This system has had a marked tendency to improve the discipline of the prison, for it impels inmates to bend every effort to merit this consideration at the hands of the state authorities. The state law governing the parole of prisoners from the penitentiary is as follows:
THE PAROLE LAW
Parole of Prisoners,—The State Board of Control may parole any prisoner: Provided,
| 1. | No convict shall be paroled who has been previously convicted of a felony other than the one for which he is serving sentence, either in this state or elsewhere. |
|---|---|
| 2. | No convict serving a time sentence shall be paroled until he shall have served at least one-half of his full term, not reckoning good time. |
| 3. | No convict serving a life sentence shall be paroled until he has served thirty-five years, less the diminution which would have been allowed for good conduct had his sentence been for thirty-five years, and then only by unanimous consent, in writing, of the members of the Board of Pardons. |
| 4. | Such convicts while on parole shall remain in the legal custody and under control of the Board of Control, subject at any time to be returned to the prison or reformatory, and the written order of said board, certified by the Warden, shall be a sufficient warrant to any officer to retake and return to actual custody any such convict. Geographical limits wholly within [pg 69] [pg 70] [pg 71] the state may be fixed in each case, and the same enlarged or reduced according to the conduct of the prisoners. |
| 5. | In considering applications for parole said board shall not entertain any petition, receive any written communication, or bear any argument from any attorney or other person not connected with said prison, in favor of the parole of any prisoner, but it may institute inquiries by correspondence or otherwise as to the previous history or character of such prisoner. |
At the present time nearly all the states have inaugurated the parole and grading system similar to the law in operation in this state, and some are considering the advisability of introducing the system. This law is one of the best measures of the so-called modern penology and one in which the leading authorities on such matters feel the most pride.
This cut shows the condition of the safe and office of the State Bank of Stephen, Minn., after being wrecked by dynamite. This was done by three men. One escaped, one gave state's evidence and the other is now serving a term at the Minnesota State Prison.
Warden's Office