Case Name: Jarvious COTTON, Anthony Miller, Samuel Pitchford, Howard Jennings, Carl David Grubb, Plez Curry, William Rankin, Johnny Hemphill, Glenn Perry McWilliams and James Glascow v. MISSISSIPPI PAROLE BOARD, Donald B. Pope, Kareem West, Morris Scott, Marilyn Starks and Patricia Miller
Court: Mississippi Supreme Court
Jurisdiction: Mississippi
Decision Date: 2003-11-20
Citations: 863 So. 2d 917
Docket Number: No. 2002-CP-01128-SCT
Parties: Jarvious COTTON, Anthony Miller, Samuel Pitchford, Howard Jennings, Carl David Grubb, Plez Curry, William Rankin, Johnny Hemphill, Glenn Perry McWilliams and James Glascow v. MISSISSIPPI PAROLE BOARD, Donald B. Pope, Kareem West, Morris Scott, Marilyn Starks and Patricia Miller.
Judges: SMITH, P.j;, AND WALLER, J., CONCUR. CARLSON, J., CONCURS IN PART AND IN RESULT WITHOUT SEPARATE WRITTEN OPINION. GRAVES, J., CONCURS IN RESULT ONLY. COBB, J., CONCURS IN PART AND IN RESULT WITH SEPARATE WRITTEN OPINION JOINED BY PITTMAN, C.J., AND CARLSON, J. DIAZ AND EASLEY, JJ., NOT PARTICIPATING.
Reporter: Southern Reporter, Second Series
Volume: 863
Pages: 917–924

Head Matter:
Jarvious COTTON, Anthony Miller, Samuel Pitchford, Howard Jennings, Carl David Grubb, Plez Curry, William Rankin, Johnny Hemphill, Glenn Perry McWilliams and James Glascow v. MISSISSIPPI PAROLE BOARD, Donald B. Pope, Kareem West, Morris Scott, Marilyn Starks and Patricia Miller.
No. 2002-CP-01128-SCT.
Supreme Court of Mississippi.
Nov. 20, 2003.
Rehearing Denied Jan. 29, 2004.
Jarvious Cotton, appellant, pro se.
Jane L. Mapp, Jackson, James M. Norris, attorneys for appellees.

Opinion:
McRAE, Presiding Justice,
for the Court.
¶ 1. Mississippi inmates appeal the dismissal of their complaint against the Mississippi Parole Board and certain members which alleged that Parole Board members had abused their discretion in denying parole to these inmates. The inmates claim errors with regard to circuit court jurisdiction, Parole Board discretion, equal protection violations, and standing as to plaintiff Anthony Miller. Finding no error in the learned trial judge's ruling, we hold that the Circuit Court of Sunflower County, Mississippi, did not have jurisdiction over this matter. Since we affirm as to the issue of lack of jurisdiction, we are not considering the two remaining issues for review, those being: (1) whether the Parole Board abused its discretion or violated the plaintiffs' rights to equal protection under the United States Constitution; and (2) whether plaintiff Anthony Miller had standing to participate in this action since he is not allegeable for a parole hearing until September 2003.
FACTS AND PROCEEDINGS BELOW
¶ 2. Plaintiffs Jarvious Cotton ("Cotton"), Carl David Grubb ("Grubb"), William Rankin ("Rankin"), Glenn Perry McWilliams ("McWilliams"), Howard Jennings ("Jennings"), Plez Curry ("Curry"), Johnny Lee Hemphill ("Hemphill"), James Glascow ("Glascow"), Samuel Pitchford ("Pitchford"), and Anthony Miller ("Miller") (collectively "Plaintiffs") are all inmates in the Mississippi State Penitentiary in Parchman, Mississippi. All were sentenced to life imprisonment with the possibility of parole, and some were sentenced to additional terms in prison for various other crimes to be served consecutively with their life terms. The various crimes for which the plaintiffs were convicted include murder, armed robbery, and aggra vated assault. The plaintiffs have already served anywhere from eight to twenty-four years of their sentences.
¶ 3. All of the plaintiffs, except Miller, have been considered for parole and been denied parole by the Mississippi state Parole Board ("Parole Board"). Grubb and Glasgow have been considered for and denied parole two times. Cotton, Curry, and Rankin have been considered for and denied parole three times. McWilliams and Hemphill have been considered for and denied parole four times. Pitchford has been considered for and denied parole six times. Jennings has been considered and denied parole several times. In denying these inmates parole, the parole board justified their actions by listed the following factors:
(1) The serious nature of the offense;
(2) The number of offenses committed;
(3) A police and/or juvenile record;
(4) A history of violence;
(5) Psychological or Psychiatric history;
(6) A history of drug or alcohol abuse;
(7) Crimes committed while incarcerated;
(8) Institutional disciplinary reports;
(9) A prior felony conviction;
(10) Community Opposition;
(11) Insufficient time served;
(12) The board is of the opinion that social, mental, or educational resources are lacking which are necessary to function successfully on parole; and
(13) The board believes that the ability or willingness to fulfill the obligation of a law abiding citizen is lacking, pursuant to Section 47-7-17 of the Miss.Code Ann., as amended.
