Title: Rightnour v. Gladden
Citation: 219 Or. 342, 347 P.2d 103
Docket Number: N/A
State: Oregon
Issuer: Oregon Supreme Court
Date: December 9, 1959

Reversed December 9, 1959.
*343 Robert G. Danielson, Assistant Attorney General, Salem, argued the cause for appellant. With him on the brief was Robert Y. Thornton, Attorney General, Salem.
Thomas B. Brand, Salem, argued the cause for respondent. With him on the brief was Richard D. Lee, Salem.
Before McALLISTER, Chief Justice, and PERRY, O'CONNELL and REDDING, Justices.
REVERSED WITH DIRECTIONS.
REDDING, J., (Pro Tempore)
This is a habeas corpus proceeding which was brought in the circuit court for Marion County by the *344 plaintiff, Earl Duane Rightnour, against Clarence T. Gladden, warden of the Oregon State Penitentiary, as defendant.
Upon a plea of guilty to a charge of larceny (over the value of $75), plaintiff, on August 11, 1958, was sentenced to the Oregon State Penitentiary by the circuit court of Marion County. The sentence of the court reads in part as follows:
On April 2, 1959, the circuit court for Marion County issued a writ of habeas corpus upon the petition of plaintiff theretofore filed. In response to such writ, the warden of the Oregon State Penitentiary in his return admitted that he had plaintiff in his custody pursuant to the hereinabove-mentioned judgment and sentence of the circuit court for Marion County, and in said return alleged that such imprisonment had not expired or been terminated in any way.
In response to the return of the defendant the plaintiff in his Amended Traverse and Replication alleged in part as follows:
On May 11, 1959, the Honorable George R. Duncan, circuit judge for Marion County, made and filed his nunc pro tunc judgment of correction which reads in part as follows:
On May 22, 1959, the lower court made and entered an order overruling defendant's demurrer to *347 plaintiff's Amended Traverse and Replication and directed that the plaintiff be released from confinement in the state penitentiary and placed on probation for a period of two years. The matter is before this court by reason of the overruling of defendant's demurrer and the resulting judgment of discharge.
The defendant argues that the circuit court had no jurisdiction to enter the judgment of correction after the expiration of the term in which the original judgment order was entered. Being of the opinion that the changes sought to be made by the judgment of correction will not materially affect the result herein, we need not here decide whether the court had jurisdiction to change the judgment as originally entered. We will for the purposes of this appeal assume without deciding that the court had jurisdiction to enter the judgment of correction. The only issue then before this court is the legal effect of the judgment of August 11, 1958, as corrected by the judgment of correction entered on May 18, 1959.
Defendant contends that the court had no right nor power in pronouncing sentence to provide in said judgment order that: "Execution of the last two years of said term in said penitentiary is suspended and defendant placed on probation for the suspended period * * *."
1. In the absence of express statutory authority granting the court the power to suspend execution of a sentence of confinement in the state penitentiary in part only, the court has no such authority.
In Re Application of Raleigh Matthews, 109 Or 88, 219 P 194, the sentence provided that the petitioner:
The petitioner paid the fine and was subsequently committed to jail on order of the justice. In ordering the prisoner discharged, Mr. Chief Justice McBRIDE, speaking for the court, stated:
In Pagano v. Bechly, 211 Iowa 1294, 232 NW 798, the court held:
See also Peterson v. Flood, 84 Ariz 256, 326 P2d 845; Neal v. State, 104 Ga 509, 30 SE 858; People v. Barrett, 202 Ill 287, 67 NE 23; Ex Parte Silverman, 69 *349 Ohio App 128, 42 NE2d 87; In re Markuson, 5 N Dak 180, 64 NW 939; State v. Smith, 83 Okla Cr 188, 174 P2d 932; Ex Parte Boyd, 73 Okla Cr 441, 122 P2d 162; Commonwealth v. Cain, 345 P 581, 28 A2d 897; State v. Gore, 126 W Va 614, 29 SE2d 476; Ex Parte Fisher, 95 W Va 397, 121 SE 287; In re Webb, 89 Wis 354, 62 NW 177; United States v. Wilson, 46 F 748; Affronte v. United States, 350 US 79, 76 S Ct 171, 100 L ed 62.
In this state the authority of the courts to grant probation is found in ORS 137.510, which provides:
It will be observed that the authority to place a defendant on probation granted the courts by the above statute continues only "until such person is delivered to the executive head of the penal, reformatory or correctional institution designated in the judgment" and that such authority can be exercised in but two ways: (1) Where no sentence is imposed and a proper stay granted; and (2) where a sentence is *350 imposed and a stay of execution of sentence ordered by the court.
While the court under the statute has the authority to suspend execution of the whole sentence, the statutory limitation of the court's power to suspend the execution of sentence to the period of time anteceding the defendant's delivery "to the executive head of the penal, reformatory or correctional institution designated in the judgment" would inferentially divest the court of authority to suspend less than the whole.
