N o

. D A 0 9

- 0 1 1 1

I N T H E S U P R E M E C O U

R T O F T H E S T

A T E O F M O N T

A N A

2 0 0 9 M T 2 7 5

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

SAMUEL SCOTT JOHNSON,

Petitioner and Appellant,

v.

MIKE MAHONEY, Warden, and STATE OF

MONTANA,

Respondents an d Appellees. O P I N I O N

A N D

O R D E R

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

¶ 1 O n J a n u a r y 1 0

, 1 9 9 6

, S a m u e l S c o t t J o h n s o n ( J o h

n s o n ) p l e a

d e d g u i l t y t o f e l o n y

a g g r a v a t e d k i d n a p p i n g

, i n v i o l a t i o n o f § 4 5

- 5

- 3 0 3

, M C A

, a n d f e l o n y s e x u a l i n t e r c o u r s e

without consent (SIWC), in v i o l a t i o n o f § 4 5

- 5

- 5 0 3

, M C A

. J o h n s o n w a s s e n t e n c e d t o 1 0

y e a r s i m p r i s o n m e n t o n t h e a g g

r a v a t e d k i d n a p p i n g c h a r g

e a n d 4 0 y e a r s o n t h e S I W C

c h a r g e

. T h e t e r m s o f i m

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

n a

S t a t e P r i s o n ( M S P )

.

¶ 2 O n M a y 1 1

, 2 0 0 7

, G o v e r n o r B r i a n S c h w e i t z e r s i g n e d S e n a t e B i l l 5 4 7 i n

t o l a w

.

T h i s l a w

, c o d i f

i e d a t § 4 6

- 1 8

- 2 0 7

, M C A ( 2 0 0 7 )

, i n c r e a s e d t h e p e n a l t i e s f o r c e r t a i n s e x

u a l

o f f e n s e s

, g r a n t e d t

h e D e p a r t m e n t o f C o r r e c t i o n s ( D O C ) t h e a u t h o r i t y t o e s t a

b l i s h a

r e s i d e n t i a l s e x o f

f e n d e r t r e a t m e n t p r

o g r a m

, a n d p r o v

i d e d f o r t h e s u s p e n s i o n o f s e n t e n c e s

f o r t h o s e i n m a t e s w

h o s u c c e s s f

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

p r o g r a m e s t a b l i s h e d p u r s u a

n t t o t h i s l e g

i s l a t i o n

. August 18 20092

¶ 3 After the law’s passage, Johnson filed a petition f or a writ of habeas corpus in the

Third Judicial District Court. Johnson argued that during the course of his incarceration

he successfully completed qualifying “residential” sex offender treatment programs at a

detention facility in Arizona and Crossroad s Correctional Center in Montana while

serving his sentence. Johnson asserted that he should be granted the benefit of

§ 46

- 18

- 207, MCA (2007), because he completed these programs and that the balance of

his sentence on his SIWC charge should be suspended . Johnson further argued that he

was eligible for sex offender treatment under the new statute, § 46

- 18

- 207(4)(a), MCA,

which provides as follows:

E x c e p t f o r a n o f f e n d e r s e n t e

n c e d p u r s u a

n t t o 4 5

- 5

- 5 0 3 ( 4 )

, 4 5

- 5

- 5 0 7 ( 5 )

, 4 5

- 5

- 6 0 1 ( 3 )

, 4 5

- 5

- 6 0 2 ( 3 )

, 4 5

- 5

- 6 0 3 ( 2 ) ( c )

, o r 45

- 5

- 625(4), during an

o f f e n d e r ’ s t e r m o f c o m m i t m e n t t o t h e d e p a r t m e n t o f c o r r e c t i o n s o r a s t a t e

p r i s o n

, t h e d e p a r t m e n t m a y p l a c e t h e p e r s o n i n a r e s i d e n t i a l s e x u a l

o f f e n d e r t r e a t m e n t p r o g

r a m a p p r o v

e d b y t h e d e p a r

t m e n t u n d e r 5 3

- 1

- 2 0 3

.

(Emphasis ad ded).

