CONVICT LABOK FOR ROAD WORK. 61 
penal institutions. Under no other system of discipline would it have 
been possible to have employed such large numbers of convicts in 
this way. But aside from these alleged economic advantages very 
little can be said in favor of the chain gang and the system of dis- 
cipline which alone renders it possible. It comprises no conscious 
reformative measures, and except for the fact that it provides com- 
pulsory and regular outdoor labor for a class of individuals who are 
habitually averse to it, it can show no reformative results. It entails 
the exposure of the convicts, .subjects them to unnecessarily severe 
punishments, and, except in the South, is not tolerated by public 
sentiment. The economic advantages in the form of the road work 
performed which are urged in justification of the discipline are 
doubtful, but this phase of the problem has been taken up in detail 
under the topic of economics. The modified forms of the guard sys- 
tem practiced in New York, New Jersey, and Utah are not open to 
such serious objections, but except for the fact that the guards in 
these States are armed either with concealed or exposed weapons, the 
discipline in these States embodies many of the characteristics of the 
honor system. 
The honor system, discriminately applied, is shown by the statis- 
tics given above to be fully as effective as the guard system in pre- 
venting the escape of the convicts worked under it; and from the 
standpoint of the peace and security of the community, the escaped 
" honor convict" is likely to be less dangerous than the prisoners 
who escape from a guarded camp, for the very reason that the 
former is presumably of higher moral character than the latter. 
Judged upon an economic basis, the honor system should result in 
some lowering of cost, although part of the saving through dispensing 
with guards is expended in supplying the convicts with conven- 
iences and comforts not usually furnished under the guard system. 
Furthermore, the honor convicts may be more efficiently distributed 
than is practicable under the guard system. 
The selection of prisoners for such employment under the honor 
system is a task requiring the greatest judgment and care, as well 
as experience in the study of criminal character. Full consideration 
should be given to the history of the individual prisoner prior to con- 
viction, his habits and associates, the character of his offense, the 
circumstances surrounding its commission, and his traits of character 
as observed during the probationary term of close confinement, 
which should not only be long enough to make an intelligent choice 
possible, but also to impress upon the convict the necessity of sub- 
ordinating his will and desires to those of others. 
No hard and fast rules can be given to govern the selection of 
honor men. A few prison officials believe that it is safe to trust only 
prisoners with relatively short terms, arguing that the temptation 
