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IN THE COURT OF APPEALS OF THE STATE OF IDAHO

Docket No. 37785

KEVIN BROWN,

Petitioner-Appellant,

v.

IDAHO PAROLE COMMISSION,

Respondent.

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2011 Unpublished Opinion No. 417

Filed: March 28, 2011

Stephen W. Kenyon, Clerk

THIS IS AN UNPUBLISHED

OPINION AND SHALL NOT

BE CITED AS AUTHORITY

Appeal from the District Court of the Fourth Judicial District, State of Idaho, Ada

County. Hon. Daniel C. Hurlbutt, District Judge. 

Orders dismissing petition for writ of habeas corpus, denying appointment of 

counsel, and denying motion to reconsider denial of counsel, affirmed. 

Kevin Brown, Boise, pro se appellant. 

Hon. Lawrence G. Wasden, Attorney General; William M. Loomis, Deputy 

Attorney General, Boise, for respondent. 

________________________________________________

LANSING, Judge

Kevin Brown, an inmate, appeals pro se from the district court’s orders dismissing his 

petition for a writ of habeas corpus, denying his motion for appointment of counsel, and denying 

his motion to reconsider denial of appointment of counsel. 

I.

FACTS AND PROCEDURAL BACKGROUND

On February 19, 2010, Brown filed a pro se petition for a writ of habeas corpus. The 

petition alleged that Brown was entitled to credit against his sentence for 459 days that he served 

on parole prior to revocation of his parole. The petition asserted that a provision of Idaho Code 

§ 20-228 calling for forfeiture of time spent on parole unless the Commission of Pardons and 

Parole, in its discretion, grants credit against the sentence, violates constitutional provisions 

relating to double jeopardy, equal protection, and due process. Brown also moved for 

appointment of counsel. The district court denied Brown’s motion for appointment of counsel 
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on March 1, 2010. On March 23, 2010, the Commission filed a motion to dismiss Brown’s 

petition. Brown was given thirty days to respond to the Commission’s motion to dismiss, but he 

filed no response. On May 10, 2010, the district court entered an order dismissing Brown’s 

habeas corpus petition, concluding that all of Brown’s claims failed as a matter of law. 

After receiving from the district court a copy of the court’s register of actions for this 

case on May, 7, 2010,1 Brown filed a motion and affidavit for reconsideration of appointment of 

counsel on May 13, 2010. Brown’s May 13, 2010, motion for reconsideration was identical to 

his original motion for appointment of counsel except for the addition of one line generally 

indicating that he was having problems receiving his legal mail and his attachment of an Idaho 

Department of Correction (IDOC) concern form and a May 7, 2010, mail log. On the IDOC 

concern form, Brown indicated he had not received any legal mail since January 25, 2010. 

Brown’s mail log lists two items of received mail, one from the district court on January 25, 

2010, and one from the Parole Commission on April 1, 2010. After ruling that Brown had not 

shown any extraordinary circumstances necessitating the appointment of counsel, the district 

court denied Brown’s motion for reconsideration on May 24, 2010. 

On appeal, Brown argues that several constitutional rights were violated when the 

Commission refused to grant him credit for time served on parole. He also contends that the 

district court erred by denying his motion for appointment of counsel and by denying his motion 

for reconsideration of his request for counsel because of the particular complexities of his case 

and because of prison officials’ interference with Brown’s legal mail. 

II.

ANALYSIS

A. Constitutional Claims in Habeas Corpus Petition

A writ of habeas corpus is a proper mechanism for challenging an unlawful confinement 

and is a constitutionally-provided remedy. See IDAHO CONST. art. I, § 5; Idaho Code § 19-4201, 

et seq.; Mahaffey v. State, 87 Idaho 228, 231, 392 P.2d 279, 280 (1964); Dopp v. Idaho Comm’n 

of Pardons & Parole, 144 Idaho 402, 404, 162 P.3d 781, 783 (Ct. App. 2007); Drennon v. 

