London. Sekai Miles, 23, has been sentenced to an indefinite stay in a locked psychiatric hospital after brutally beating 87-year-old Bernard Fowler to death with his own cane at a London train station. He stomped on his head and gouged out his eyes before killing him. What does an indeterminate sentence mean? In the English legal system, a sentence of "indefinite stay in a closed psychiatric hospital" (usually referred to as an "indefinite hospital order" or "hospital order without limit of time") means that: There is no fixed duration of stay - not, for example, 5, 10 or 20 years. A person remains in a psychiatric hospital for as long as he or she is considered a danger to himself or others due to mental illness. Periodically, the convict's mental state is assessed. Doctors report regularly (usually every 6-12 months), and the person can apply for release to the Mental Health Tribunal. In practice, the length of stay can range from a few years (if the condition improves), to life imprisonment if the person never stops being considered dangerous.