NOT PRECED ENTIAL

UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS

FOR THE THIRD CIRCUIT

________________

No. 2 1

- 1 1 8 1

________________

U N I T E D S T A T E S O F A M E R I C A

v

.

J I M M Y J I V E N S

,

A p p e l l a n t

________________

Appeal from the United States D i str ict Cou rt

for the M i d d l e District of Pennsylvania

(D.C. C i v i l Action No. 1

- 1 7

- c r

- 0 0 3 5 0

- 0 0 1 )

D i s t r i c t Judge: Honorable C h r i s t o p h e r C

. C o n n e r

_ _______________

Submitted Under Third Circuit L.A.R. 34.1(a)

J a n u a r y 1 1

, 2 0 2 2

Before: A M BR O, B I B A S

, and R O T H

, Circuit Judges

(Opinion filed : January 2 8 , 2022 )

__________

OPINION *

________ _

_

AMBRO, Circuit Judge

F e d e r a l i n m a t e J i m m y J i v e n s i s s e r v i n g a 1 6 8

- m o n t h s e n t e n c e f o r d r u g a n d f

i r e a r m

* Thi s dispositio n is no t an opi nio n of th e full Cour t a nd pu rsuant to I

. O. P. 5.7 doe s n ot

co n stitu t e bin ding preced ent

.2

o f f e n s e s

. H e i s 4 6 y e a r s o l d a n d s u f f e r s f r o m m a n y m e d i c a l c o n d i t i o n s

, i n c l u d i n g e n d

s t a g e r e n a l d i s e a s e

. F e a r i n g t h e s e r i o u s h e a l t h r i s k s p o s e d b y t h e C O V I D

- 1 9 p a n d e m i c

,

J i v e n s s o u g h t c o m p a s s i o n a t e r e l e a s e

. T h e D i s t r i c t C o u r t d e n i e d h i s m o t i o n a n d h e

a p p e a l s

. F o r t h e f

o l l o w i n g r e a s o n s

, w e a f

f i r m

. 1

I

.

J i v e n s w a s o n p a r o l e w h e n p o l i c e a n d p a r o l e a g e n t s s e a r c h e d h i s h o m e a n d f o u n d

c r a c k c o c a i n e

, a r i f

l e

, a r e v o l v e r

, t w o g u n m a g a z i n e s

, a m m u n i t i o n

, a n d m a t e r i a l s f o r

p a c k a g i n g d r u g s

. H e p l e d g u i l t y t o p o s s e s s i o n w i t h i n t e n t t o d i s t r i b u t e c o c a i n e i n

v i o l at i o n o f 2 1 U

. S

. C

. § 8 4 1 ( a ) ( 1 ) a n d possession o f f i r e a r m s i n f

u r t h e r a n c e o f d r u g

t r a f f i c k i n g i n v i o l a t i o n o f 1 8 U

. S

. C

. § 9 2 4 ( c )

. T h o u g h h i s c a r e e r

- o f f e n d e r s t a t u s

w a r r a n t e d a S e n t e n c i n g G u i d e l i n e s r a n g e o f 2 6 2 t o 3 2 7 m o n t h s

, t h e D i s t r i c t C o u r t v a r i e d

m u c h b e l o w t h a t r a n g e a n d s e n t e n c e d J i v e n s t o 1 6 8 m o n t h s ’ i m p r i s o n m e n t

. H e i s

p r o j e c t e d t o b e r e l e a s e d i n 2 0 2 9

.

W i t h C O V I D

- 1 9 r a g i n g t h r o u g h t h e n a t i o n ’ s j a i l s a n d p r i s o n s

, J i v e n s m o v e d t o

h a v e h i s sentence r e d u c e d u n d e r t h e c o m p a s s i o n a t e

- r e l e a s e s t a t u t e

, 1 8 U

. S

. C

. §

3 5 8 2 ( c ) ( 1 ) ( A )

. T h e D i s t r i c t C o u r t a c k n o w l e d g e d t h a t J i v e n s ’ m e d i c a l r i s k s w o u l d j u s t i f y

r e l i e f

. I t n o t e d the “ e n d

- s t a g e r e n a l d i s e a s e i n c r e a s e s h i s r i s k o f s e v e r e i l l n e s s w e r e h e t o

c o n t r a c t t h e C O V I D

- 1 9 v i r u s

, ” a n d t h a t h i s f a c i l i t y

— D e v e n s F e d e r a l M e d i c a l C e n t e r

—

w a s t h e n s u f

f e r i n g a C O V I D

- 1 9 o u t b r e a k

. A p p

. 6

. I t n o n e t h e l e s s d e n i e d J i v e n s ’ m o t i o n

,

1 The District Court had jurisdiction under 18 U.S.C. § 3231. We have j urisdictio n under

28 U.S.C. § 1291. Although Jivens fi l ed his notice of appeal out si de the 14

- day window

pr ovided by Federal Rule of Appellate Procedure 4(b)(1)(A), the Government wai ve d its

timeliness objection

, and we thus c ons ider Jivens ’ appeal on the merits. S ee U ni ted

States v . Muhammud , 701 F.3d 109, 1 11 (3d Ci r. 2012).3

c o n c l u d i n g t h a t t h e 1 8 U

. S

. C

. § 3 5 5 3 ( a ) s e n t e n c i n g f a c t o r s w e i g h e d a g a i n s t a s e n t e n c e

r e d u c t i o n

.

I I

.