Fisher, 141 Idaho 942, 944, 120 P.3d 1146, 1148 (Ct. App. 2005). As habeas corpus 

proceedings are civil in nature, the Idaho Rules of Civil Procedure generally apply. Idaho Code 

 

1 The register of actions dated May 7, 2010, may have been sent to Brown as a result of an 

April 26, 2010, letter he sent to the court asking the status of his case.
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§ 19-4208; Quinlan v. Idaho Comm’n for Pardons & Parole, 138 Idaho 726, 729, 69 P.3d 146, 

149 (2003); Hoots v. Craven, 146 Idaho 271, 275, 192 P.3d 1095, 1099 (Ct. App. 2008); Lopez v. 

State, 128 Idaho 826, 827, 919 P.2d 355, 356 (Ct. App. 1996). An appellate court will affirm a 

trial court’s grant of an I.R.C.P. 12(b)(6) motion to dismiss a habeas corpus petition where the 

record demonstrates that no genuine issues of material fact exist and the case was decided as a 

matter of law. Coghlan v. Beta Theta Pi Fraternity, 133 Idaho 388, 398, 987 P.2d 300, 310 

(1999); Gibson v. Bennett, 141 Idaho 270, 273, 108 P.3d 417, 420 (Ct. App. 2005). When 

reviewing a dismissal pursuant to Rule 12(b)(6), the nonmoving party is entitled to have all 

inferences from the record and pleadings viewed in his or her favor. Gibson, 141 Idaho at 273, 

108 P.3d at 420. The issue is not whether the petitioner will ultimately prevail, but whether the 

party is entitled to offer evidence to support the claims. Orthman v. Idaho Power Co., 126 Idaho 

960, 962, 895 P.2d 561, 563 (1995). 

Brown’s habeas corpus claims turn upon the application in his case of the provision in 

I.C. § 20-228 that following revocation of parole, the prisoner “must serve out the sentence, and 

the time during which such prisoner was out on parole shall not be deemed a part thereof; unless 

the Commission, in its discretion, shall determine otherwise . . . .” We consider first Brown’s 

contention that the Commission’s refusal to credit to his sentence 459 days he spent on parole 

subjected him to multiple punishments for the same offense. Whether a defendant’s prosecution 

or punishment complies with the constitutional protection against double jeopardy is a question 

of law over which we exercise free review. State v. Santana, 135 Idaho 58, 63, 14 P.3d 378, 383

(Ct. App. 2000). 

The Double Jeopardy Clause of the United States Constitution provides that no person 

shall “be subject for the same offense to be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb.” U.S. CONST.

amend. V. This guarantee includes protection against multiple criminal punishments for the 

same offense. Schiro v. Farley, 510 U.S. 222, 229 (1994); State v. McKeeth, 136 Idaho 619, 

622, 38 P.3d 1275, 1278 (Ct. App. 2001). In Gibson, this Court rejected the same double 

jeopardy argument now advanced by Brown. We explained:

[R]evocation of probation does not impose an additional punishment for the 

originating crime because it involves only the enforcement of conditions already 

imposed. 

The revocation of Gibson’s parole constituted enforcement of a statutorily 

authorized condition of parole--that the time spent on parole would not count 

towards the completion of the judicially imposed sentences. See I.C. § 20-228. 
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Similar to probation revocation, the reincarceration resulting from the violation of 

the terms of parole is not a separate punishment for Gibson’s underlying criminal 

offenses. Accordingly, Gibson’s double jeopardy claim fails as a matter of law.

Id. at 276, 108 P.3d at 423 (citations omitted). For the same reasons, the district court correctly 

concluded that Brown’s double jeopardy claim fails as a matter of law. 

