CONVICT LABOR FOR ROAD WORK. 213 
perform such, labor. Each prisoner so laboring may be paid a reasonable compensa- 
tion by the county if imprisoned for violation of State law and by the city or town if 
for violation of an ordinance, by-law, or regulation. Such compensation, or such 
portion thereof as the court shall direct, may be paid to the wife or dependents of such 
convict. "When imprisonment is for violation of a State law and the prisoner is con- 
fined in the county jail, such labor shall be performed under the direction of the 
county board and superintended by the sheriff, who shall furnish necessary tools 
and materials at expense of the county. The officer in charge of such prisoners may 
use all reasonable means to prevent escape and to enforce obedience. For refusal to 
labor or obey orders in reference thereto a prisoner may be kept in solitary confine- 
ment on bread and water, but not for more than 10 days for any one offense, nor more 
than 90 days in all. For each day's labor the prisoner shall be credited $2 on any 
judgment for fine. (Acts 1915, ch. 257.) 
Tennessee. 
State. — The Tennessee Board of Control shall make rules, regulations, and contracts 
for the employment of inmates of the Tennessee State penitentiary and the Brushy 
Mountain Penitentiary on the highways of the State and on railroads to be built, and 
in operating the State farms, and on any and all roads necessary and of value to the 
State's properties. On or before March 1, each year, said board shall ascertain the 
number of prisoners available to work on roads and shall notify the county judge or 
the chairman of the county court of each county who may apply for such convicts. 
Said board shall fix and select the camps and prepare equipment for the working of 
such convicts, and such convicts and all machinery used by them shall be under the 
absolute control of such officers as may be designated by said board, but the work 
shall be done on such roads as may be designated by the county authorities. Not 
less than 50 prisoners shall be furnished to a county and they may be worked from 
April 1 to December 1. The rate of compensation for such inmates shall be fixed by 
said board and the county authorities by agreement, but shall not be less than $1 per 
ten-hour day. Said board may pay all necessary costs of transportation of prisoners, 
guards, and equipment out of the prison fund; and shall nrovide comfortable and 
sanitary quarters. The rules and regulations of the penitentiaries and all laws appli- 
cable shall apply to the discipline of such camps.^ The board may, in its discretion, 
contract with a county for^ building highways with convict labor, such contract to 
be made only upon authority of the governor and approval of the State engineer. 
Said board may employ and designate such person or persons deemed necessary as 
camp and road superintendents and as guards. (Acts 1915, ch. 114.) 
Counties. — All persons confined in county jails or workhouses, either under sentence 
for crime or for nonpayment of fine and costs, shall be available for work on the public 
highways. (Code of 1896, Part I, sees. 1642-1644.) 
The judge or chairman of the county court, the clerk of the county court, and the 
sheriff of each county are constituted a board for their respective counties to enter into 
contracts with public road commissioners, or with other officers or road contractors hav- 
ing superintendence of public road work, for the employment on such roads of prisoners 
confined in the county jails for nonpayment of fine and costs. The sheriff shall appoint 
guards for such prisoners, and the county court shall furnish said guards with picks to 
go on each prisoner to prevent his escape. Said prisoners may be worked eight hours 
per day on any of the public roads of the county, and shall receive 75 cents for each 
day's work in addition to the 25 cents otherwise allowed by law, which shall be 
credited on such fine and costs. Prisoners of two or more counties may be combined 
by said boards and worked on roads of said counties. (Acts 1899, ch. 358.) 
All county prisoners subject to labor shall be employed, as far as practicable, on 
the public highways, and may be let to contractors who will employ them on the 
public roads, eight hours per day. County authorities shall name guards. (Acts 
1899, ch. 368, sec. 7.) 
Texas. 
Counties : — County convicts shall be put to work upon the public roads, bridges, or 
other public works of the county when their labor can not be utilized in the county 
workhouse, or on the farm. They shall labor not less than eight nor more than 10 hours 
per day. Convicts so worked shall be properly guarded. A prisoner may avoid 
manual labor in the workhouse or elsewhere by payment into the county treasury of 
$1 per day for each day he would have to work. (Rev. Civil Stats., 1911, title 104, 
Art. 6238, 6246-6248.) 
The commissioners' court shall require all male county convicts, not otherwise 
employed, to labor on the public roads, under such regulations as it may prescribe, 
