IN THE COMMONWEALTH COURT OF PENNSYLVANIA

Christopher Freeman, :

Petitioner :

:

v. :

:

Pennsylvania Parole Board :

of Probation and Parole and :

General Assembly, : No. 238 M.D. 2021

Respondents : Submitted: July 1, 2022

BEFORE: HONORABLE MICHAEL H. WOJCIK, Judge

HONORABLE CHRISTINE FIZZANO CANNON, Judge

HONORABLE STACY WALLACE, Judge

OPINION NOT REPORTED

MEMORANDUM OPINION 

BY JUDGE FIZZANO CANNON FILED: December 7, 2022

Before this Court are the preliminary objections of the Pennsylvania 

Parole Board (Board)1to a “Petition for Review in the Nature of a Complaint 

Seeking Declaratory Judgment and Injunctive Relief” (Petition) filed by Christopher 

Freeman (Freeman), pro se, which was addressed to this Court’s original 

jurisdiction. Upon review, we are constrained by this Court’s binding precedent in

Scott v. Pennsylvania Board of Probation & Parole, 256 A.3d 483 (Pa. Cmwlth. 

2021), aff’d (Pa., No. 16 WAP 2021, filed Oct. 19, 2022), to sustain the Board’s 

preliminary objection asserting lack of jurisdiction. Accordingly, we dismiss the 

Petition.

1 This opinion uses the correct name of the party although Petitioner’s caption does not use 

the correct designation for the Board.
2

I. Background

In October 2012, at the age of 18, Freeman was sentenced to life 

imprisonment following his convictions for the crimes of second-degree murder

(felony murder),

2 burglary, robbery of a motor vehicle and conspiracy to commit 

burglary. Petition, 7/19/21 at 3-5, ¶¶ 2, 8, 11 & 13. In April 2021, Freeman 

submitted an application for parole, which the Board denied pursuant to Section 

6137(a) of the Prisons and Parole Code (Parole Code),

3 61 Pa.C.S. § 6137(a).4

 Id. at 

3-4, ¶¶ 9-10. 

Freeman filed his Petition in July 2021. See id. at 1. He asserts three 

related claims. First, he alleges that the Board’s enforcement of Section 6137 of the 

Parole Code, 61 Pa.C.S. § 6137, to deny him parole consideration on the basis of his

mandatory sentence of life imprisonment for felony murder constitutes “death-byincarceration” and violates the proscriptions against cruel punishments in article I, 

section 13 of the Pennsylvania Constitution and the Eighth Amendment to the United 

States Constitution.

5

 Id. at 13, ¶¶ 55-59. Second, Freeman contends that, under the

analytical factors identified in Commonwealth v. Edmunds, 586 A.2d 887 (Pa. 1991),

2

“A criminal homicide constitutes murder of the second degree when it is committed while 

defendant was engaged as a principal or an accomplice in the perpetration of a felony.” Section 

2502(b) of the Crimes Code, 18 Pa.C.S. § 2502(b). “Except as provided under [S]ection 1102.1 

[pertaining to persons who were under the age of 18 at the time of the commission of the offense], 

a person who has been convicted of murder of the second degree . . . shall be sentenced to a term 

of life imprisonment.” Section 1102(b) of the Crimes Code, 18 Pa.C.S. § 1102(b).

3

61 Pa.C.S. §§ 101-7301.

4 Pursuant to Section 6137(a)(1) of the Parole Code, “[t]he [B]oard . . . may release on 

parole any offender to whom the power to parole is granted to the [B]oard by this chapter, except 

an offender condemned to death or serving life imprisonment . . . .” 61 Pa.C.S. § 6137(a)(1).

