I remember the era when convicts did the majority of road construction and maintenance on the county roads in Georgia.

Tne convicts were usually in a group of about twenty individuals supervised by 3-4 guards, two armed with shotguns and the others armed with side arms and hunting rifles.

There were usually a "pack" of dogs consisting mostly of "large breed" animals, but as I recall no particular breed dominated except one or two with "bloodhound" features. The guards called these dogs "Convict" dogs which usually had 1-2 "trustee" convicts as dog handlers.

The guards have come to our tenant farm home many times to obtain water from our well, and would sometimes allow a watermellon to be given to the convicts.

The convict was an extreme form of punishment but was common in the 1920s and early 1930s. One advantage of the system was that there were very few repeat offenders.

The majorty of the convicts were black but there was a good "springling" of white convicts. It was not uncommon to hear of a convict being killed while attempting an escape. The guards were instructed to "shoot to wound" but many times their aim was poor.

I have many recollections concerning the convict system in Georgia...but this is a Civil War site.