¶ 4 T h e D i s t r i c t C o u r t d e n i e d J o h n s o n ’ s p e t i t i o n f o r a w r i t o f h a b e a s c o r

p u s o n t w o

g r o u n d s

. F i r s t

, t

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

f e c t a t t h e t i m e o f J o h n s o n ’ s

o f f e n s e s c o n t r o l l e d a s t o h i s p o s s i b l e s e n t e n c e

. S e e S t a t e v

. B r i s t e r , 200 2 M T 1 3

, ¶ 2 6

,

3 0 8 M o n t

. 1 5 4

, 4 1 P

. 3 d 3 1 4

. A c c o r d i n g l y

, § 4 6

- 1 8

- 2 0 7

, M C A ( 2 0 0 7 )

, s i m p l y d i d n o t

a p p l y

. S e c o n d

, t

h e D i s t r i c t C o u r t c o n c l u d e d t h a t J o h n s o n w a s n o t e l i g i b l e f o r s e x u a l

o f f e n d e r t r e a

t m e n t e v e n i f t h i s s t a t u t e a p p l i e d t o h i m

, s i n c e h e w a s c o n v i c t e d o f

a g g r a v a t e d k i d n a p p i n g i n v i o l a t i o n o f § 4 5

- 5

- 5 0 3

, M C A

, w h i c h i s o n e o f t h e l i s t e d

e x c e p t i o n s t o t h e o p e r a t i o n o f § 4 6

- 1 8

- 2 0 7 ( 4 ) ( a )

, M C A

.3

¶ 5 J o h n s o n n o w s e e k s t o a p p e a l t h e d e n i a l o f h i s p e t i t i o n f

o r a w r i t o f h a b e a s c o r

p u s

.

T h e S t a t e

, c i t i n g t o Mor rison v. Mahoney

, 2 0 0 2 M T 2 1

, ¶ 8

, 3 0 8 M o n t

. 1 9 6

, 4 1 P

. 3 d 3 2 0

,

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

t ’ s d e n i a l o f a w

r i t o f h a b e a s c o r

p u s i s n o t a

p p e a l a b l e t o t h i s

C o u r t

. “ T h i s i s s o b e c a u s e a w r i t o f h a b e a s c o r

p u s m a y b e g

r a n t e d b y e i t h e r a d i s t r i c t

c o u r t o r t h i s C o u r t a n d

, a s a r e s u l t

, t h e d e n i a l o f s u c h a w

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

j u d i c a t a because it does not divest us of jurisdiction to grant a subsequent petition. ”

Morrison

, ¶ 8 ( c i t i n g I

n r e H a r t

, 1 7 8 M o n

t

. 2 3 5

, 2 4 1

, 5 8 3 P

. 2 d 4 1 1

, 4 1 4 ( 1 9 7 8 ) )

. I n t h e

i n t e r e s t s o f j u d i c i a l e c o n o m y

, h o w e v e r

, t h e S t a t e s u g g

e s t s t h a t w e t r e a t J o h

n s o n ’ s p e t i t i o n

f o r a w r i t a s a n o r i g i n a l p e t i t i o n f o r a w r i t o f h a b e a s c o r

p u s

. W e a d o p t t

h e S t a t e ’ s

s u g g e s t i o n a n d t r e a t J o h n s o n ’ s p e t i t i o n a s a n o r i g i n a l p r o c e e d i n g b e f o r e t h i s C o u r t

.

¶ 6 T h e p u r

p o s e o f a w

r i t o f h a b e a s c o r

p u s i s “ t o i n q u i r e i n t o t h e c a u s e o f

i m p r i s o n m e n t o r r e s t r a i n t a n d

, i f i l l e g a l

, t o b e d e l i v

e r e d f r o m t h e i m

p r i s o n m e n t o r

restraint. ” S e c t i o n 4 6

- 2 2

- 1 0 1 ( 1 )

, M C A

. I n a h a b e a s p r o c e e d i n g

, t h e b u r d e n i s o n t h e

p e t i t i o n e r t o c o n v

i n c e t h e C o u r

t t h a t t h e w r i t s h o u l d i s s u e

. M

i l l e r v

. E l e v e n t h J u d i c i a l

Dist. Ct.

