Chap. 136.—An ACT to amend and re-enact section 5017 of the Code of Virginia,
as amended, relating to record to be kept of conduct of convicts; to have credit
for good conduct; record of punishment, etc., of convicts; inspection of same.

[{H B 15]
Approved March 11, 1932

1. Be it enacted by the general assembly of Virginia, That sec-
tion fifty hundred and seventeen of the Code of Virginia, as amended,
be amended and re-enacted so as to read as follows:

Section 5017. The superintendent of the penitentiary shall keep
a record of the conduct of each convict.and jail prisoner under his
control wherever confined, and for every month that such convict
or jail prisoner wherever confined appears by such record to have
faithfully observed the rules and regulations of the prison, and not
to have been subjected to punishment, there shall, with the consent
of the governor, be deducted from the term of service of such con-
vict fifteen days. Such good conduct allowance shall commence only
on the date the prisoner is received in the penitentiary, or the con-
vict road force camp. And in addition thereto, each prisoner shall
be allowed a good conduct credit of fifteen days per month for each
month actually served by him in jail after sentence and while await-
ing removal to the penitentiary or the convict road force. But no such
good conduct allowance for time served in jail shall be allowed when
it appears from the certificate of the jailor that said prisoner was
guilty of violating the rules and regulations of the jail while con-
fined therein, or subjected to discipline for violation of the same. For
any violation of prison rules punishable by stripes or for escape or
attempted escape from custody, the convict or said jail prisoner found
guilty of such violation, or of such escape or attempted escape, shall
forfeit for the first offense twenty per centum of the time that has
accumulated to his credit, or as much of the said twenty per centum
as the superintendent of the penitentiary may determine, and in case
of continued misconduct or violations of the rules and regulations,
he shall forfeit all of his accumulated time. Provided, that any such
prisoner losing his time, may, by good behavior for one year, be re-
stored to his former class or grade, and at the discretion of the su-
perintendent, have his time or any part thereof credited to him
again, and this provision shall apply to any prisoner now in the pen-
itentiary who has heretofore forfeited the time to his credit. Every
time any convict or member of the State convict road force is pun-
ished, the name of the offender, the offense, a full and detailed de-
scription of the punishment, the time when the offense was committed,
and when punishment inflicted, shall be recorded in a register or reg-
isters provided for the purpose. Said register or registers shall be
monthly inspected by the board of directors of the penitentiary and
reported bi-ennially to the general assembly. The provisions of this
act shall not apply to any person convicted of a misdemeanor or of
a felony, whose sentence is not more than one year, such person as
above set forth shall receive for good conduct, a reduction of ten
days per month.