Source: http://openjurist.org/994/f2d/149
Timestamp: 2015-01-25 20:29:02
Document Index: 478685164

Matched Legal Cases: ['§ 1319', '§ 3563', '§ 3563', '§ 3563', '§ 5', '§ 3621', '§ 4082']

994 F2d 149 United States v. L Voda | OpenJurist
994 F. 2d 149 - United States v. L Voda	Home994 f2d 149 united states v. l voda
994 F2d 149 United States v. L Voda 994 F.2d 149
UNITED STATES of America, Plaintiff-Appellee,v.Ronald L. VODA, Sr., Defendant-Appellant.
Defendant-appellant, Ronald Voda, Sr. (Voda), was sentenced to a term of 5 years' probation and a $3,000 fine, payable $60 a month, on his conviction, pursuant to his guilty plea, of one count of negligent discharge of a pollutant through a point source into navigable water in violation of a federal permit, contrary to 33 U.S.C. § 1319(c)(1)(A), a misdemeanor. Voda appeals, challenging only certain aspects of his sentence, namely the fine and the following two conditions of his probation, viz: (1) that he surrender to the Mansfield Law Enforcement Center (Mansfield) on June 2, 1993, to serve sixty calendar days; and, (2) that he not possess a firearm during the probation. Concluding that the district court erred in imposing these two conditions, we vacate Voda's sentence and remand for resentencing.
I. Designating Place of Confinement
Voda contends that, under 18 U.S.C. § 3563(b)(11), the district court lacked the authority to designate the place of his confinement because the statute requires that the Bureau of Prisons designate the place of confinement once the district court imposes sentence for a specified period of time.2 Thus, Voda contends that the district court erred in sentencing him to serve time at Mansfield.3
As a condition of probation, 18 U.S.C. § 3563(b)(11) provides that a convict may be required to "remain in the custody of the Bureau of Prisons during nights, weekends, or other intervals of time, totaling no more than the lesser of one year or the term of imprisonment authorized for the offense, during the first year of the term of probation." 18 U.S.C. § 3563(b)(11) (West Supp.1993). See U.S.S.G. § 5C1.1(c)(3). The statute's plain language suggests that only the Bureau of Prisons may determine the place of confinement for sentences imposed under it.
No prior cases have addressed whether a sentencing judge may, as a condition of probation, designate the place of confinement for sentences imposed under section 3563(b)(11). However, many cases have addressed the authority of a judge to specify the place of incarceration where the sentence calls for imprisonment as opposed to probation under 18 U.S.C. § 3621.4 These cases hold that a court may recommend that a sentence imposed under section 3621 be served in a particular prison or jail, but that only the Bureau of Prisons has the actual authority to designate the place of incarceration. United States v. Jalili, 925 F.2d 889, 894 (6th Cir.1991) (citing United States v. Dragna, 746 F.2d 457, 458 (9th Cir.1984), cert. denied, 469 U.S. 1211, 105 S.Ct. 1179, 84 L.Ed.2d 327 (1985)) ((Dragna) interpreted 18 U.S.C. § 4082(a), which was replaced by section 3621, which Jalili addressed). See generally, United States v. Wilson, --- U.S. ----, 112 S.Ct. 1351, 117 L.Ed.2d 593 (1992). The Bureau of Prisons is given this responsibility because the executive branch and not the judicial branch is responsible for administering sentences. Id.
In other cases, courts rejected prisoners' requests to be sentenced to particular jails, holding that only the Bureau of Prisons has that authority. See, e.g., Johnson v. Moore, 948 F.2d 517, 519 (9th Cir.1991) (rejecting prisoner's section 1983 action challenging decision of Bureau of Prisons to transfer prisoner to new jail); Barden v. Keohane, 921 F.2d 476, 479-83 (3d Cir.1990). It is clear that the district court lacked the authority to designate the place of