Miller was not eligible for parole review until September of 2003.
¶ 4. On November 14, 2001, the plaintiffs filed a complaint in the Circuit Court of Sunflower County, Mississippi. The complaint claimed violations of the Eighth Amendment, Fourteenth Amendment, Miss.Code Ann. § 47-7-3, and Miss.Code Ann. § 47-7-17. The complaint alleged that each plaintiff had been denied equal protection and subjected to cruel and unusual punishment by the Parole Board's repeated denial of parole. They argued that the factors utilized by the Parole Board were arbitrary and incapable of change, therefore effectively they were being denied the chance to even seek parole. The plaintiffs sought as relief (1) a declaratory judgment as to the unconstitutionality of the Parole Board's methods and practices; (2) a declaratory judgment as to the unconstitutionality of the factors used by the Parole Board in its determinations; (3) a declaratory judgment as to the Parole Board's abuse of discretion as to its implementation of the factors supplied in Miss.Code Ann. § 47-7-3, 47-7-5, & 47-7-17; (4) a declaratory judgment finding the Parole Board's determinations to be an abuse of discretion; (5) a declaratory judgment finding the Parole Board's determinations as to time served is an abuse of discretion; (6) a declaratory judgment finding the Parole Board's determinations regarding community opposition as a factor under Miss.Code Ann. § 47-7-17 is a violation of the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment; (7) injunctive relief enjoining the Parole Board from repeatedly using the same factors with each hearing; (8) injunctive relief enjoining the Parole Board from repeatedly using community opposition as a factor at each hearing; (9) injunctive relief enjoining the Parole Board from repeatedly using their belief of unwillingness to become a law abiding citizen as a factor without providing evidentiary support for such conclusion; (10) injunctive relief enjoining the Parole Board from denying the plaintiffs parole while granting other similarly situated inmates parole; (11) an award of plaintiffs' costs and disbursements associated with this action; and (12) an award of any other equitable relief the court finds proper. The complaint asserts that jurisdiction is based on Barrett v. Miller, 599 So.2d 559 (Miss.1992) and Article 3, Section 24 of the Mississippi Constitution. Venue was claimed to be based on Rules 57 and 65 of the Mississippi Rules of Civil Procedure.
¶ 5. On December 4, 2001, the Mississippi Parole Board, Donald B. Pope, Morris Scott, Marilyn Starks, Patricia Miller, and Kareem West ("Defendants") filed an answer which set forth affirmative defenses which included (1) lack of jurisdiction; (2) failure to state a claim upon which relief can be granted; and (3) Miller has no standing.
¶ 6. On December 19, 2001, the Circuit Court of Sunflower County issued an order dismissing plaintiffs' complaint with prejudice. The Court found that the Parole Board has exclusive authority to grant or deny parole under Miss.Code Ann. § 47-7-5 with absolute discretion. See Scales v. Miss. State Parole Bd., 831 F.2d 565, 566 (5th Cir.1987). Each plaintiff, who is eligible for parole, has received all that is constitutionally mandated, that being a hearing. All plaintiffs were given a chance to present their reasons for parole and the Board, using statutory factors, determined all to be unentitled for parole at this time. He also found that Plaintiff Miller had no standing since he is not even eligible for parole. From this adverse ruling, the inmates now appeal.
DISCUSSION
¶ 7. Questions of law are reviewed de novo. Meeks v. State, 781 So.2d 109, 111 (Miss.2001) (quoting Brown v. State, 731 So.2d 595, 598 (Miss.1999)).
I. WHETHER THE CIRCUIT COURT HAD JURISDICTION OVER THIS MATTER.
¶ 8. The plaintiffs argue that jurisdiction in the Circuit Court of Sunflower County is proper since they are presently domiciled in Sunflower County at the Mississippi Department of Corrections in Parch-man, Mississippi. They argue that the Parole Board is a state agency, therefore constitutional and abuse of discretion claims are proper in the circuit court of the plaintiffs' county of residence.
¶ 9. The State argues that there are certain instances where a circuit court does have jurisdiction over matters such as these, but under the present circumstances the Circuit Court of Sunflower County lacked jurisdiction. The State argues, and the circuit court found, that the plaintiffs failed to state sufficient facts in their complaint to vest the circuit court with jurisdiction.
