Title: Baker v. Baxley

State: alabama

Issuer: Alabama Supreme Court

Document:

348 So. 2d 468 (1977)
Joseph A. BAKER et al.
v.
Bill BAXLEY et al.
CER-10.

Supreme Court of Alabama.
July 22, 1977.
*469 William M. Dawson, Jr. and Edward Still, Birmingham, for Intervenors.
William J. Baxley, Atty. Gen. and Edward E. Carnes, Asst. Atty. Gen., for State of Alabama, et al.
MADDOX, Justice.
Pursuant to ARAP Rule 18, the United States District Court for the Middle District of Alabama has requested this Court to answer questions of law which that court deemed determinative of an action before it on which there is no clear controlling precedent in the decisions of the Supreme Court of Alabama.
In support of the certificate, the Federal District Court submitted the following facts:
In answer to Certified Question No. 2, we opine that incentive good time granted retroactively to inmates under Act No. 182 as a reward for good behavior exhibited by the inmates prior to the effective date of Act No. 182, July 29, 1976, was granted without authority of law. Consequently, the fact that the Board of Corrections granted "good time" to some inmates because of a mistaken apprehension of the law would not require the Board to perpetuate its mistake by granting similar good time to inmates such as plaintiff and plaintiff intervenors.
Act No. 182 was not intended to be retrospective. In arriving at the legislative intent, we have applied the rule of statutory construction consistently applied in Alabama that "statutes are to be considered prospective, unless the language is such as to show that they were intended to be retrospective." Mobile Housing Board v. Cross, 285 Ala. 94, 229 So. 2d 485, 487 (1969). The words of the statute do not clearly state that "good behavior" of an inmate at the time prior to the effective date of the Act[1] can be considered by the Board of Corrections in computing the inmates' so-called "good time." In fact, from the words used by the legislature, a contrary inference must be drawn. The legislature used words such a "a new classification "and "the newly created classification" in Section 2 of the Act. These words imply that the legislature intended that the Act would look to the future. Furthermore, in Section 3 of the Act, the legislature stated:
The word "incentive," means "something that constitutes a motive or spur" and "serving to encourage, rouse, or move to action." Webster's Third New International Dictionary, Unabridged. The word "incentive," by definition, necessarily, implies prospectiveness.
The second certified question concerns those inmates who were initially granted sentence reduction credits for good behavior exhibited prior to the effective date of Act No. 182, but who were later told that they could not receive credit for good behavior exhibited before Act No. 182 became law.
As set out in the Certified Questions:
Facially, under the fact situation posed, we fail to see how the Board could be guilty of the type of invidious discrimination prohibited by Alabama's Constitution and the Fourteenth Amendment to the Federal Constitution. The equal protection clause is violated only when state action is without any reasonable basis and is arbitrary. Board of Trustees v. Talley, 291 Ala. 307, 280 So. 2d 553 (1973).
The unequal application of Act No. 182, as we understand the facts, was based upon a misapprehension of the Act's legal effect, and was not based upon an unjustifiable standard such as race, religion, sex or other arbitrary classification. Consequently, the unequal application would not violate the equal protection clause of either the state or federal Constitution. Cf. Oyler v. Boles, 368 U.S. 448, 82 S. Ct. 501, 7 L. Ed. 2d 446 (1962).
The fact that some inmates may have been released prematurely because the Board of Corrections was relying upon a misapprehension of the law cannot work a discrimination because of the Board's refusal to release others. Whether the Board could take back into custody those who have been erroneously released, we need not say. It is sufficient to point out that the Board was not legally or constitutionally required to perpetuate its mistake. See State Board of Administration v. Jones, 212 Ala. 380, 102 So. 626 (1925), where this Court said:
"`. . . So where the language of the statute is reasonably plain in its meaning, such interpretation and practice will not be accorded the effect of an amendment or repeal, and the legislative intent will be nevertheless declared and enforced as expressed. . . .'" [Emphasis added.]
The misapprehension of law in the Jones case endured for forty years before the legislative mandate was finally vindicated. The erroneous interpretation and practice involved here went uncorrected for less than three months. We opine, as this Court held in the Jones case, that "such interpretation and practice will not be accorded the effect of an amendment or repeal."
CERTIFIED QUESTIONS ANSWERED.
TORBERT, C. J., and BLOODWORTH, FAULKNER, JONES, ALMON, SHORES, EMBRY and BEATTY, JJ., concur.
[1]  Act No. 182 provides:

"To provide for commutation of time for certain prisoners for good behavior at a rate to be determined by the Board of Corrections within the limits herein provided and to provide that such good time earned apply toward parole eligibility.
Be it Enacted by the Legislature of Alabama:
"Section 1. In order to encourage prison discipline commutation time shall be used as a reward for good behavior at the discretion of the Board of Corrections.
"Section 2. The Board of Corrections is hereby empowered to create within the existing classification system a new classification which would authorize a maximum deduction from the term of the sentence of an exceptional inmate of two (2) days for each one (1) day served. Inmates serving a term for life shall not be eligible for the newly created classification hereby authorized except for the purpose of computing time served toward parole eligibility as hereinafter provided in Section 6.
"Section 3. It is the intent of this act that the custody classification provided for in Section 2 of this act be used by the Board only in exceptional cases of good behavior and industriousness in order that inmates be given a meaningful incentive for good behavior.
"Section 4. A prisoner under two (2) or more concurrent sentences shall be allowed commutation as if they were all one sentence.
"Section 5. For any misconduct in violation of any Federal or State law or prison rule or regulation, including escape or attempt to escape, any part or all of the commutation which shall have accrued in favor of the prisoner to the date of said misconduct may be forfeited and taken away by the Board.
"Section 6. Any and all cummutation of time shall be included and computed as time served toward parole eligibility. Inmates serving under a sentence of life shall not be subject to the custody classification provided for in Section 2 of this act for the purpose of earning a commutation of time. The provisions of Section 2 shall apply to those inmates serving life sentences provided, however, that said custody classification shall be used solely for the purpose of computing time served toward parole eligibility such time earned not to exceed two (2) years. The provisions of Section 3 of this act shall be applicable to classification of inmates serving life sentences in the same manner as classification of other inmates.
"Section 7. The provisions of this act are severable. If any part of the act is declared invalid or unconstitutional, such declaration shall not affect the part which remains.
"Section 8. All laws or parts of laws which are in conflict with this act are hereby repealed.
"Section 9. This act shall become effective immediately upon its passage and approval by the Governor, or upon its otherwise becoming a law."