Answer
For most offenses, the Indeterminate Sentence Law requires courts to impose a sentence with a minimum and a maximum term rather than a single fixed term. For crimes under the Revised Penal Code, the maximum is the penalty properly imposable after considering the circumstances, and the minimum is taken from the penalty one degree lower — allowing the convict to become eligible for parole after serving the minimum.
The law does not apply to certain cases — for example, where the penalty imposed is reclusion perpetua or another indivisible penalty. The full report explains how the minimum and maximum are computed.
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