Title: VANDERBECK v STATE
Citation: N/A
Docket Number: 14779
State: Montana
Issuer: Montana Supreme Court
Date: July 3, 1979

N o 1 4 7 7 8 I N THE SUPREME COURT O F THE STATE OF MONTANA 1 9 79 P e t rtroner, -vs- S"ATE O F NIONTANA, R e s p o n d e n t , SL7ET?EN R. VANDERBECK , P e t i t i o n e r , STATE O F MONTANA, R e s p o n d e n t . OItT(;INAJ, PROCEEDING: C o u n s e l of R e c o r d : For P e t i t i o n e r : Francis J. C o n t e , M i s s o u l a , M o n t a n a For R e s p o n d e n t : Mike G r e e l y , A t t o r n e y G e n e r a l , H e l e n a , Monta,n,a H a r o l d H a n s e r , C o u n t y A t t o r n e y , B i l l i n g s , Montana ! S u b m i t t e d on B r i e f s , ,Tune 15, 1.079 - Filed: M r . J u s t i c e Daniel J. Shea delivered t h e Opinion of t h e Court. These c o n s o l i d a t e d c a s e s come b e f o r e - t h i s Court or1 pet.itio:ii f o r p o s t c o n v i c t i o i ~ r e l i e f . P e t i t i o n e r s G r i f a l d o and Vanderheclt each c l a i m t h a t he i s e n t i t l e d t o d e s i g n a t i o n a s a "nondanqerous o f f e n d e r f o r purposes of p a r o l e e l i g i b i l i t y " under t h e nands.tory p r o v i s i o n s of s e c t i o n 95-2206.16(1), K.C.M. 1947, now s e c t i o n 46-3.8-404 (1) MCA. Designation as a nondanqerous o f f e n d e r e n a b l e s a p r i s o n e r t o be e l i g i b i e f o r p a r o l e a f t e r he h a s s e r v e d o n e - q u a r t e r of h i s s e n t e n c e . G r i f a l d o was charged w i t h r o b b e r y , a l l e g e d l y conimitted or1 Arlgust 20, 1977. G r i f a l d o pleaded g u i l t y , and on October 2 7 , 1977, w a s s e n t e n c e d by t h e Yellowstone County D i s t r i c t Court: t o f i f t e e n y e a r s i n p r i s o n . Vanderbeck was c o n v i c t e d by jury v e r d i c t i n t h e Yellowstone County D i s t r i c t Court of aggravated a s s a u l t and u n l a w f i ~ l r e s t r a i n t , a l l e g e d l y comn~itted on June 22, 1978. 011 November 1, 1978, Vanderl?eck w a s sentenced t:o e i g h t y e a r s f o r a g g r a v a t e d a s s a u l t and s i x months :for unl;~wfu?. r e s t r a i n t , s e n t e n c e s t o r u n c o n c u r r e n t l y . During t h e f i v e y e a r s p r e c e d i n g commi.ssion o f t h e i r o f f e n s e s , n e i t h e r G r i f a l d o nor Vanderbeck was c o n v i c t e d o f , o r i n c a r c e r a t e d f o r , an o f f e n s e f o r which a s e n t e n c e i n excess of one y e a r could have been imposed. However, n e i t h e r G r i f a i d o nor Vanderbeck was d e s i g n a t e d a nondangerous o f f e n d e r f o r purposes of p a r o l e e l i g i b i l i t y . O n March 2, 1979, a t t h e r e q u e s t of t h e Montana Department: of I n s t i t u t i o n s , t h e Montana Att.orney General i s s u e d an o p i n i o n r e l a t i n g t o p a r o l e e l i g i b i l i t y of p r i s o n e r s . 38 A t t y . Gen. Op. Yo. L O . in p e r t ] n e n t p a r t , t h e Attorney General h e l d t h a t a 9 r i s o n e r s e r v i n g a t i m e s e n t e n c e who was n o t e x p r e s s l y designated "nondanqerous" i n c o n n e c t i o n with a crime c o i m i t t e d a f t e r July I , -- 2 - 1977, i s i n e l i g i b l e f o r p a r o l e u n t i l he has served one- h a l f of h i s s e n t e n c e , less good t i m e . A s a r e s u l t , petit:.ioners were c l a s s i f i e d a s i n e l i g i b l e f o r p a r o l e u n t i l one-half of t h e l r s e n t e n c e s a r e served. P a r o l e e i i . g i h i l . i t y i s governed by s e c t i o n 95-32L4(1), R.C.M. 1947, now s e c t i o n 46-23-201(1) MCA, which provides: ". . . S u b j e c t t o t h e followiny r e s t r i c t i o n s , t h e board s h a l l r e l e a s e on p a r o l e by a p p r o p r i a t e o r d e r any person confined i n t h e Montana stat.e p r i s o n , e x c e p t persons under sentence of d e a t h and persons s e r v i n g sentenccs imposed under 95-2206(3) (b), when i n its opinion t h e r e is reason- a b l e p r o b a b i l i t y t h a t t h e p r i s o n e r can be r e l e a s e d without detrimc:nt t o himself o r to t h e co~ununity: " l a ) N o c o n v i c t s e r v i n g a t i m e s e n t e n c e may be p a r o l e d u n t i l he has served a t l e a s t one-half o f h i s f u l l t e r m , less t h e good t i m e allowance provided f o r i n 80-1905; except t h a t - a . c o n v i c t designated a s a nondangerous o f f e n d e r under V 5 = ' - Z Z m T - - K Z ~ 3 & - ~ r o E Z - a f - t e n 5 ~ s - s % . T e d -- - - one - ~. q u a r t e r of h i s f u l l term, less t h e good t i m e --- , -- - . . - - - - - -, allowance provided f o r - i n .