44 ANNUAL, REPORT OF THE Off. Doc. 



courts to seuteuce such otYendeis to work on the public roads. The 

 convicts are worked in scjuads of eight or ten men each, and are 

 housed in a large steel van furnished with proper sleeping bunks and 

 boarding facilities, and which may be hauled from place to place as 

 occasion demands. If any seem disposed to be troublesome, and at- 

 tempt to escape, they are prevented by the use of the ball and chain 

 in day time, and by loosely fitting chain attached to hand or foot, 

 and to a staple or rod at night. 



Two sections of the North Caroiina law, which is typical of the 

 others, are given as showing the methods pursued in sentencing 

 criminals to work upon the roads and the manner of securing their 

 services by the township or city authorities who wish to employ them. 

 The sections are as follows: 



"Sectioii 8. That prisoners confined in the county jail, under a final 

 sentence of the Court for Crime, or imprisoned for non-payment of 

 costs or lines, or under final judgment in cases of bastardy, or under 

 vagrant acts, all insolvents who shall be imprisoned by any court in 

 said county for non-payment of costs, and all persons who would 

 otherwise be sentenced in said county to the State Prison for a term 

 of less than ten years, shall be worked on the pul^lic roads of the 

 county: Provided, That in case the number of such persons in any 

 county, at any time, be less than ten, the Commissioner of the county 

 may arrange with the Commissioners of any neighboring county or 

 counties for such exchange of prisoners, during alternate months or 

 3'ears, as will enable each such co operating couoty to thereby in- 

 crease the number of prisoners at work on the public road at any 

 given time. And upon application of the said road superintendent 

 of the county, or that of the chairman of the Board of County Com- 

 missioners, the Judge of the Superior Court, or the Judge of the 

 Criminal Court, the Justices of the Peace and the principal officer 

 of any municipal or any other inferior court, it shall be the duty of 

 the said Judge, or justice of the peace, or said principal officer, to 

 assign such persons convicted in his court to said road superintend 

 ent or road supervisor in any township making provision for the 

 same, for work on the public roads of said county or township; all 

 such convicts to be fed, clothed, and otherwise cared for at the ex- 

 pense of the county or township, as the case may be: Provided fur- 

 ther. That in case of serious physical disability, certified by the 

 county physician, persons convicted in said Superior, Criminal, or in- 

 ferior court, may be sentenced to the penitentiary or the county jail. 



''Section 9. That when the Commissioners of any county shall have 

 made provisions for the expense of supporting and guarding, while 

 at work on the public roads of the county, or any township thereof, 

 a larger number of prisoners than can be supplied from that county, 

 upon application of Commissioners of said county, to the Judges of 



