# Prisoners, Boulders, sledge hammers

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prisoners-boulders-sledge-hammers/213548>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [November 16, 2003, 1:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prisoners-boulders-sledge-hammers/213548 "2003-11-16T13:54:28Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\
**Post date:** [November 16, 2003, 1:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prisoners-boulders-sledge-hammers/213548/1 "2003-11-16T13:54:28Z")

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On a trip back from England I was reading a book and the author described one character who had been sent to prison as being “up state turning big ones into little ones.” The image I presume, being the old cliche of prisoners using sledge hammers to break up boulders.

Did prisoners ever do this? Do they still? What is the purpose?

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**Author:** ![herman\_and\_bill](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/f1d935/32.png) [@herman\_and\_bill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/herman_and_bill)\
**Post date:** [November 16, 2003, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prisoners-boulders-sledge-hammers/213548/2 "2003-11-16T15:13:51Z")

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Prisoners used to be sentenced to hard labor, plus it would keep them busy. The finished product would be used for highways.

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**Author:** ![Matchka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/77aa72/32.png) [@Matchka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Matchka)\
**Post date:** [November 16, 2003, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prisoners-boulders-sledge-hammers/213548/3 "2003-11-16T16:59:20Z")

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They still do that in the future! Arnie got real strong doing it in “The Running Man.”

It’s gotta be true cuz I saw it on TV!