, 2 0 0 7 M T 5 8

, ¶ 1 4

, 3 3 6 M o n t

. 2 0 7

, 1 5 4 P

. 3 d 1 1 8 6 ( c i t i n g P e t i t i o n o f D y e r

, 1 5 4

M o n t

. 4 9 9

, 5 0 0

, 4 6 3 P

. 2 d 8 9 5

, 8 9 6 ( 1 9 6 9 ) ; P e t i t i o n o f T o o k e r

, 1 4 8 M o n t

. 6 9

, 7 3

, 4 1 7

P

. 2 d 8 7

, 8 9 ( 1 9 6 6 ) )

. A w r i t w i l l i s s u e i f t h e p e t i t i o n e r “ p r e s e n t [ s ] t o t h i s C o u r t a r e c o r d

t h a t i s s u f

f i c i e n t t o m a k e a p r i m a f a c i e s h o w i n g t h a t t h e o r d e r o f t h e D i s t r i c t C o u r t

c o n s t i t u t e d a v i o l a t i o n

, d e p r i v

a t i o n

, i n f

r i n g e m e n t

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

,

statutory, or legal rights. ” Miller

, ¶ 1 4

.

¶ 7 J o h n s o n h a s f

a i l e d t o c o n v

i n c e t h e C o u r t t h a

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

. A s

t h e S t a t e p o i n

t s o u t

, t h e r e s i d e n t i a l t r e a t m e n t p r o g r a m a u t h o r i z e d b y § 4 6

- 1 8

- 2 0 7

, M C A4

( 2 0 0 7 )

, h a s n o t y e t b e e n e s t a b l i s h e d

. 1 Thus, Johnson has not successfully completed the

residential treatment program contemplated by this statute. Moreover, had the program

been in place, Johnson would not have been eligible in any event since his conviction for

a g g r a v a t e d k i d n a p p i n g r e n d e r e d h i m i n e l i g i b l e f o r t h e p r o g

r a m

. S e e § 46

- 18

- 207(4)(a),

MCA.

¶ 8 A d d i t i o n a l l y

, t h e S t a t e c o r r e c t l y n o t e s t

h a t p u r s u a

n t t o § 4 6

- 1 8

- 2 0 7 ( 4 )

, M C A

,

D O C h a s t h e s o l e d i s c r e t i o n t o d e t e r m i n e w h o m a y p a r t i c i p a t e i n t h e p r o g r a m

. T h e

s t a t u t e s t a t e s t h a t D O C m a

y p l a c e a n o f

f e n d e r i n t h e p r

o g r a m

, b u t i t i s n o t r e q

u i r e d t o d o

s o

. See ¶ 3

. T h

u s

, e v e n i f J o h n s o n w a s i n f

a c t e l i g i b l e f o r t h e p r o g r a m o n c e e s t a b l i s h e d

,

h i s e n t i t l e m e n t t o p a r t i c i p a t e w o u l d b e s u b j e c t t o t h e d i s c r e t i o n o f D O C

.

¶ 9 J o h n s o n h a s f

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

r i t o f h a b e a s c o r

p u s

.

A c c o r d i n g

l y

,

¶ 1 0 IT IS HEREBY ORDERED that J o h n s o n ’ s p e t i t i o n i s D E N I E D a n d D I S M I S S E D

.

¶ 1 1 I T I S F U R T H E R O R D E R E D t h a t t h e C l e r k o f t h i s C o u r t m a i l a c o p y o f t h i s

O p i n i o n a n d O r d e r t o a l l c o u n s e l o f r e c o r d a n d t o t h e A p p e l l a n t a t h i s l a s t k

n o w n a d d r e s s

.

D A T E D t h i s 1 8 t h d a y o f A u g u s t

, 2 0 0 9

.

/ S / P A T R I C I A O

. C O T T E R

W e c o n c u r :

/ S / M I K E M c G R A T H

1 A n a f f i d a v i t i n t h e r e c o r d f

r o m D O C ’ s t r e a t m e n

t c o n t r a c t p r

o g r a m m a n a g e r s t a t e s t h a t D O C

i n t e n d s t o h a v e t h e p r o g r a m o p e r a t i o n a l b y t h e e n d o f 2 0 0 9

.5

/ S / J O H N W A R N E R

/ S / B R I A N M O R R I S

/ S / J I M R I C E