Chap. 301.—An ACT to regulate the treatment, handling and work of pris-
oners sentenced to the State penitentiary and to appropriate funds there-

for. [H B 253)
Approved March 16, 1918.

1. Be it enacted by the general assembly of Virginia, That every
man sentenced to the penitentiary shall be allowed a commutation
of his sentence of ten days out of every calendar month, and shall
be allowed ten cents per day for each day he works, to be paid
out of the appropriation hereinafter provided for so long as the
same is sufficient.

The money earned by said prisoner shall accumulate and be
paid over to the said prisoner at the time of his discharge, one half
may be drawn upon by said prisoner for the purchase of such
things as the prisoner may desire, and for other purposes by and
with the approval of the superintendent.

Section l-a. The board of directors of the State penitentiary
shall, through the superintendent, wardens, managers or officials
of the penitentiary, State farm, or camps, In the State. so far as
it 1s practicable, cause all of the prisoners in said institutions or
camps, who are physically capable thereof to be employed at useful
labor, not to exceed ten hours for each day, other than Sundays or
public holidays; which shall include time occupied in going to
and from work, provided, this shall not apply to work on the tate
farm, nor shall it apply to existing contracts heretofore made by
this State.

2. It shall be unlawful for any person having charge of pris-
oners away from the penitentiary to whip or flog or have whipped
or flogged any one of them until twenty-four hours after offense.

3. The sanitation and hygienic care of the prisoners shall be
under the direction, supervision and regulation of the State board
of health, and all camps and camp equipment shall conform to the
plans and specifications of and be approved by the State board of
health and the State highway commissioner; and the board of
directors of the State prison shall do such things as may be neces-
sary to carry out the recommendations of the State board of health
The supervision of the State board of health shall apply to the
State penitentiary, the State farm and county or State camps, o1
other places where the prisoners are confined or housed, and suck
recommendations shall be made by the State board of health re-
garding clothing, bedding, tableware and bathing for the prisoners
shall be carried out by the board of directors of the State peniten-
tiary, so long as the appropriation herein made therefor is sufficient.
. The prisoner’s number shall be used for marking all clothes,
bed-clothes, beds and other supplies used by prisoners, so that when
such clothes, bed-clothing and supplies are washed and cleaned,
they shall always be returned for the use of the same prisoners.

5. The superintendent of the State penitentiary and the State
board of health shall have the same supervision of all prisoners
from the penitentiary and jail prisoners who work in camps; in
regard to method of construction, sanitary and hygienic care and
housing and feeding of the prisoners,

6. Any prisoner guilty of misconduct or infringement of the
rules and regulations of the State penitentiary, State farm, or State
or county camps in which he is confined which offense is punishable
by flogging shall] forfeit for the first offense twenty per centum of
the time that has accumlated to his credit; and in case of continued
misconduct or violations of the rules and regulations, he shall for-
feit all of his accumulated time. Provided, that any such prisoner
losing his time may, by good behavior for one year, be restored to
his former class or grade, and at the discretion of the superintend-
ent, have half of his time credited to him again, and this provision
shall apply to any prisoner now in the penitentiary who has here-
tofore forfeited the time to his credit.

7. In case a prisoner attempts to escape or leaves, without per-
mission, the State penitentiary, State farm or any’ prison camp he
shall, upon being recaptured or taken, lose all his accumulated time.

8. The board of directors of the State penitentiary is hereby
authorized and directed to arrange certain forms of recreation for
the prisoners, and shall arrange so that the prisoners during their
leisure hours shall have an opportunity to take part in games and
attend lectures, take exercise, and take part in other forms of
amusement as may be provided by said board. The said board is
also authorized and directed to make such arrangements as are neces-
sary to enable classes to be organized amongst the prisoners, so that
those who desire may receive instruction 1n various lines of educa-
tional pursuits. The said board shall utilize, where possible, the
services of the prisoners who are sufficiently educated to act as in-
structors for such classes in education; such services, however, shal
be voluntary on the part of the prisoner. The said board is further
authorized and directed to make such arrangements as will be neces.
sary so that religious services may be held for the prisoners or
Sunday, and at such other times as they may deem wise. The pro
visions of this section shall apply to the State penitentiary, the State
farm and State and county camps.

8. No one addicted to the use of intoxicating liquors or habii
forming drugs shall be employed as superintendent, warden, guard
or any other position connected with the State penitentiary, Stat
farm, or State or county camps, where such position requires the
incumbent thereof to have any charge or direction of the prisoners;
and any one holding such position, or any one who may be em-
ployed in any other capacity in said State penitentiary, State farm.
or State or county camps, who shall come under the influence of
intoxicating liquors shall at once cease to be an employee of the
said institutions, and shall not be eligible for reinstatement to said
position or be employed in any other position in any of said in-
stitutions.

9. The prisoners confined at the State penitentiary, State farm
or prison camps shall be allowed such correspondence privileges
as do not interfere with the work and discipline of the said peni-
tentiary, farm or camps; provided, however, that each prisoner
shall be permitted to write a letter at least once each month, and
shall be permitted to have and read such newspapers and magazines
as he may subscribe for or be given to him or sent him and not
deemed by the prison authorities to be subversive of discipline.

10. This act shall be printed in pamphlet form and each pris-
oner committed to the charge of the board of directors of the State
penitentiary shall be supplied with a copy of such act, and its con-
tents shall be explained to him at the time he is brought to the
State penitentiary. |

11. Each prisoner committed to the charge of the board of
directors of the State penitentiary shall be carefully examined by
a competent physician, upon his arrival, and at such times there-
after as may be deemed necessary in order to determine his physical
and mental condition, and his assignment to the penitentiary, farm
or camps, and the work that he is required to do, shall be dependent
upon the report of the physician as to his physical and mental
capacity.

12. The races shall be kept separate, and youthful convicts from
old and hardened criminals in sleeping quarters, as far as possible

Section 138. The sum of thirty thousand dollars for the fiscal
year nineteen hundred and eighteen and a like sum for the yea
nineteen hundred and nineteen, or so much thereof as may be
necessary, is hereby appropriated to be paid out of any money
in the treasury not otherwise appropriated, twenty-five thousand
dollars of which for each of said years, or so much thereof a:
may be necessary shall be applied to the payment of the sums
to which said prisoners shall be respectively entitled under the pro-
visions of this act, and five thousand dollars, or so much thereof as
may be necessary shall be used in carrying out the provisions of
this act for the improvement of the sanitary and moral conditions
under which said prisoners are compelled to live.