5

“Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel punishments 

inflicted.” Pa. Const. art. I, § 13. Article I, section 13 of the Pennsylvania Constitution is identical 

to the Eighth Amendment to the United States Constitution, U.S. Const. amend. XIII.
3

article I, section 13 of the Pennsylvania Constitution affords greater protection

against cruel punishments than the Eighth Amendment of the United States 

Constitution. Id. at 14, ¶ 63. Third, Freeman reiterates his first claim, this time 

naming the General Assembly rather than the Board as violating his constitutional 

right to be free from cruel punishment. Id. at 15, ¶ 67. Freeman asks this Court to 

declare Section 6137 of the Parole Code unconstitutional; order the Board to develop 

plans, criteria, and procedural safeguards governing parole review for persons 

convicted of felony murder; hold an evidentiary hearing to develop a record in regard 

to whether application of Section 6137 of the Parole Code to “those who did not take 

a life or intend to take a life is unjustified when considered in relation to legitimate 

penological purposes”; apply the Edmunds factors; and order the Board to consider 

Freeman for parole.6

II. Issues

The Board filed preliminary objections7 asserting that this Court lacks 

jurisdiction over Freeman’s claims and that the Board is an improper party to 

6 Freeman also requests that the General Assembly consider passing Senate Bill 293 and 

House Bill 2135 to render offenders convicted of second-degree murder eligible for parole 

consideration. Petition, 7-19-21 16, ¶ 78.

7 Preliminary objections “are deemed to admit all well-pleaded material facts and any 

inferences reasonably deduced therefrom . . . .” Lennitt v. Dep’t of Corr., 964 A.2d 37, 40 (Pa. 

Cmwlth. 2008). “The Court, however, is not bound by legal conclusions, unwarranted inferences 

from facts, argumentative allegations, or expressions of opinion encompassed in the petition for 

review.” Thomas v. Corbett, 90 A.3d 789, 794 (Pa. Cmwlth. 2014). “Any doubt must be resolved 

in favor of the party seeking the injunction.” Id. “A demurrer will not be sustained unless the face 

of the pleadings shows that the law will not permit recovery, and any doubts should be resolved 

against sustaining the demurrer.” Barndt v. Pa. Dep’t of Corr., 902 A.2d 589, 592 (Pa. Cmwlth. 

2006); see also Mueller v. Pa. State Police Headquarters, 532 A.2d 900, 902 (Pa. Cmwlth. 1987) 

(holding that “[w]hen faced with a demurrer, the pertinent inquiry for a reviewing court is to 

determine whether the petitioner has stated on the face of his petition a cause of action that, if 

proved, would entitle him to relief”). 
4

Freeman’s suit. See Prelim. Obj. at 3-5 & 7-8, ¶¶ 6-15 & 29-39; Board’s Br. at 3 

(citing Section 761(a)(1)(i) of the Judicial Code,8 42 Pa.C.S. § 761(a)(1)(i)). The 

Board contends that because Freeman’s eligibility for parole was determined by the 

sentencing court, rather than the Board, Freeman’s attack is “on the sentence itself, 

which he was obligated to challenge at the time [of sentencing] and through the 

criminal process[.]” Board’s Br. at 3 (citing Scott, 256 A.3d at 491). 

The Board further avers that Freeman’s claims are barred by the 

doctrine of laches, as he “is challenging a sentence that was imposed . . . over a 

decade ago” in the context of “a statute that was enacted several decades ago.” 

Board’s Br. at 4-5. The Board also asserts that Freeman should have challenged his 

sentence through the criminal appeals process. Id. at 5. The Board maintains that if 

sentences of life imprisonment without the possibility of parole were declared 

unconstitutional and this new constitutional right were to apply retroactively, 

Freeman could then file a petition under Section 9545(b)(1)(iii) of the Post 

Conviction Relief Act (PCRA),9 42 Pa.C.S. § 9545(b)(1)(iii).10 Id. at 5. 

8

42 Pa.C.S. §§ 101-9913.

9

42 Pa.C.S. §§ 9541-9546.

10 Section 9545 of the Post Conviction Relief Act provides, in relevant part:

(a) Original jurisdiction.--Original jurisdiction over a proceeding 

under this subchapter shall be in the court of common pleas. No 

court shall have authority to entertain a request for any form of relief 

in anticipation of the filing of a petition under this subchapter.

