The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1899-12-07
THEPAROLE PRISON Law
OPERATION OF THE INDeTERMlNATE
SENTENCE IN INDIANA.


Youthful Criminals to Reform.
At Michigan City, Ind, the last
prison Sunday was observed by a union
meeting of the Methodist, Presbyterian
aud Congregational Churches, held in
the Methodist Church. w. II. Whit
taker, clerk OF the State Prison, read
paper on "The Indeterminate Sem
tence and Parole Law" He spoke,
in part, as follows:
before the passage of this law all
prisoners sentenced in counties north
of line running east aud west through
the centre of the State, which line
touched the southern border of Marion
County, were sent to the Michigan
City prison, and all south of this line
were sentenced to Jacksonville. This
was done without regard to age, crime
or the number of times the prisoner
may have been in prison. The result
was that many young boy who had
committed his first offense was thrown
into prison and put into the same cell
with an old, experienced offender, and
after serving his term of one or two
years, with no attention being given
him while in prison, he was discharged
a graduate in crime. The new law
seeks to remedy just such cases as
this by committing to the State Prison
all men who are over thirty years OF
age, and those who have been sent
enced for life or treason and those
who have served in prison more than
one term. To the Indiana Reforma-
tory are committed all persons under
thirty years of age, except those who
have life sentence or are found guilty
of treason. The management of the
State Prison and the Reformatory, as
soon As the laws were passed, in 1897,
set out at once to adopt rules and pro-
vide for the better government of the
prisoners in their charge as contem-
plated by the new law.
"The first reform that was insti-
tuted at these institutions was to
abolish the lash and in its stead well
ventilated and warm cells were pro-
vided, where prisoner is placed in
solitary confinement on short diet, be-
ing compelled to stand at his cell door
during working hours. This punish
ment lasts until the prisoner is will
ing and the management is satisfied
that he will return to his work and
give no further trouble. Again, the
change of clothing from the stripes to
the cadet blue for the first grade pris-
oner and a checkered cloth of dark
and gray check for the second grade,
and the stripes for the third grade.
The lock-step has also been abolished
and instead prisoners are permitted
to march in military order, two
abreast. These three reforms the
adjustment of the lash, the striped
clothing and the lock -step-have done
more to improve the condition of the
prisoner and make him feel like man
than anything that has been done.
1.-The lndeterminate- e-sentence law
means that when a prisoner is sem
fenced to prison he goes for mini
mum term, which is determined by
law in accordance with the offense
committed. 1t may be from one to
three years, one to fourteen, two to
fourteen, or two to twenty one years.
On entering the prison the prisoner is
permitted to enter second grade-that
is, his clothing will be of the check
cred cloth. While in this grade he
will be permitted to write one letter q
month and receive one visit per month
from a friend. At the end of three
months, with perfect department. in
this grade, the prisoner will be ad-
vanced to the first grade and the
clothing will be of the cadet blue. In
this grade the prisoner is permitted
to write two letters per month and re-
ceive two visits per month from his
friends. For the breaking of any
rules that have been adopted by the
management the prisoner may be re-
duced in grade; if reduced to the third
grade he will don the stripes, and
while in this clothing will not be per-
mitted to write letters nor receive
visits from his friends, nor to read in
his cell.
"With the grading OF the prisoner
from the time he enters the institution
the management begins to study him,
making careful Investigation as to
his previous history while on the out
side, and finding, if possible, if he has
a criminal record. If he is illiterate
| ho 10 iuhcu w tub SCuOOllOOul IOuT
evenings in the week and nine NOR tbs
in the year. There he is taught to
READ and write. He is permitted to
attend Christian Endeavor meetings
each Sunday morning and regular
chapel oervice every Sunday forenoon /;
he is also permitted to have IN his cell
the best library books, papers and
magazines. With such methods as
these the authorities are enabled TO
study each prisoner and at the end of
his minimum sentence are able tojudge
as to the character and habits of the
prisoner when he appears before the
Parole Board asking for parole.
"This brings us to the manner in
which the indeterminate sentence and
| parole law is administered; when a
| prisoner has served one or two years
in prison, as the case may be, and has
complied with the rules he is permit.
ted to come before the Parole Board.
The Boald first examines the state
ment made by the trial Judge and
prosecuting attorney; they then ques-
tion the prisoner as to his past rec
ord. II they find that he has served
other sentences and that his past life
has been spent in crime, his case will
not be favorably considered by the