The mirror. (Stillwater, Minn.) 1894-1925, 1903-04-30

The legislature of New York has recently passed
bill providing for the parole of prisoners confined
the penitentiares and prisons of that state 1t is
based on the law already in existence in connection
with the Elmira reformatory, and received the sup
port of the State Commission of Prisons and Super
intendent of Prisons Collins. It is materially diff
ferent from the Minnesota law and has some good
features and illogical ones. Should it receive
the governors signature first offenders serving twenty
years less may be paroled at the expiration of one
third of the full term for which they were sentenced
It is to be regretted that the New York legis-
lators, having excellent opportunity to take the
initiative in framing parole law that would be just
to all classes of offenders, have fit to be ham,
pered by precedent and overmuch conservatism. It
is to be regretted that they fit to model their
bill laws already in existence instead OF evolving
a consistent and logical one of their Why very
long time and those sentenced to life imprison-
ment, being eligible in other respects, should be
excluded from the benefits conferred by a parole
law is something that has yet to be satisfactorily
explained Prisoners paroled when, in the
opinion of the paroling power, they have reached
point when they can be freed without danger to
society," and at the time they enter the prison none
can foretell when they will reach this point They
certainly not paroled because the sentence i'm
that is just, at least in theory. And other things
being equal if serving eighteen years is eligible
for parole in six years. why should one serving
twenty-one years not be freed after seven years?
Does the fact that today the judge is in good
humor and tomorrow out of sorts make the former
prisoner corrgible and the latter incorgible? Is it
only possible to reform prisoners who sentenced
to twenty years less? To be just and consistent
parole law must apply to life prisoners we'll as to
those serving short sentences. In very many cases
the latter are more dangerous to society than the
former.
Let us take concrete example of the way the
New York law will work. A has armed himself with
pistol say, and shot fellow creature but through
one cause or another his victim survives has
quarreled with some one and hit him over the head
with chair, club or some other weapon, killing
him. A, who perhaps was ripe for murder, is con-
vcted of assault and is sent to prison for ten years.
B is found guilty of murder and gets thirty years
Should there be any difference in the treatment of
these two men? We think not Yet, under the
New York law, A will be paroled in three and one
third years. while B will have to stay in prison
twenty years more We do not say that A should
not be paroed On the contrary, he should be if he
has learned to govern himself; but we do believe
that should also be given opportunity to start
anew. The MIRROR believes that if the punishment
is to eft the man"-not the crime-in it
must do so in all cases. else the whole system is
travesty justice. The present system of limited
paroles and time sentences is manifesty unfair in
many cases.
The supporters of the New York bill have LAID
particular stress on the fact that about 80 per
of the prisoners paroled from Elmira have turned