The Yakima herald. [volume] (North Yakima, W.T. [Wash.]) 1889-1914, 1907-07-24
MORE PAROLES.
Mead Believes Nearly Every Prisoner
Has Chance.

Nearly every prisoner in the peni-
Tertiary is entitled to a parole, un-
less he be a murderer, is in effect the
Interpretation Governor Mead places
upon the ndeterminate sentence law
passed by the last legislature. The
governor has also decided to estab-
lish the rule that in no case will he
grant Communication of sentence or
a pardon until the prisoner has been
paroled This announcement has
just been made by the governor in
letter to the state prison board.
The announcement comes rather as
a surprise as there has been a gener
al under standing that as a rule there
would be no unusual increase under
the new law. To carry out this poi
icy will possibly mean the early
granting of scores of paroles, in many
cases where heretofore no such lib
erty was permitted to the convict.
For instance, the state law pro-
vides that for adultery a person may
be sent to the penitentiary for term
not exceeding five years. No mini
mum is named, so it may be but one
day would be held as the mtnimum
sentence. Then under the indeter-
inmate sentence law after the pris-
oner has been confined one day he
may apply for parole and be liber-
ated, and six months later if he conf
plies with the parole rules, he may
be finally discharged. So also with
more serious crimes where the mini
mum is but a year and the maximum
is life Imprisonment. After the year
the prisoner may secure his parole
and six months later get final dis
charge, though his original sentence
under the old law was for life.
The only persons not entitled to
parole as soon as the minimum term
has expired, according to the inter-
probation of the new law, will be
those who have been convicted of
treason or murder, those who have
served previous prison sentences, and
those who have broken parole, es-
capped or otherwise violated the pris-
on or parole rules.
The governor in his letter to the
board expresses his position in this
matter as follows:
"A careful reading of the law
prompts me to believe that in its act
udl WI hlISS d.l VI Tile COHNlCto III
the penitentiary who are eligible for
a parole should be paroled before
they are released from that institu-
ton. In other words, no applica-
ton should be presented to the ex-
ecutive for pardon or communication
where the applicant is eligible for
parole. If any case is presented to
the governor for pardon or commu-
tation a showing s. ,hld be made to
the effect that the convict is not ELI
gib.e for parole.
Il presume that in the administra-
ton of the law the board will not re-
quire any convict to remain in the
penitentiary the maximum term pre-
scribed by law, unless he was con-
victed of treason or murder or mad
served a former term in prison or has
been disobedient to the rules of the
penitentiary. In all other cases
presume fair Interpretation of the
indeterminate sentence law, as it ap-
pears in section six, would warrant
the board in recommending to the
governor the final release and dis
charge of prisoners of prisoners who
have been paroled for period of at
least six months and who under the
evidence submitted are deemed reli-
able and trustworthy to remain at
liberty without violating the law,
etc."