(b) Time for filing petition.—

(1) Any petition under this subchapter, including a second or 

subsequent petition, shall be filed within one year of the date 

the judgment becomes final, unless the petition alleges and 

the petitioner proves that:
5

Additionally, the Board asserts that it is an improper party to Freeman’s 

suit, as it lacks any discretion under Section 6137(a) of the Parole Code to consider 

Freeman for parole. See Board’s Br. at 5-6 (citing Hudson v. Pa. Bd. of Prob. & 

Parole, 204 A.3d 392, 399 (Pa. 2019) (stating that “[t]here is no statutory 

authorization for the Board to grant parole to an individual sentenced to a mandatory 

life term”)). The Board, therefore, maintains that Freeman’s “real quibble is not 

with the Board,” but rather “with the General Assembly, which set the penalty that 

[Freeman] seeks to cast aside.” Id. at 6. 

Lastly, the Board contends that this Court should dismiss Freeman’s 

claims because they are devoid of merit. See Board’s Br. at 6. Freeman fails to cite 

any authority supporting his proposition that a sentence of life without parole for an 

adult offender convicted of homicide violates the United States Constitution’s 

prohibition against cruel and unusual punishment, because no such caselaw exists. 

Id. at 7. The Board further contends that “[t]he guarantee against cruel and unusual 

punishment contained in the Pennsylvania Constitution provides no greater 

protection[] than that afforded under the Eighth Amendment to the United States 

Constitution.” Id. at 7 (quoting Jochen v. Horn, 727 A.2d 645, 649 (Pa. Cmwlth. 

1999)). 

Freeman counters that this Court possesses jurisdiction over his suit 

pursuant to Section 761(a)(1) of the Judicial Code, 42 Pa.C.S. § 761(a)(1), because 

. . .

(iii) the right asserted is a constitutional right that was 

recognized by the Supreme Court of the United States 

or the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania after the time 

period provided in this section and has been held by that 

court to apply retroactively.

42 Pa.C.S. § 9545(a), (b)(1)(iii).
6

the Board is a named defendant. See Freeman’s Br. at 2. Freeman contends that his 

suit levies “a facial and as applied Eighth Amendment challenge to the provisions of 

the . . . Parole Code,” rather than “an attack on [his] convictions or sentences[.]” Id. 

(quoting Scott, 256 A.3d at 496 (Leadbetter, S.J., dissenting)). Freeman also asserts 

that his claims are not stale, as they present “a limited challenge to [S]ection 6137(a) 

of the Parole Code and [the] Board’s enforcement of that provision[.]” Id. at 2-3. 

Freeman maintains that the Board is a proper party to the suit because it has violated 

his constitutional rights by enforcing Section 6137(a) of the Parole Code to continue 

his incarceration for life without eligibility for parole. Id. at 3.

III. Discussion

Given the substantial similarity of the present claims and arguments to 

those decided by this Court in Scott, we conclude that our disposition of Scott

controls this matter. In Scott, the petitioners had been convicted of felony murders

and were serving mandatory sentences of life imprisonment. They submitted 

applications for parole, which the Board denied pursuant to Section 6137(a) of the 

Parole Code, 61 Pa.C.S. § 6137(a). See Scott, 256 A.3d at 486. The petitioners 

thereafter filed a petition for review in this Court seeking declaratory and injunctive 

relief, asserting that sentences of life imprisonment without the possibility of parole 

constituted unconstitutionally cruel punishments when applied to defendants who 

had lessened culpability because they did not kill or intend to kill as part of their 

crimes of conviction. See id. at 485-86. The petitioners, therefore, asserted that their 

sentences constituted cruel punishment in violation of the Eighth Amendment to the 

United States Constitution and article I, section 13 of the Pennsylvania Constitution. 

See id. Like Freeman here, the petitioners in Scott also argued that under the 

Edmunds factors, article I, section 13 of the Pennsylvania Constitution provides
7

greater protection than the Eighth Amendment to the United States Constitution, and 

the petitioners’ life sentences for felony murder convictions, where they did not kill 

or intend to kill as part of their crime of conviction, constituted cruel punishments 

in violation of article I, section 13 of the Pennsylvania Constitution. See id. at 486-

87. The Scott petitioners sought the same forms of relief that Freeman seeks here. 

See id. at 487.

