The mirror. (Stillwater, Minn.) 1894-1925, 1914-10-29
THE INDETERMINATE
SENTENCE LAW
A Few Notations of Interest
to The Prisoner
The lndeterminate Sentence Law, and a
Few Facts Relating to the Parole of
Prisoners, Giving the Length
of the Sentences, etc.
By H. S. Med.

A num:.er vf the boys have
requested lis to give them some idea
of what the Indeterminate Sentence
Law is; and whether or not we are
in favor of it. A large number or
them have asked us regarding the
working of the Law, aud also if
second timers and old timers were
eligible to parole. therefore, we have
secured authoritive information on
the subject and will present it III
the columns of the Mirror SO that he
who wishes may read.
AS to whether We are in favor
of the indetermiEate sentence
law we will only Say that the law is
not in favor OF the repeater" and
was not intended to be when it was
put in the statutes; therefore, you
can readily see that we, being re-
peater. cannot III truth he in favor
of law that was designed to soak
us iu The neck. However. be thai,
as ii may, the law is reality and
WE can't change it, 80 the best thing
We can do is grin aud bear IT and
hope that things will shape them
selves in such way as to give us a
chance to prove what we are really
made of. Nuff sed.
A number of the boys think that
a repeater Is not eligible for pa
role. but that is wrong. for every
man sentenced under the indeter
inmate sentence law, and every man
who under the old straight sentence
law would be eligible tor parole. be
he still serving out his eentence, may
be paroled under the present law.
All the buys whose minimum sen-
tencps exceed two years will be in
lerested III the following, taken from
the Rules Governing the Parole of
Prisoners:
Applicants may appear before
the b. ard of Parole at tue first meet
ing afler the expiration of their
minimum sentence, provided they
have remained in the first grade for
six months previous to their ap-
pearance before the Board.
Applicants whose minimum SEN
tences exceed two years, may come
before the Board of Parole after two
years of detention, if otherwise quail
fed, at which time the Board may
set a time at which their formal
application may be considered"
The Indeierminate Sentence Law.
taken from the Laws of 1911, reads
as follows:
Chapter 29S-S. F. No. 9. An
Act to provide tor the Indetermln-
ate Sentence of persons convicted
of crime and to authorize and re.
gulate the parollng of convicts.
Be it enacted by the Legislature
of the State of Minnesota:
lhdet-rmlnate Sentence In Ger
tain Cases.-SectiOn |. Whenever
any person is convicted Of any fel
ony or crime committed after the
passage of this act punishable by
imprisonment in the state prison or
state refortnatory. except treason or
murder in any of the degrees there
of defined by law, the Court in lm-
posing sentence shall not fix def
mite term Of imprisonment but shall
sentence every such person to the
slate reformatOry or to the state
PRISON, as the nature of the case
may require, and every such sen
tence shall be without limit as to
time, and the person sentenced shall
he subject to release on parole and
To final discharge by the Board of
Parole as hereinafter provided, but
imprisonment under such sentence
shall not exceed the maximum term
provided by law for the offense fol
which such person shall be convic-
ted; provided. that if a person bt
sentenced for two or more such sep
arate offenses sentence shall he pro.
nounced for each offense and inn
prisoEment hereunder may equal
but shall not exceed the total of the
maximum terms provided by law
for such separate offenses, which
total shall, for the purpose of this
act, he construed as one continuous
term of Imprisonment. Aud pro
vided further, that where one il
convicted of felony or crime thai
is punishable by Imprisonment IL
the state prison or state reforIna.
tory, or by fine or by imprisonment
in the county Jail, or both, the Courl