Opinion ID: 2283862
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Heading: Are the sentences arbitrary, excessive and illegal because there was a difference of only one day in the minimum and maximum terms?

Text: As above stated, defendants were sentenced to nine years, 364 days to ten years. The thrust of their argument is that these sentences are arbitrary. They reason that because the minimum sentence has a direct bearing on the length of time a convict must serve before being eligible for parole, the statutory provision requiring that a minimum and a maximum sentence be imposed, N.J.S. 2 A :164-17, is for the purpose of parole. They argue that the imposition of the type of sentence here imposed is in effect an evasion of the parole statute ( N.J.S.A. 30:4-123.1, et seq. ) and therefore arbitrary and an abuse of discretion. In order to assay the merits of defendants' arguments it is necessary to ascertain the origin and purposes of the minimum-maximum sentence mandate and its relation to parole. We proceed first to consider the history of sentencing. In State v. Moore, 21 N.J. Super. 419 ( App. Div. 1952), in tracing the history of sentencing, the court said: The common law punished treason and felony with death, corruption of blood, loss of dower and forfeiture of lands, goods and chattels and, on conviction of misdemeanor, the punishment was that of fine and imprisonment, in the discretion of the court. O'Regan and Schlosser, Criminal Laws of New Jersey, p. 128, sec. 113. In 1898, the Legislature adopted `An Act for the punishment of crimes (Revision of 1898),' L. 1898, c. 235, p. 794, and by sec. 217, provided that the penalty of one convicted of a high misdemeanor `shall be punished by a fine of not exceeding two thousand dollars, or by imprisonment. with or without hard labor, as the court may direct, for any term not exceeding seven years, or both,' and by sec. 218, one convicted of a misdemeanor, the imposition of a fine not exceeding $1,000, or by imprisonment, with or without hard labor, as the court may direct, for any term not exceeding three years, or both. In 1911 ( L. 1911, c. 191, p. 356), the 1898 act ( L. 1898, c. 237, p. 866), was amended to provide that a sentence to State Prison shall set forth a maximum term which shall be equal to the limit of imprisonment as provided in the 1898 act, its supplements or amendments, for the crime for which the prisoner was sentenced and likewise set forth a minimum term of not less than one year and not more than one-half of such maximum term. (at pp. 426-427). Chapter 214 of the Laws of 1914 changed this to require that the minimum be not more than two-thirds of the maximum, and L. 1922, c. 50, allowed the maximum to be less than or equal to the limit of imprisonment provided for in the 1898 Act. L. 1932, c. 166 did away with most of the limitations of the prior law, providing merely that All sentences to the New Jersey State Prison shall hereafter be for a maximum and minimum term, except sentences for life, but the maximum term shall not be in excess of the maximum term prescribed by law for the offense for which the offender was convicted. The minimum term shall not be less than one year. Despite further amendments, i.e., L. 1951, c. 99, L. 1953, c. 276, L. 1954, c. 174, the purport of the provision with which we are here particularly concerned, remained static. See N.J.S. 2 A :164-17. We turn next to the subject of parole. In 1911, the Board of Inspectors of the State Prison was given, subject to the approval of the Governor, power to parole a prisoner at the expiration of his minimum sentence. L. 1911, c. 191. This power was given by the same Act which first required the imposition of a minimum and maximum sentence. (Prior to this Act, parole eligibility had been set at one-half the sentence minus commutation time. See 2 Compiled Statutes, § 171, p. 1877.) Chapter 166 of the Laws of 1932 authorized the Board of Managers of the New Jersey State Prison to parole any prisoner at the expiration of the minimum sentence, but L. 1936, p. 194, § 2 increased the required time to be served for parole eligibility of second, third and fourth offenders to respectively, one-third, one-half or three-quarters of the imposed maximum. When L. 1948, c. 84, created the State Parole Board it provided: 10. No inmate of a penal or correctional institution serving a sentence for a fixed minimum and maximum term shall be eligible for consideration for release on parole until he has served his minimum sentence, less commutation time therefrom for good behavior and for diligent application to work assignments or one-third of his fixed maximum sentence without regard to commutation time, whichever occurs sooner, subject to the provisions of section twelve hereof. Section 12 declared that second, third and fourth offenders were declared eligible for parole upon serving respectively, one-half, three-fourths and the full maximum sentence less time allowance for diligent performance of work. Currently, commutation time is applied to both the minimum and one-third of the maximum in the case of a first offender. L. 1956, c. 102, § 1. See N.J.S.A. 30:4-123.10. Second, third and fourth offenders now serve one-half, two-thirds and four-fifths of their maximum sentences, respectively, before becoming eligible for parole. L. 1955, c. 15. See N.J.S.A. 30:4-123.12. Despite subsequent amendments, the temporal provisions for parole eligibility of first offenders have remained static since 1956 and for multiple offenders since 1955. It is apparent that under the current statutory scheme the requirement for the imposition of a minimum sentence is important solely for parole purposes. In that connection it has an effect only in the case of a first offender and then only when the imposed minimum term is less than one-third of the maximum. Defendants acknowledge that they do not fall into the category of first offenders. The minimum, therefore, has no effect on their parole eligibility. Even if they were first offenders, imposition of a high minimum forcing them to serve one-third of their maximum, minus commutation time, before eligibility, does not subvert the power of the parole board. For a first offender, as above noted, any minimum in excess of one-third of the fixed maximum has no bearing on parole eligibility as time for eligibility cannot exceed one-third of that maximum. It follows that a minimum, regardless how greatly in excess of one-third of the fixed maximum, does not increase the time which must be served for parole eligibility. The Legislature permitted the control of the least prison time to be served by a defendant to remain to some extent in the sentencing judge by providing for parole eligibility for a first offender at one-third or less of the maximum imposed by the judge. The imposition of a minimum sentence in excess of one-third of the imposed maximum for a first offender is a meaningless and futile gesture. Therefore any error committed in this regard does not constitute reversible error, State v. Moore, 21 N.J. Super. 419 ( App. Div. 1952); State v. Janiec, 25 N.J. Super. 197 ( App. Div. 1953), to the contrary notwithstanding.