As it did here, the Board filed preliminary objections in Scott, asserting 

that the Court lacked jurisdiction over the matter and that the Board was an improper 

party. See Scott, 256 A.3d at 487. The Board also demurred on the basis that the 

petitioners’ claims were stale and meritless. See id. 

This Court sustained the Board’s preliminary objection raising lack of 

jurisdiction and dismissed the petition. See Scott, 256 A.3d at 495. As a preliminary 

matter, we observed that this Court is vested with original jurisdiction over “all civil 

actions or proceedings . . . [a]gainst the Commonwealth government.” Id. at 488 

(quoting Section 761(a)(1) of the Judicial Code, 42 Pa. C.S. § 761(a)(1)). We further 

noted “that this general rule is subject to certain exceptions, including when the 

action or proceeding is ‘in the nature of applications for a writ of habeas corpus or 

post-conviction relief not ancillary to proceedings within the appellate jurisdiction 

of the [C]ourt.’” Id. (quoting Section 761(a)(1)(i) of the Judicial Code, 42 Pa. C.S. 

§ 761(a)(1)(i)). Thus, we identified “[t]he crux of the disagreement between the 

parties concerning jurisdiction [as] center[ing] on whether the [p]etition [fell] under 

the general rule or the exception.” Id. at 488-89. In determining that the petition 

fell outside this Court’s original jurisdiction, we reasoned that “the inclusion of a 

count for declaratory or injunctive relief . . . [could not] properly be understood to 

transform [a] complaint from one sounding in trespass into the type of matter . . . 
8

belonging within the Commonwealth Court’s original jurisdiction.” Id. at 490 

(quoting Stackhouse v. Commonwealth, 832 A.2d 1004, 1008 (Pa. 2003) (holding 

that jurisdiction lay in the court of common pleas “notwithstanding the 

injunctive/declaratory label attached to [c]ount I of the complaint, reasoning that 

“permitting jurisdictional questions to turn solely upon the styling of claims within 

a complaint would arguably permit forum shopping through pleading” and that 

courts “have traditionally looked to the substance rather than the form of the 

complaint to determine matters of jurisdiction”)). 

Highlighting the petitioners’ assertions that their sentences were 

unconstitutional, we determined that “[t]hese averments squarely challenge[d] the 

constitutionality of [the p]etitioners’ sentences.” Scott, 256 A.3d at 491. We 

reasoned: 

[T]o the extent [the p]etitioners contend[ed] that they 

[were] not attacking their sentences, their argument [was]

belied by the [p]etition itself. As such, their challenges 

[were] in the nature of claims seeking post-conviction 

relief. In this respect, Section 9542 of the PCRA, 42 Pa. 

C.S. § 9542, provides: “This subchapter provides for an 

action by which . . . persons serving illegal sentences may 

obtain collateral relief. The action established in this 

subchapter shall be the sole means of obtaining collateral 

relief and encompasses all other common law and 

statutory remedies for the same purpose that exist when 

this subchapter takes effect, including habeas corpus and 

coram nobis.”

Nonetheless, in an effort to invoke our original 

jurisdiction, [the p]etitioners have presented their 

sentencing claims in the context of a “Petition for Review 

in the Nature of a Complaint Seeking Declaratory 

Judgment and Injunctive Relief.” In furtherance of this 

objective, [the p]etitioners have asserted a challenge to the 

Board’s enforcement of Section 6137 of the Parole Code 

in the context of each of their two claims, in addition to 
9

the averments explicitly challenging their sentences. . . .

They have likewise included discrete assertions that the 

Board’s enforcement of Section 6137 constitutes cruel 

punishment in the averments leading up to those two 

claims. . . . Additionally, [the p]etitioners have limited 

their requests for redress on the face of their [p]etition to 

declaratory and injunctive relief . . . .

While these circumstances at first blush appear[ed] to 

support [the p]etitioners’ claim that original jurisdiction 

lay with this Court, we agree with the Board that [the 

p]etitioners have fashioned the [p]etition in this manner in 

a thinly veiled attempt to forum shop through pleading, 

which we will not countenance. See Stackhouse, 832 

A.2d at 1008.

