Page:American Journal of Sociology Volume 3.djvu/660

 646 THE AMERICAN JOURNAL OF SOCIOLOGY



house or to the workhouse, 1 and in the latter to the almhouse, jail, or workhouse, or are to be employed upon the streets. 3 Virginia should be mentioned along with New Mexico and Mis- souri, as she employs her tramps and vagrants on public account or hires them out for three months. 3 So, too, in Delaware 4 a vagrant may be bound out no longer than one month or confined in jail ; while in Georgia 5 he may be confined in jail, fined, bound out for not longer than a year, or dismissed upon bond for one year's good behavior. In a few states a fine instead of imprison- ment may be imposed ; but as this fine is almost invariably worked out in jail, it is merely another way of fixing the length of a sentence to jail. 6

A sentence to prison without hard labor is not very effective in repressing vagrancy. Where tramps are committed to the state's prison, house of correction, or workhouse, work is pro- vided for them. This is also the case in Virginia, Missouri, and New Mexico, where they are employed on public account or hired out. It is not always the case, however, where commit- ment to the jail or to the almshouse is provided for. In Vermont they are committed to hard labor in the almshouse. Hard labor is also required in Michigan and New Jersey, where such may be committed to the almshouse. The ten states of Maine, Pennsyl- vania, Delaware, South Carolina, Ohio, Wisconsin, Iowa,

1 1834. In Detroit tramps are to be sent to the house of correction (9858).

2 Act of April 17, 1876. 3885. 4 Act of March 27, 1879.

s 4560. Most of these laws providing for the binding out of vagrants are very old, and perhaps all "dead letters."

In South Carolina (Act of December 22, 1893), if a vagrant cannot give bond for good behavior, he is fined not to exceed $100 or imprisoned not longer than thirty days. In Tennessee (2024, 2025) a fine of from $5 to $25, instead of imprisonment in the county workhouse from ten days to twelve months, may be imposed ; in Illinois (270, ch. 38) $20 to 5 1 00, instead of from ten days' to six months' hard labor in jail or in the house of correction ; in Nebraska (6908) not to exceed $50, instead of not to exceed three months' hard labor in jail or elsewhere ; in Colorado (1362) $25 to $200, instead of from ten to ninety days in jail; in Arizona (Act of March 19, 1891) $3 to $50, instead of from one to ninety days in jail ; in Indiana (2134, 2135) and Ohio (6994) the punishment is a fine of from #10 to $50. The laws of Ohio and Colorado provide that such fines shall be worked out in jail in the former at 75 cents, in the latter at $2 per day.