The border vidette., 1931-08-01
THE ARIZONA STATE PRISON
HONOR SYSTEM
By Billy Delbridge

| prisons in all states is enormous.
It is one of the heavy burdens
taxpayers have to bear.
In some states. the laws per.
NIT the sale on the open market
of prison-made goods. This sys
tenn is fought bitterly, and in my
opinion justly, by organized labor
as having a tendency to lower
the standard of living of Ameri
can wage earners.
Arizona laws prohibit the man.
ufacture of goods in the prison
to be sold on the open market,
therefore, prison labor must be
used largely ia farm and garden
work, if it is to be used.
Io some prisons, convicts are
used as guards. the object being
to reduce the cost of operation.
Arizona's laws provide for 80
civilian guards. OF that number
only five can be used for duty
outside the walls; the others are
used to guard the walls and
manage the yard inside the in.
closure.
It is obvious to every intelli
gent citizen that such a limited
number of guards cannot guard
the men. necessary to farm the
lard acquired since statehood.
The reports of all prison in
vestiga Eating commissions and all
author tiles on penal Institutions
agree that work of some kind
should be provided for all in
mates in our renal institutions.
Governor Hunt introduced into
the Arizona state prison what is
known as the trusty. or honor
system.
| The system is simply to select
from the inmates those who ex
press desire to serve their time
until released legally. either by
parols or by expiration of sent
ence.
/ The Legislature of 1927 extend
ed the honor system inaugurated
by Governor Hunt in 1912, and
leRalizsd credits of two days for
one on the maximum sentences
of honor men working on high
ways and TRUSTEES employed on
the farms and around the prison.
The change was made to act as
an incentive to render more eff
cient service and to assist men
who are considered worthy of
consideration by the Board of
Pardons and Paroles.
Men thus selected pledge their
word to the Superintendent that
they will not violate the trust
placed in them and that they
will work as TRUSTEES until legal
| ly released.
| Since Governor Hunt assumed
Office as the first governor after
statehood was granted, the pop
ulation of the prison has more
than doubled. Today the popu
lation is 603 and it has reached
637.
| When the trusty system was
started only a,few men were EN-
ployed outside the walls in q
small garden and some expert
mental farming. There were
also a few men employed in the
Offices and in the administration
building.
Since 1912 the prison has &C
quired, through purchase from
private citizens, about $50 addi
tional acres of farm lands.
| Two of the farms are far away
from the prison. One of $50
acres and one of about 21O acres
are approximately four miles
distant from the prison and so
situated that they must be oper
ated as separate and distinct
units. which is q heavy handicap
to efficient management and eco
nomical operation.
All the men working at the
two distant farms. live there.
About sixty men are employed.
They pledge their word 20 per
form the work required and to
stay on the farms. The great
ma jority of the men work faith
fully.
In addition to the sixty men
employed on the distant farms,
there are employed as TRUSTEES
on the 60-acre truck garden and
numerous construction projects
around the prison, about 175
men, most of whom work outside
the walls throughout the day
and sleep inside the walls at
| niUhk