Brown’s argument that he was denied equal protection of the law as a result of the 

Commission’s forfeiture of his time served while he was on parole also fails because Brown has 

not shown that he was treated any differently than any other similarly situated parolee subject to 

forfeiture of time served under I.C. § 20-228. The Equal Protection Clause is designed to assure 

that those persons similarly situated with respect to governmental action are treated similarly. 

City of Cleburne, Tex. v. Cleburne Living Ctr., 473 U.S. 432, 439 (1985); State v. Missamore, 

119 Idaho 27, 33, 803 P.2d 528, 534 (1990); State v. Hayes, 108 Idaho 556, 560, 700 P.2d 959, 

963 (Ct. App. 1985). See also Aeschliman v. State, 132 Idaho 397, 401, 973 P.2d 749, 753 (Ct. 

App. 1999) (holding that equal protection requires that persons in similar circumstances receive 

the same benefits and burdens of the law). Selective or discriminatory enforcement or 

application of a statute may amount to an equal protection violation under the Idaho or United 

States Constitution if the challenger shows a deliberate plan of discrimination based on some 

unjustifiable classification. Anderson v. Spalding, 137 Idaho 509, 514, 50 P.3d 1004, 1009 

(2002); Henson v. Dep’t of Law Enforcement, 107 Idaho 19, 23, 684 P.2d 996, 1000 (1984); 

Hayes, 108 Idaho at 560, 700 P.2d at 963. Alternatively, a “class of one” may state an equal 

protection claim if he or she was intentionally treated differently from others similarly situated 

and that there is no rational basis for the difference in treatment. Village of Willowbrook v. 

Olech, 528 U.S. 562, 564 (2000); Viking Const., Inc. v. Hayden Lake Irr. Dist., 149 Idaho 187, 

198-99, 233 P.3d 118, 129-30 (2010); Anderson, 137 Idaho at 514, 50 P.3d at 1009. Brown has 

not alleged facts to demonstrate that in applying I.C. § 20-228, the Commission treated him 

differently than any other similarly situated parolee or effectuated any deliberate plan of 

discrimination based on an arbitrary or unjustified classification. Thus, the district court was 

correct in concluding that Brown’s equal protection claim fails as a matter of law. 
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Brown’s final challenge to I.C. § 20-228 is that it violates due process2 by allowing the 

Commission to forfeit 459 days he spent on parole rather than credit this time against his 

sentence. According to Brown, he possessed a liberty interest in receiving such credit against his 

sentence that was not protected during the Parole Commission’s proceedings. Like the district 

court, we find this assertion to be without merit. 

An inmate has a limited liberty interest in continuing parole, and is therefore entitled to 

due process before parole may be revoked. Morrissey v. Brewer, 408 U.S. 471, 482-83 (1972); 

State v. Rose, 144 Idaho 762, 766, 171 P.3d 253, 257 (2007). See also Mattoon v. Blades, 145 

Idaho 634, 637, 181 P.3d 1242, 1245 (2008); Craig v. State, 123 Idaho 121, 124, 844 P.2d 1371, 

1374 (Ct. App. 1992). This due process requirement for revocation of parole is satisfied by an 

informal hearing structured to assure that the finding of a parole violation will be based on 

verified facts and that the Commission’s exercise of discretion will be informed by an accurate 

knowledge of the parolee’s behavior. Morrissey, 408 U.S. at 484; Mattoon, 145 Idaho at 637, 

181 P.3d at 1245. Because I.C. § 20-228 grants statutory authority to the Commission to forfeit 

time spent on parole, the relevant question is whether the process whereby parole is revoked 

affords due process. As our Supreme Court has explained:

I.C. § 20-228 does not implicate due process concerns. Mattoon is entitled 

to only limited due process in the revocation of parole because of his limited 

liberty status. As such, the forfeiture of his parole pursuant to a valid parole 

revocation hearing satisfies due process requirements.

Mattoon, 145 Idaho at 638, 181 P.3d at 1246.

