The mirror. (Stillwater, Minn.) 1894-1925, 1913-09-11
RECENT LAWS
IN WISCONSIN
Several New Laws were Passed by the
Late Legislature of Wisconsin In Re-
gard to Prisoners. A Slight Resume
is Given Below.


is Given Below.
One of the most notable laws
passed by the Wisconsin Legis-
lature, relative to prisoners is the
one in which compensation is paid
to the prisoner who is innocent of
the crime charged against him. The
law in part reads:
"The governor and the members of the
state board of control are hereby consti-
tuted board to be known as the board for
the relief of persons who have served terms
of imprisonment upon conviction for an
offense or crime against the state of which
they are innocent The secretary of the
state board of control shall be the secretary
of the board hereby created.
If the board shall find that the petitioner
was innocent of the crime or offenSe for
which he has suffered Imprisonment, and
that he did not by his act or failure to act
contribute to bring about the conviction
and imprisonment for which he seeks COM
pensation, the board shall proceed to find
the amount which will compensate the
petitioner for his wrongful imprisonment.
Such board may award a compensation to
the petitioner so found innocent of not to
exceed five thousand dollars in any case,
and at a rate of compensation not greater
than fifteen hundred dollars per year for
the imprisonment SO unjustly suffered. If
the board shall find that the amount they
may be able to award will not be an ad-
equate compensation to the petitioner they
shall report an amount to the legislature
which they shall deem to be adequate and
shall recommend the appropriation by the
legislature to the petitioner of the amount
in excess of the amount they may have
awarded. :
The paying of prisoners for their
work, for the benefit of those de-
pendent on them. or for their own
use when discharged, was also added
to the statutes. In part it reads:
s'The state board of control of Wiscon-
sin is heraby authorized and empowered to
provide for the payment to prisoners con-
fined in the state prison or in the state re-
formatory of such pecuniary earnings and
for the rendering of such assistance as it
may deem proper, under such rules and
regulations as it may provide. Such earn
ings shall be paid out of the fund provided
for the carrying on of the work in which
the prisoner is engaged when employed on
state account, and by the contractor when
the prisoner is employed under contract.
Any money arising under sections 4942
and 4942a of the statutes shall be and re-
main under the control of the state board
of control, to be used for the benefit of the
prisoner, his family, or dependent relatives,
under such regulations as to time, manner
and amount of disbursements as the board
may prescribe.
The state Of Wisconsin is going
to try out the road work proposition
and an extract is taken from their
recent law in regard to this work.
The work Is to be carried on only
as an experiment at first, so the law
reads. In part 1t reads:
''The state board of control of Wiscon-
sin is authorized and empowered to en-
ploy inmates of the Wisconsin state prison
in the construction and improvement of
such roads and highways as the state board
of control of Wisconsin and the state high
way commission may determine, in such
manner and under such terms as may be
agreed upon.
"For each prisoner so employed, the
state board of control of Wisconsin shall
set aside for such work performed, such a
per diem as in the discretion of said board
may seem proper and just; said money
shall, as the state board of control of Wis
consin may determine, be paid either to
such prisoner or to the members of his
family dependent upon him for support, in
the same manner as is provided by statute
for the disbursement ofprisoners' earnings.
Wisconsin is taking several steps
in the right direction. Especially
is this so of the law relating to the
prisoner unjustly imprisoned.
Many men who are doing time are
entirely innocent of the crime
charged, but, sad to state, the in
nocent are far in the minority.
The road work being only an ex-
pertinent, it is hard to pass judg-
ment, but it is mighty apt to prove
a success.
The paying Of prisoners for the
work they perform, even though the
pay is small, is practically in force
in all the United States prisons. 1t