Id. at 491-92. Further, we explained that

[w]hile [the p]etitioners purport[ed] to limit their 

challenge only to the constitutionality of Section 6137 of 

the Parole Code and [sought] “mere parole eligibility,” 

they [were] collaterally attacking their sentences. They 

may not collaterally attack their sentences by using a civil 

action in this Court seeking declaratory and injunctive 

relief. See [] Guarrasi v. Scott, 25 A.3d 394, 402 (Pa. 

Cmwlth. 2011) (observing that plaintiff “may not use a 

civil action for declaratory judgment in our original 

jurisdiction to collaterally attack the legality of his 

criminal proceedings” and reiterating that “[t]he PCRA is 

the sole means by which . . . persons serving illegal 

sentences may obtain collateral relief”) (internal quotation 

marks and citations omitted).

Further, if we were to direct the Board to consider [the 

p]etitioners’ eligibility for parole despite their 

unchallenged “life” sentences, granting such relief would, 

in effect, equate to this Court and/or the Board imposing 

new minimum sentences upon [the p]etitioners. Neither 

this Court nor the Board, however, can alter [the 

p]etitioners’ criminal sentences; that task is for the courts 

of common pleas. These considerations lend additional 

support to our conclusion that, notwithstanding their 

styling of the [the p]etition and arguments to the contrary, 
10

[p]etitioners [were] indeed challenging their sentences and 

seeking sentencing relief.

Id. at 492-93 (citing Hill v. Commonwealth (Pa. Cmwlth. No. 152 M.D. 2008, filed 

Sept. 26, 2008)11 (sustaining a demurrer to a complaint filed by an inmate serving a 

life sentence for second-degree murder; the inmate’s request to enjoin enforcement 

of Section 1102 of the Crimes Code, 18 Pa.C.S. § 1102, and a former provision of 

the Parole Code precluding parole consideration for convicts serving sentences of 

life imprisonment constituted an attempt to collaterally attack his sentence and his 

ineligibility for parole, which he should have pursued in accordance with the

PCRA)). Thus, we concluded that

[i]n sum, although styled as a “Petition for Review in the 

Nature of a Complaint Seeking Declaratory Judgment and 

Injunctive Relief” in form, it [was] apparent that [the 

p]etitioners [were] launching a collateral attack on their 

sentences in substance. As the [p]etition [was] “in the 

nature of an application seeking . . . post conviction relief” 

and there [were] no matters pending in our appellate 

jurisdiction that [were] ancillary to the [p]etition, this 

Court lack[ed] jurisdiction over the [p]etition pursuant to 

Section 761(a)(1) of the Judicial Code.

Id. at 495 (footnote omitted).12

Here, consistent with our analysis and conclusions in Scott, we agree 

with the Board that this Court does not possess original jurisdiction over Freeman’s 

11 This unreported decision constitutes persuasive authority pursuant to Section 414(a) of 

this Court’s Internal Operating Procedures. 210 Pa. Code § 69.414(a).

12 Senior Judge Leadbetter filed a dissenting opinion, disagreeing with the majority opinion 

on the basis that the Scott petition did not constitute an attack on the petitioners’ convictions or 

sentences, but rather a facial and as-applied constitutional challenge to the provisions of the Parole 

Code. See Scott, 256 A.3d at 496. Senior Judge Leadbetter further stated that the petitioners’ 

“claims plainly [could] not be raised in petitions filed pursuant to the [PCRA] because such 

petitions [had] been time-barred for many years and when they were timely, the pled circumstances 

which [] [gave] rise to potential Eighth Amendment claims did not exist.” Id. 
11

claims. Like the Scott petitioners, Freeman asserts that “[l]ife-without-parole 

sentences, as among the most severe punishments, are disproportionate and fail to 

serve legitimate penological interests when applied to defendants who did not kill or 

intend to kill as part of their crime of conviction and thus have lessened culpability,” 

and, therefore, constitute cruel punishment in violation of the Eighth Amendment to 

the United States Constitution and article I, section 13 of the Pennsylvania 

Constitution. Petition, 7/19/21 at 14-15, ¶ 59; see also id. at 14-15, ¶¶ 65 & 72; 

