Dwight W. Kelsey v. State of Minnesota Ex Rel. Frank Wood, Warden

This is an appeal from the dismissal of Dwight W. Kelsey’s petition for a writ of habeas corpus. Kelsey, an inmate in the Minnesota State Prison at Stillwater, alleges that the penitentiary officials have refused to allow him access to his base file. He claims he needs that file to adequately prepare for his parole hearing to challenge any adverse information in those files on which the parole board might rely. A prisoner’s base file is composed of all his records kept by the penitentiary.

Kelsey first made a written request for his base file to the proper penitentiary official. The request…