Chap. 23.—An ACT to authorize the Commissioner of Corrections to furnish prison
labor for farm work in certain emergencies. [H 90]

Approved February 15, 1944

Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia:

1. Section 1. The Commissioner of Corrections is hereby author-
ized, subject to the conditions hereinafter contained, to furnish prison
labor to assist farmers in the harvesting and housing of food and feed
crops.

Section 2. Whenever the Governor shall find and declare that there
exists an extraordinary emergency in any particular section due to the
lack of available labor in the work of harvesting and housing food and
feed crops and the Commissioner of Corrections shall find that it is pos-
sible to release certain prisoners from prison work without serious prej-
udice to the maintenance of the public institutions and highway work,
the Commissioner may make such prisoners available for assistance to
farmers in such harvesting and housing work.

Section 3. Before any prisoners are furnished for such farm work,
the County Farm Agent in the county shall ascertain and determine that
such work is needed upon the particular farm and shall negotiate with
the designated representative of the State Board of Corrections as to the
number of prisoners that may be available for such work, and shall act as
an intermediary between the owner of the farm and such designated rep-
resentative of the Board as to the number of prisoners to be employed,
the estimated time for which they are to be employed, and the place and
character of their work. No prisoners shall be assigned to work on any
farm until the owner thereof has deposited with the County Farm Agent
a sum of money sufficient to cover the estimated cost of such work; and
when the work is completed, the County Farm Agent shall remit to the
Commissioner of Corrections pay for such work upon the basis agreed
upon.

Section 4. Before anv work is done under the provisions of this act.
the Commissioner of Corrections shall establish a price for such prison
labor, to be governed by the prevailing prices paid to farm labor in the

particular county in which the prison labor is to be used, which price shall
be sufficient to include the custodial care of such prisoners, including pay
for guards and foremen, transportation, and other expenses incident to
the work.

Section 5. Notwithstanding any agreement made for the furnishing
of prison labor under the terms of this act, if there shall arise any emer-
gency in the prison work which renders it impracticable to furnish such
prison labor without serious prejudice to the maintenance of prison in-
stitutions and highway work then and in that event the Commissioner
shall have a right to suspend such farm work and recall the prisoners tc
the prison work.

Section 6. Any prisoners furnished for farm work under the pro-
visions of this act shall at all times be under the control of the duly ap-
pointed agents of the State Board of Corrections and shall be fed and
otherwise cared for by the Board to the same extent as if they were en-
gaged in prison work.

2. An emergency exists and this act shall be in force from its passage
and continue in force during the present war emergency and for six
months after a declaration by the President of the United States that the
emergency ceases to exist, but no longer.