Scott, 256 A.3d at 486-87. Freeman’s averments squarely challenge the 

constitutionality of his sentence. See Scott, 256 A.3d at 491. Thus, Freeman’s 

proper recourse was to pursue post-conviction relief in accordance with the 

requirements of the PCRA.13 Id. Freeman “may not collaterally attack [his] 

13 Section 9545(b) of the PCRA provides: 

(1) Any petition under this subchapter, including a second or 

subsequent petition, shall be filed within one year of the date the 

judgment becomes final, unless the petition alleges and the 

petitioner proves that:

(i) the failure to raise the claim previously was the result of 

interference by government officials with the presentation of 

the claim in violation of the Constitution or laws of this 

Commonwealth or the Constitution or laws of the United 

States;

(ii) the facts upon which the claim is predicated were unknown 

to the petitioner and could not have been ascertained by the 

exercise of due diligence; or

(iii) the right asserted is a constitutional right that was 

recognized by the Supreme Court of the United States or the 

Supreme Court of Pennsylvania after the time period provided 

in this section and has been held by that court to apply 

retroactively.

42 Pa.C.S. § 9545(b). In Scott, 
12

sentence[] by using a civil action in this Court seeking declaratory and injunctive 

relief. Id. at 492.14

As in Scott, in light of our disposition of this issue, we need not address 

the remaining preliminary objections. Accordingly, for the foregoing reasons, and 

consistent with our analysis in Scott, we sustain the Board’s preliminary objection 

asserting lack of jurisdiction and dismiss the Petition.

__________________________________

CHRISTINE FIZZANO CANNON, Judge

we [were] careful to note that whether a PCRA petitioner is timebarred from bringing a claim that, substantively, is cognizable under 

the PCRA is immaterial to whether this Court has jurisdiction over 

that same claim. If it were the case that this Court had jurisdiction 

over claims that were time-barred under the PCRA, then PCRA 

petitioners would always bring those claims before this Court, and 

we would adjudicate them, based on that reasoning. Section 

761(a)(1) of the Judicial Code provides, however, that we lack 

jurisdiction over “actions or proceedings in the nature of 

applications for . . . post-conviction relief,” regardless of whether a 

court of proper jurisdiction is precluded from exercising it on 

timeliness grounds. To the extent that the dissent can be read to 

suggest otherwise, we respectfully disagree.

Scott, 256 A.3d at 494-95 (quoting 42 Pa.C.S. § 761(a)(1)).

14 In Scott, this Court acknowledged the requirement set forth in Section 5103(a) of the 

Judicial Code, 42 Pa.C.S. § 5103(a), that a court shall not dismiss an erroneously filed matter for 

lack of jurisdiction, but shall transfer the case to the proper tribunal. See Scott, 256 A.3d at 495 

n.14. Nevertheless, “in view of the true nature of [the p]etitioners’ challenge, we [] agree[d] with 

the Board that it [was] not a proper party to the action,” as “it is the Commonwealth that 

participates in post-conviction proceedings.” Id. (citing Pa.R.Crim.P. 902(A), 903(A)-(B) & 

906(A)). As the Board was the only named respondent, we deemed dismissal appropriate. Here, 

Freeman brought suit against both the Board and the General Assembly. Because the 

Commonwealth, rather than the General Assembly, participates in post-conviction proceedings, 

we likewise dismiss this matter in its entirety. 
IN THE COMMONWEALTH COURT OF PENNSYLVANIA

Christopher Freeman, :

Petitioner :

:

v. :

:

Pennsylvania Parole Board :

of Probation and Parole and :

General Assembly, : No. 238 M.D. 2021

Respondents :

O R D E R

AND NOW, this 7th day of December, 2022, the preliminary objection 

filed by the Pennsylvania Parole Board asserting lack of jurisdiction is 

SUSTAINED, and the “Petition for Review in the Nature of a Complaint Seeking 

Declaratory Judgment and Injunctive Relief” filed on July 19, 2021 by Christopher 

Freeman, pro se, is DISMISSED.

__________________________________

CHRISTINE FIZZANO CANNON, Judge