Brown has not alleged that he was not afforded due process during his parole revocation 

hearing. The substance of Brown’s complaint is that his time served on parole should not be 

forfeited at all--not that it was forfeited without the requisite procedural protections. Therefore, 

the district court did not err in dismissing Brown’s due process/liberty interest claim.

B. Request for Counsel

Brown also argues that the district court erred by not appointing counsel to represent him. 

In a habeas corpus proceeding, the petitioner has no mandatory right to appointed counsel. 

 

2 This Court has held that “the due process guarantees under the federal and state 

constitutions are substantially the same” and therefore arguments claiming violation of both 

federal and state due process protections will be addressed together. State v. Shelton, 129 Idaho 

877, 879, 934 P.2d 943, 945 (Ct. App. 1997).
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Dopp, 144 Idaho at 405, 162 P.3d at 784; Quinlan, 138 Idaho at 730, 69 P.3d at 150. There is no 

statutory right to counsel under I.C. § 19-852 or § 19-4904, Dopp, 144 Idaho at 405, 162 P.3d at 

784; Quinlan, 138 Idaho at 730, 69 P.3d at 150; and the Sixth Amendment right to counsel does 

not attach because a habeas action is civil in nature. Dopp, 144 Idaho at 405, 162 P.3d at 784. 

Under extraordinary circumstances, there may be a due process right to counsel, but these special 

circumstances do not exist where the case is not unusually complex. Id. 

Here, we have held that Brown’s underlying claims are unmeritorious on their face. He 

has made no showing of any potentially meritorious claim at all, much less one of such 

complexity that due process might require appointment of counsel; nor has he shown any other 

extraordinary circumstances necessitating the services of counsel. Thus, the district court did not 

err in denying Brown’s initial motion for appointment of counsel.

Brown contends that the district court should have granted his motion for reconsideration 

of the denial of counsel because prison officials interfered with his mail, withheld his mail, and 

rerouted it, thereby preventing him from making a timely reply to the Commission’s motion to 

dismiss his petition for a writ of habeas corpus. According to Brown’s briefing on appeal, he did 

not receive a copy of the State’s motion until after the district court had already entered the order 

dismissing his petition. 

We find no error. First, Brown never laid out to the district court his present contention 

that he did not receive the State’s motion until after entry of the court’s dismissal order. Rather, 

his motion to reconsider appointment of counsel merely made the vague statement that 

“Petitioner is now having problems getting his legal mail so he may defend his petition,” and his 

supporting affidavit made a similarly vague statement that “I believe I am being retaliated 

against, for filing a claim against the Parole Commission, in way of not receiving my legal mail.” 

Thus, Brown never made it clear to the district court that he allegedly had not received the 

State’s motion to dismiss in time to respond to it.

Second, even if these alleged facts had been clearly stated to the district court, they did 

not present a circumstance requiring appointment of counsel since, as we have held above, 

Brown’s claims for a writ of habeas corpus are unmeritorious on their face. Had these alleged 

facts been presented to the district court with a request for reconsideration of the dismissal order 

and an opportunity for Brown to respond to the dismissal motion, such relief would have been 
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warranted, but Brown never requested that relief. Even on appeal, he has not presented any 

argument that would constitute a valid basis for denial of the Commission’s dismissal motion. 

Finally, if and to the extent that Brown is attempting to assert on appeal a claim that 

interference with his mail deprived him of his constitutional right of access to the court, we will 

not address it because it was not raised below. Generally, issues not raised below may not be 

considered for the first time on appeal. Sanchez v. Arave, 120 Idaho 321, 322, 815 P.2d 1061, 

1062 (1991).

III.

CONCLUSION

The district court’s orders denying Brown’s motion for appointment of counsel and his 

motion for reconsideration of his request for counsel, and the district court’s order dismissing 

Brown’s petition for a writ of habeas corpus are affirmed. 

Chief Judge GRATTON and Judge GUTIERREZ CONCUR.