§ 137.380 Discipline, treatment and employment of prisoners

When a judge sentences someone to prison, the court order only needs to state how long the person will be confined. The judge does not need to spell out the details of daily prison life.

Once the person is in the custody of the Department of Corrections, prison officials follow whatever laws and rules are currently in effect for running the prison. This covers things like discipline, work assignments, and how prisoners are treated day to day. These rules can change over time, and prisoners are subject to whatever version is active while they are serving their sentence.

In short, the court decides how long someone stays in prison. The Department of Corrections and current state law decide how that time is actually managed.