HF 2919

as introduced - 79th Legislature (1995 - 1996) Posted on 12/15/2009 12:00am

  1.1                          A bill for an act
  1.2             relating to corrections; prohibiting the imprisonment 
  1.3             of jail prisoners for failure to pay fines or other 
  1.4             court costs; increasing the fine credits of jail 
  1.5             prisoners who perform required labor; limiting the 
  1.6             number of hours of required labor; reducing the 
  1.7             penalty for insulting or otherwise interfering with a 
  1.8             prisoner who is performing labor; amending Minnesota 
  1.9             Statutes 1994, sections 641.07; and 641.10. 
  1.10  BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA: 
  1.11     Section 1.  Minnesota Statutes 1994, section 641.07, is 
  1.12  amended to read: 
  1.13     641.07 [PRISONERS, LABOR.] 
  1.14     Every able bodied male prisoner over 16 years of age 
  1.15  confined in any county jail or statutory city lockup under 
  1.16  judgment of any court or other tribunal authorized to imprison 
  1.17  for the violation of any law, ordinance, bylaw, or police 
  1.18  regulation, may be required to work for not more than ten eight 
  1.19  hours per day.  The court or tribunal, when passing judgment of 
  1.20  imprisonment for nonpayment of fine or otherwise, shall 
  1.21  determine and specify whether or not the imprisonment shall be 
  1.22  at hard labor.  The labor may be in the jail or jail yard, upon 
  1.23  public roads and streets, public buildings, grounds, or 
  1.24  elsewhere in the county.  Upon request, persons awaiting trial 
  1.25  may be allowed to perform labor.  Each prisoner performing labor 
  1.26  may be paid a reasonable compensation by the county if 
  1.27  imprisoned in violation of state law or awaiting trial upon a 
  2.1   charge thereof, and by the city if confined for the violation of 
  2.2   any ordinance, bylaw, or police regulation.  The compensation 
  2.3   shall be paid to the spouse, family, or dependents of the 
  2.4   prisoner, or any other person the court sentencing the prisoner 
  2.5   directs.  It shall be in an amount that the court determines.  
  2.6   It shall be allowed by the board of county commissioners or the 
  2.7   governing body of the city upon order of the court. 
  2.8      Sec. 2.  Minnesota Statutes 1994, section 641.10, is 
  2.9   amended to read: 
  2.10     641.10 [PAYMENT FOR LABOR; PROTECTION; PROHIBITION.] 
  2.11     For each day's labor the prisoner shall be credited $3 $50 
  2.12  on any judgment for fine and costs and, when imprisoned in 
  2.13  default of payment of a fine or fine and costs, the prisoner 
  2.14  shall be discharged when the prisoner has performed sufficient 
  2.15  labor to pay the same.  The officer in charge of such prisoners 
  2.16  shall protect them from insult and annoyance while at labor or 
  2.17  going to and returning therefrom.  Every person who shall 
  2.18  insult, annoy, or communicate with such prisoners, after being 
  2.19  by such officers commanded to desist, shall be guilty of a petty 
  2.20  misdemeanor and punished by imprisonment for not more than five 
  2.21  days or by fine of not more than $10.  No prisoner may be 
  2.22  imprisoned for failure to pay a fine or other court costs.