A d i s t r i c t c o u r t m a y r e d u c e a f e d e r a l i n m a t e ’ s s e n t e n c e i f “ e x t r a o r d i n a r y a n d

c o m p e l l i n g r e a s o n s w a r r a n t s u c h a r e d u c t i o n

. ” 1 8 U

. S

. C

. § 3 5 8 2 ( c ) ( 1 ) ( A ) ( i )

. B u t b e f o r e

d o i n g s o

, t h e c o u r t m u s t d e c i d e w h e t h e r a s e n t e n c e r e d u c t i o n w o u l d b e a p p r o p r i a t e under

t h e r e l e v a n t § 3 5 5 3 ( a ) f

a c t o r s

. I d

. § 3 5 8 2 ( c ) ( 1 ) ( A ) ; U

n i t e d S t a t e s v

. P a w l o w s k i

, 9 6 7 F

. 3 d

3 2 7

, 3 2 9

– 3 0 ( 3 d C i r

. 2 0 2 0 )

. T h e y i n c l u d e t h e n a t u r e a n d c i r c u m s t a n c e s o f t h e o f f e n s e ;

t h e h i s t o r y a n d c h a r a c t e r i s t i c s o f t h e d e f e n d a n t ; a n d t h e n e e d f

o r t h e s e n t e n c e t o r e f

l e c t

t h e s e r i o u s n e s s o f t h e o f

f e n s e

, p r o m o t e r e s p e c t f

o r t h e l a w

, p r o v i d e j u s t p u n i s h m e n t

, a n d

p r o t e c t t h e p u b l i c f

r o m f u t u r e c r i m e s b y t h e d e f

e n d a n t

. S e e 1 8 U

. S

. C

. § 3 5 5 3 ( a ) ( 1 )

– ( 7 )

.

A d i s t r i c t c o u r t ’ s b a l a n c i n g o f t h e s e f a c t o r s w e r e v i e w f

o r a b u s e o f d i s c r e t i o n

.

P a w l o w s k i

, 9 6 7 F

. 3 d a t 3 3 0

. T h i s m e a n s “ w e w i l l n o t disturb [ i t s ] d e c i s i o n ‘ u n l e s s t h e r e

i s a d e f i n i t e a n d f

i r m c o n v i c t i o n t h a t [ it ] c o m m i t t e d a c l e a r e r r o r o f j u d g m e n t i n t h e

c o n c l u s i o n i t r e a c h e d u p o n a w e i g h i n g o f t h e r e l e v a n t f a c t o r s

. ’ ” I

d

. ( q u o t i n g O d

d i v

.

F o r d M o t o r C o

. , 2 3 4 F

. 3 d 1 3 6

, 1 4 6 ( 3 d C i r

. 2 0 0 0 ) )

.

T h e D i s t r i c t C o u r t h e r e c o n s i d e r e d J i v e n s ’ m e d i c a l r i s k s a s w e l l a s h i s e f f o r t s t o

r e h a b i l i t a t e h i m s e l f w h i l e i n c a r c e r a t e d

. B u t i t h e l d t h e s e m i t i g a t i n g f a c t o r s o u t w e i g h e d

b y t h e n a t u r e a n d c i r c u m s t a n c e s o f h i s d r u g a n d g u n c o n v i c t i o n s

, h i s r i s k o f r e c i d i v i s m

,

h i s l o n g c r i m i n a l h i s t o r y

, a n d t h a t h e h a d s e r v e d l e s s t h a n a t h i r d o f a g r e a t l y r e d u c e d

1 6 8

- m o n t h s e n t e n c e ( 9 4 m o n t h s b e l o w t h e bottom o f t h e G u i d e l i n e s r a n g e )

. W e s e e n o

c l e a r e r r o r i n t h at j u d g m e n t

. A s t h e C o u r t n o t e d

, J i v e n s h a s s e v e r a l s e r i o u s d r u g

- r e l a t e d4

c o n v i c t i o n s

, t h e l a s t o f w h i c h i n v o l v e d c o n d u c t c o m m i t t e d w h i l e h e w a s o n p a r o l e a n d

s u f f e r i n g f r o m r e n a l d i s e a s e

. T h e C o u r t a l s o p r o p e r l y c o n s i d e r e d t h e a m o u n t o f t i m e

r e m a i n i n g o n J i v e n s ’ s e n t e n c e

, w h i c h i s s u b s t a n t i a l

. S e e i d

. a t 3 3 0

– 3 1 ( c o u r t s d o n o t

a b u s e t h e i r d i s c r e t i o n b y c o n s i d e r i n g t h e t i m e l e f t o n a n i n m a t e ’ s s e n t e n c e w h e n

w e i g h i n g t h e § 3 5 5 3 ( a ) f a c t o r s )

. I t d i d n o t a b u s e i t s d i s c r e t i o n i n d e n y i n g J i v e n s a

s e n t e n c e r e d u c t i o n

, 2 a n d w e t h u s a f f i r m

.

2 J i v e n s argues t h a t

, e v e n i f h e w a s n o t e n t i t l e d t o immediate release

, t h e D i s t r i c t C o u r t

e r r e d b y n o t g r a n t i n g h i m a sentence r e d u c t i o n “ o f s o m e l e n g t h

. ” J i v e n s B r

. 9

. B u t h e

o n l y a s k e d t h e D i s t r i c t C o u r t f o r a time

- served sente nce, w h i c h m a k e s s e n s e given that

h i s m o t i o n w a s largely p r e m i s e d o n t h e exigencies of t h e C O V I D

- 1 9 p a n d e m i c

. Because

Jivens did not raise this opti on before the District Court, we do n ot consider it on appeal

. S e e F r e e m a n v

. P i t t s b u r g h G l a s s W

o r k s

, L L C

, 7 0 9 F

. 3 d 2 4 0

, 2 4 9 ( 3 d C i r

. 2 0 1 3 ) ( “ W e

g e n e r a l l y r e f

u s e t o c o n s i d e r i s s u e s t h a t t h e p a r t i e s h a v e n o t r a i s e d b e l o w

. ” )

.