Authority of local officials to require able-bodied convicted persons to perform labor in public interest.
S.C. Code Ann. § 17-25-70
in effectNotwithstanding another provision of law, a local governing body may authorize the sheriff or other official in charge of a local correctional facility to require any able-bodied convicted person committed to the facility to perform labor in the public interest. This labor may involve public service work or related activities which conform to the provisions of Section 24-13-660. The public service work may include, but is not limited to, maintenance or repair of the drainage systems, highways, streets, bridges, grounds, and buildings and litter control and emergency relief efforts. A convicted person physically capable of performing the labor who refuses to obey a direct order to perform the labor is not entitled to good behavior credits pursuant to Section 24-13-210 or productive duty credits pursuant to Section 24-13-230. An inmate participating in a local work punishment or other public service sentence program must not be removed arbitrarily from the program and required to perform work on the public works or ways. A local governing body may enter into a contractual agreement with another governmental entity for use of inmate labor in the performance of work for a public purpose.
Source: Open US Law by Vaquill AI (CC BY 4.0)URL: https://www.scstatehouse.gov/code/t17c025.phpFetched: 10/17/2026