The mirror. (Stillwater, Minn.) 1894-1925, 1902-11-27

make all Americans humbly thankful to the Oliver of
Life today.
AT THE last session of the New Legislature
an indeterminate sentence law was passed and in
September. 1901 it went into effect. After years
trial the law is reported complete success the only
criticism passed it being that its operation
limited. The law in question corresponds to the
Minnesota "reformatory PLAN law. It is applicable
only to first offenders and provides that those sem
fenced under it shall not be released on parole with
in year after the date of their entrance into
prison. nor can they be granted full discharge until
the expiration Of the time specified as the minimum
sentence for the crime for which they committed
The law is universally admitted to be humane bene-
fetal alike to both state and prisoner and in con-
formity with modern ideas Of Justice. The one
objection to it-and the objection applies with
equal force to the Minnesota LAWS that it is not
comprehensive enough.
Everywhere it has been tested the indeterminate
sentence has proven success. This being the case,
why is it difficult to persuade lawmakers to repeal
the time sentence and indorse the modern plan? If
the indeterminate sentence provides feasible meth
cd of dealing with first offenders, one would be put
to it to say why it would not apply equally well
to second or third offenders We have yet to hear
certainly seems to be the logical way of sending mon
to prison if all that is said about reformation is not
the veriest hypocritica slush which we do not for
minute believe to be the case Not only should all
prison sentences be indeterminate, but the courts
should be empowered to suspend sentence on first
offenders convicted of crimes against property,
parolng them before they are branded by going to
prison.
What The MIRROR believes to be travesty on
justice is the practice, sometimes INDUCED in, of
arrestng discharged prisoners at the gates second
indictments based on the offense for which
they have already undergone penal servtude. There
are number of crimes the commission OF any one
of which necessitates the commission of several
others. For instance bookkeeper or cashier en-
beetles money from his employer, and to cover his
tracks falsi6es his accounts. He can be indicted
on three different counts and usually is, which is
quite right. But after he has been tried and con-
victed one of the counts it is more than JUS
tice to drop the other cases. If he pleads guilty
this is usually done, but if he insists on tria-as
is his privilege under the constitution-he not only
is given more severe sentence than he would have
received had he plead guilty, but he stands fair
chance of being arrested at the prison gates at the
expiration of his sentence and being railroaded back
for the identical offense under another name. This
is easy and effective way Of making desperate
criminal out of who desires to live honestly.
Under the indeterminate sentence this sort of
Juggling is done away with. The sentence has for
it's object the reformation OF the individual rather
than the punishment Of the crime. 1t is not
all by any means and it is bound to- work hardship
on some men, but for all that it is far just
and scientific method of dealing with lawbreakers
than the existing time sentence.