 persons
completed their terms. paid their deb,
| to society and the state and obtained
| their legal liberty. Five hundred anj
| fifty-seveu were pardoned or paroled
| Twenty eight obtained reversals Of
their cases by the supreme and ap-
| RELATE courts. Escapes reached q
| total Of 3s2. Two hundred and eighty
| rine paid their obligation in thi'
! world and passed into another. STA
were paroled into the insane hospitals
| At Tuscaloosa and IS went to the in
sane hospitals at Mount Vernon, max.
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