2. A sentence must be in conformity with the requirements of the statutes governing the same.
ORS 137.120 provides:
3. The above statute was obviously designed to leave indeterminate the portion of the maximum term of the sentence the prisoner would be required to serve. The terms of the statute, ORS 137.120, being mandatory in substance as well as in form, must be read into and considered a part of the judgment order. See Lee v. Gladden, 214 Or 601, 330 P2d 171, 332 P2d 203.
*351 In People v. Hunt, 216 NYS 765, 217 App Div 428, under a statute similar to ours, the trial court on May 7, 1923, imposed a minimum sentence of five years. The judgment further provided:
The Supreme Court, Appellate Division, in considering the quoted provision of the judgment order, referred to the statutory limitation of the court's power to suspend the execution of a sentence to the period of time anteceding the defendant's imprisonment, and held:
See also Ex Parte Hutchinson, 264 Ala 447, 87 So2d 847; People v. Ramos, 80 Cal App 528, 251 P 941; State v. Superior Court (Del), 141 A2d 468; Ex Parte Jennings, 46 Idaho 142, 267, P 227; State v. Campbell (Mo) 307 SW 2d 486; State v. Abbott, 87 SC 466, 70 SE 6; Ex Parte Fisher, supra; Watkins v. Merry, 106 F2d 360; United States v. Greenhaus, 85 F2d 116; United States v. Praxulis, 49 F2d 774; White v. Burke, 43 F2d 329; Morgan v. Adams, 226 F 719; 141 ALR 1225.
The legislature has conferred upon the warden of the Oregon State Penitentiary and the State Board of Parole and Probation the power, under certain circumstances, of shortening the sentences of persons incarcerated in the Oregon State Penitentiary.
*352 ORS 421.120 provides:
ORS 144.240 provides:
ORS 144.250 provides:
It will be noted that under ORS 421.120, except where the sentence is for life, the warden, by certifying full compliance with the provisions of the statute to the governor, has the authority to shorten any sentence for good behavior, and the State Board of Parole and Probation has the authority to determine when a prisoner is a safe parole risk. ORS 144.240 and 144.250; Fredericks v. Gladden, 211 Or 312, 315 P2d 1010.
It is contended by the defendant, with justification, we think, that that portion of the sentence imposed herein which orders the prisoner released on probation after serving nine months violates ORS 137.120 by purporting to fix a minimum period of confinement, *353 after which the inmate is to be on probation for the remainder of the sentence, regardless of his conduct in prison and regardless of whether within a reasonable probability the prisoner will, after parole, remain outside the institution without violating the law. This would constitute an encroachment upon the executive duty of the warden and the governor under ORS 421.120, and with the executive duty of the Oregon State Board of Parole and Probation under ORS 144.240.
As Mr. Justice Stern, speaking for the court in Commonwealth v. Cain, supra, points out:
4. We hold that the court had no jurisdiction whatever by order, whether made prior or subsequent to plaintiff's incarceration in the Oregon Penitentiary, to provide for the release of the plaintiff on probation during the last two years of the court's sentence of two years and nine months' imprisonment in the Oregon State Penitentiary. The provision of the judgment order directing that the plaintiff be placed on probation upon the condition that he serve the first nine months of the sentence is void.
5. The general rule with reference to the effect of partial invalidity of a judgment is stated thus in 49 CJS, Judgments 881, § 405:
In Lee v. Gladden, 214 Or 601, 330 P2d 171, 332 P2d 203, Mr. Justice PERRY, speaking for the court in holding void a portion of a judgment order revoking parole and directing that five and ten-year concurrent sentences previously imposed but suspended run concurrently with a three-year sentence then being served, had this to say:
See also Ex Parte Hutchinson, supra; People v. Ramos, supra; State v. Superior Court, supra; Ex Parte Jennings, supra; State v. Campbell, supra; People v. Hunt, supra; State v. Abbott, supra; Ex Parte Fisher, supra; Watkins v. Merry, supra; Morgan v. Adams, supra; 141 ALR 1225.
6. That portion of the judgment order which directed "that execution of the last two years of said term in said penitentiary is suspended and defendant placed on probation for the suspended period * * *" while void is clearly severable and should therefore be treated as surplusage. The remaining portion of the judgment, being valid and severable, should be given effect.
7. In view of the fact that the experienced and able trial judge after the plaintiff served nine months' imprisonment, continued to feel as he did at the time he imposed sentence, that the plaintiff should not be required to serve more than nine months of the sentence, we question whether because of the invalidity of the provision of the judgment order the plaintiff should now be required to serve the remaining two years of the sentence. However that may be, we are powerless to release the plaintiff therefrom. His recourse must be to the executive branch for parole or pardon. In order to afford plaintiff an opportunity to seek such relief, the mandate will be withheld 60 days.
The judgment of the circuit court discharging the plaintiff is reversed with directions to dismiss the writ of habeas corpus and remand the plaintiff to the custody of the warden of the penitentiary.