Case Name: PEOPLE v. SHELL
Court: Michigan Court of Appeals
Jurisdiction: Michigan
Decision Date: 1993-06-08
Citations: 200 Mich. App. 160
Docket Number: Docket No. 133229
Parties: PEOPLE v SHELL
Judges: Before: Murphy, P.J., and McDonald and W. R. Beasley, JJ.
Reporter: Michigan appeals reports; cases decided in the Michigan Court of Appeals.
Volume: 200
Pages: 160–161

Head Matter:
PEOPLE v SHELL
Docket No. 133229.
Submitted May 18, 1993, at Detroit.
Decided June 8, 1993, at 9:35 a.m.
Demario D. Shell was convicted by a jury in the Jackson Circuit Court, Gordon W. Britten, J., of assault with intent to commit murder. The court sentenced the defendant to life imprisonment, believing that the sentence was within the sentencing guidelines minimum range of 96 to 180 months because the defendant would be eligible for parole in ten years. The defendant appealed.
The Court of Appeals held:
A sentence that exceeds the sentencing guidelines cannot be considered to be within the guidelines merely because the time at which the defendant becomes eligible for parole coincides with a point within the range recommended by the guidelines.
Reversed and remanded for resentencing.
Sentences — Sentencing Guidelines — Eligibility foe Parole.
The time at which a defendant becomes eligible for parole may not be considered when determining whether a sentence is within the range recommended by the sentencing guidelines.
References
Am Jur 2d, Criminal Law §§ 535 et seq.; Pardon and Parole §§ 73 et seq.
See ALR Index under Parole, Probation, and Pardon; Sentence and Punishment.
Frank J. Kelley, Attorney General, Thomas L. Casey, Solicitor General, Dennis M. Hurst, Prosecuting Attorney, and Jerrold Schrotenboer, Chief Appellate Attorney, for the people.
William H. Archer, for the defendant on appeal.
Before: Murphy, P.J., and McDonald and W. R. Beasley, JJ.
Former Court of Appeals judge, sitting on the Court of Appeals by assignment.

Opinion:
Per Curiam.
Defendant was convicted after a jury trial of assault with intent to commit murder, MCL 750.83; MSA 28.278, and was sentenced to life in prison. Defendant appeals, contending that his sentence is disproportionately severe. We reverse and remand.
Defendant's sentence exceeds the minimum sentence range of 96 to 180 months provided by the guidelines for this offense. While the sentencing court was not bound by the guidelines, the record indicates that the sentencing court believed that, because defendant would be eligible for parole within ten years, defendant was being sentenced within the guidelines. A sentence that exceeds the guidelines is not within the guidelines merely because the time at which the defendant becomes eligible for parole coincides with a point within the range provided by the guidelines. We are unaware of any requirement in the sentencing guidelines for the consideration of a defendant's eligibility for parole, nor has this factor traditionally been considered when determining whether a sentence is within the guidelines. This is in keeping with the premise that it is improper to increase a defendant's sentence on the basis of an anticipated reduction of the sentence for good time. See, e.g., People v Fleming, 428 Mich 408, 425-427; 410 NW2d 266 (1987); People v Bates, 190 Mich App 281, 283; 475 NW2d 392 (1991). Because the sentencing court erroneously believed that the defendant was being sentenced within the guidelines, we reverse and remand for resentencing. We do not reach the issue whether defendant's sentence is proportionate.
Reversed and remanded for resentencing. We do not retain jurisdiction._
As did our Supreme Court in People v Rushlow, 437 Mich 149, 155-156; 468 NW2d 487 (1991), we distinguish the consideration of "good time" in imposing a sentence from the consideration of disciplinary credits when determining whether a sentence violates People v Moore, 432 Mich 311; 439 NW2d 684 (1989).