The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1892-05-21
CHAPTER 273.

| AN ACI TO Amend Artlcle IWenUy-seNeh
of the Code of Public General Laws,
title "Crimes and Punishments," sub
title "Convicts," adding thereto six
sections to come in after Section 424, to
be designated Sections 424 A, 424 B,
424 G, 424 D, 424 E and 424 F, rela-
ting to the Identification of habitual
criminals.
SECTION /. Be it enacted by the
General Assembly of Maryland That
Article twenty seven of the Code Of Public
General Laws, title 'Crimes and Punish
ments, subtitle "Convicts, be amended by
adding six additional sections thereto, to
come in after Section 424 and TO be
numbered respectively 424 A, 424 B, 424
G, 424 d, 424 i and 424 L, relating to
the Identification of habitual criminals,
and to read respectively as follows:
424 A. That in every prison in this
state to which persons convicted of any
felonious offense are or may be committed
| by the courts of this state the warden or
other officers in charge shall record, or
cause TO be recorded, in record kept for
that purpose description of every person
committed to such prison under a sentence
for felony, and also the criminal history
of every such person so committed, as far
as the same may appear from the records
of the courts of this state, or of any other
state or otherwise, as full and complete as
NAV be obtainable, and shall attach thereto
a photograph or photographs of such per-
sons so recorded.
TlnE hn MAINTAIN
ed in the section of this act the states at
torney of the county or city in which
criminal has been convicted and sentenced to
prison for felony shall forward to the war
den, or other officer in charge, at the request
of such warden or other officer, and upon
blanks furnished by him, a criminal history
of such criminal as fully as is known or
can be ascertained by such states attorney.
424 C. That the register herein pro
vided for shall not be made public, except
as NAV be necessary in the Identification OF
persons accused of crime, and in the trial
of offenses committed after having been
imprisoned for a prior offense. The re-
cord shall be accessible, however, to any
officer of any court having criminal jurls-
diction in this state, upon the order OF the
Judge of the court, or of the states attorney
of the county or city in which the person
is being held for crime, which said order
shall be attested by the seal Of the court,
and any such record may be given In EVIL
dence upon any trial of an offender indict-
ed under the habitual criminal law Of this
| state for the purpose of proving former
conviction or convictions, and the otfense
or offenses for which convicted.
424 D. That for the purpose OF obtain
ing accurate descriptions of criminal con
| victs, the warden or other officers in charge
of the several prisons in this state are
hereby authorized to adopt the Bertillion
method of measurement and registration or
such other method as shall infinitely de-
scribe convicts.
-l24 f. That copy of the description
and of the history and of the photograph
or photographs of any convict entered upon
such record or register shall be furnished,
upon the request of any warden or other
officer in charge of prison for felons in
any other state of the United States, to
such warden or other officer in charge,
PROVIDED SUCH SlltC itti, BApNAoAOh
law, for recording the descriptions OF its
criminals convicted and for furnishing
such descriptions to the authorities of such
other states Us have made provisions by
law for the keeping of registers of descrip-
tons and history of their convicts.
424 f. That a copy of the description,
history and photograph or photographs of
any convict entered upon such records
shall be furnished to any officer of the
bureau of police, in the cities where peni-
tentiaries are or may be located, upon the
order of the superintendent of the police
thereof; also, that on or before the twenty
eighth day of each and every month the
warden of the state penitentiary or peni-
tentiaries located in said city or cities shall
furnish to the board of police commits
sioners of said city or cities the names of
convicts whose sentences expire the fol
lowing month, together with the date
when sentence commenced, the county or
city from which committed, the crime for
which committed and the exact day when
the convict will be discharged.
Sec. 2. And be it enacted, That this
act shall take effect from the date of its
passage.
We hereby certify that the foregoing is
correct copy of an act of the General
Assembly of Maryland, passed January
session, 1892.
w. G. PURNELL,
Secretary Of the Senate.
CARLTON SHAFER,
Chief Clerk of the House of Delegates.
Approved by the Governor, March 81,
1892.