¶ 10. There are two justifications for the circuit court's dismissal of this action based on lack of jurisdiction. First, statutorily the circuit court had no authority to adjudicate the matters presented. It is well settled that "[a] right of appeal is statutory." Bickham v. Dep't of Mental Health, 592 So.2d 96, 97-98 (Miss.1991) (citations omitted). "A circuit court has no authority to judicially create a right of appeal from an administrative agency in the absence of clear statutory authority therefore." Id. at 98. Since Title 47, Chapter 7 does not contain a statutory mandate granting circuit courts jurisdiction over appeals concerning the denial of parole, the circuit court was correct in dismissing the petition due, in part, to lack of jurisdiction.
¶ 11. Second, although a constitutional challenge can justify the assertion of jurisdiction, under the present circumstances the plaintiffs failed to state a claim sufficient for the circuit court to assert jurisdiction. Although it is recognized that Mississippi courts have a duty to hear and adjudge cases concerning constitutional issues despite a statutory mandate, that duty only arises when certain criteria are met. Barrett v. Miller, 599 So.2d 559, 564 (Miss.1992) (citing Starnes v. City of Vardaman, 580 So.2d 733, 737 (Miss.1991); City of Mound Bayou v. Johnson, 562 So.2d 1212 (Miss.1990); Marx v. Truck Renting & Leasing Ass'n, Inc., 520 So.2d 1333, 1346 (Miss.1987)). The plaintiffs' complaint failed to adequately state a claim upon which the circuit court could assert jurisdiction. The complaint alleged the Parole Board had abused its discretion in violation of the Constitution. The complaint called for the circuit court to review the board's determinations. By statute, the Parole Board is given "absolute discretion" to determine who is entitled to parole within the boundaries of factors set forth in Miss.Code Ann. § 47-7-3. See Miss. Code Ann. § 47-7-5; Scales v. Miss. State Parole Bd., 831 F.2d 565, 566 (5th Cir.1987); Shanks v. State, 672 So.2d 1207, 1208 (Miss.1996). Additionally, the Parole Board is the only determiner of parole. Id. Miss.Code Ann. § 47-7-5(3) states that "[t]he [parole] board shall have exclusive responsibility for the,granting of parole as provided by Section 47-7-3 and 47-7-17." This control is independent of the circuit court's sentencing authority. Mitchell v. State, 561 So.2d 1037, 1039 (Miss.1990); Haynes v. State, 811 So.2d 283, 285 (Miss.Ct.App.2001). For these reasons, the plaintiffs' complaint, which in essence requested the circuit court to determine parole eligibility, was properly dismissed as a claim for which the circuit court had no jurisdiction.
II. WHETHER THE PAROLE BOARD ABUSED ITS DISCRETION OR VIOLATED THE PLAINTIFFS' RIGHT TO EQUAL PROTECTION UNDER THE UNITED STATES CONSTITUTION.
III. WHETHER PLAINTIFF ANTHONY MILLER LACKED STANDING TO BRING THIS ACTION.
¶ 12. Having found that the- circuit court lacked jurisdiction to adjudicate the action, we need not address the merits of these issues.
CONCLUSION
¶ 13. The Circuit Court of Sunflower County did not have jurisdiction over this matter. For this reason, we need not address whether the Parole Board abused its discretion or violated the plaintiffs' rights to equal protection under the United States Constitution or whether Plaintiff Miller had standing to participate in this action. Therefore, we affirm the circuit court's judgment.
¶ 14. AFFIRMED.
SMITH, P.j;, AND WALLER, J., CONCUR. CARLSON, J., CONCURS IN PART AND IN RESULT WITHOUT SEPARATE WRITTEN OPINION. GRAVES, J., CONCURS IN RESULT ONLY. COBB, J., CONCURS IN PART AND IN RESULT WITH SEPARATE WRITTEN OPINION JOINED BY PITTMAN, C.J., AND CARLSON, J. DIAZ AND EASLEY, JJ., NOT PARTICIPATING.
. The record does not reflect the specific crimes for which Grubb, Jennings, Curry, Glasgcow, Pitchford, and Miller were convicted. The record only indicates that all received a life sentence with parole eligibility.
. The record only states that Jennings has been denied parole "several times." The record does not state the specific amount of times McWilliams was considered for and denied parole.
. For the record, we are not, as the concurring opinion asserts, holding that the circuit court lacks jurisdiction in all matters which touch upon parole. What we are holding is that in a situation such as this, where the inmates are appealing to the circuit court for a determination as to their parole eligibility, the circuit court lacks jurisdiction as it has no authority to determine parole eligibility. The inmates in the present action are not asking the circuit court to review whether the parole board is following their statutorily mandated duties and requirements regarding determining parole eligibility; but rather the inmates are requesting that the circuit court itself should weigh the factors used for parole eligibility and determine itself whether each inmate petitioner is entitled to parole. Again, our holding today does not preclude inmate appeals to the circuit court concerning a constitutional matter; but rather we are holding that under the present circumstances the cir cuit court lacks jurisdiction to adjudicate the merits of plaintiffs' claims that they are entitled to parole under the application of certain parole factors.