- 80-1905. . . .- Any o f f e n d e r s e r v i n q a time sentence may be paroled a f t e r he has served, upon h i s t e r m of sentence, 17-l/2 y e a r s . " ( b ) N o c o n v i c t s e r v i n q a l i f e sentence may be paroled u n t i l he has served 30 y e a r s , l e s s t h e good t i m e allowance provided f o r i n 80-1905." (Emphasis added.) P e t i t i o n e r s contend t h a t they a r e e n t i t l e d t o d e s i y n a t l o n a s nondangerous o f f e n d e r s under s e c t i o n 95-2206.16(1.), R.C.M. 1947, now s e c t l o n 46-18-404li) MCA, whlch provides: ". . The sentencing c o u r t s h a l l - d e s i g n a t e an o f f e n d e r a nondangerous o f f e n d e r f o r purposes of e l i q i b i l i t y f o r p a r o l e under 95-3214 i f : " ( a ) during t h e 5 y e a r s preceding t h e commission of t h e o f f e n s e f o r which t h e o f f e n d e r i s being sentenced, t h e o f f e n d e r was n e i t h e r convicted of nor i n c a r c e r a t e d f o r an o f f e n s e committed i n t h i s s t a t e or any o t h e r j u r i s d i c t i o n f o r which a sentence t o a t e r m of imprisonment i n excess of l y e a r could have been imposed; or -- " (b) t h e c o u r t has determined, based on any presentence r e p o r t and t h e evidence presented a t t h e t r i a l and t h e s e n t e n c i n g h e a r i n g , t h a t t h e o f f e n d e r does n o t r e p r e s e n t a s u b s t a n t i a l danger t o o t h e r persons o r s o c i e t y . " (Emphasis added. ) ?'he S t a t e concedes t h a t under t h e mandatory lanwuage of t h e above s t a t u t e p e t i t i o n e r s a r e e n t i t l e d t o d e s i g n a t i o n a s nondanqerous o f f e n d e r s . The S t a t e a r g u e s , however, that i n d e c l i n i n g t o do s o , t h e s e n t e n c i n g c o u r t s i m p l i e d i y determined t h a t each p e t l t l o n e r r e p r e s e n t e d a " s u b s t a n t l a l danger t o o t h e r persons o r s o c l c t y " under subsection ( b ) . The S t a t e thi'refore u r q e s t h a t w e remand t h e s e c a s e s t o t h e sentencing c o u r t s f o r d e t e r m i n a t i o n of whether each p e t i t i o n e r s p a r o l e e l i g i b i l i t y should b e l i m i t e d p u r s u a n t t o s e c t i o n 95-2206(3) ( b ) , R.C.M. 1947, now s e c t i o n 46-18-202(2) MCA, up t o one-half of t h e z r s e n t e n c e s . S e c t i o n 95-2206 ( 3 ) ( b ) pernlits t h e seritenci-ng court. t o impose t h e r e s t r i c t i o n t h a t a defendant be i n e l i q i h l c f o r p a r o l e f o r t h e f u l l term of h l s s e n t e n c e , not j u s t halE o f i t , I t s t a t e s : ". . Whenever t h e d i s t . r i c t c o u r t imposes a s e n t e n c e of imprisonment i n t h e s t a t e p r i s o n f o r a term exceeding L y e a r , t h e c o u r t may a l s o impose t h e r e s t r i c t i o n t h a t t h e defendant be i n e l i q i b l e f o r p a r o l e and p a r t i c i p a t i o n i n t h e p r i s o n c r furlough program w h i l e s e r v i n g h i s term. I f such a r e s t r i c t i o n i s t o be i-mposed, t h e c o u r t s h a l l s t a t e t h e r e a s o n s f o r it i n w r i t i n g . -. I f t h e court f i n d s t h a t t h e r e s t r i c t i o n is neces- s a r y f o r t h e p r o t e c t i o n of s o c i e t y , it s h a l l impose t h e r e s t r i c t i o n a s p a r t of t h e s e n t e n c e and t h e judgment s h a l l c o n t a i n a statenient o f t h e r e a s o n s f o r t h e r e s t r i . c t i o n . " (Emphasis added. ) lJnder t h i s p r o m s i o n , t h e s e n t c n c r n 9 c o u r t "may" impose t h e r e s t r i c t i o n of p a r o l e i n e l i g i b i l i t y , b u t i n so doing, i t r n i ~ s t ( " s h a l l " ) s t a t e reasons f o r t h e r e s t r i c t i o n i n w r i t i n g . W e can no more adopt t h e implic:ation urged by t h e State-- that. f a i l u r e o r r e f u s a l t o d e s i g n a t e p e t i t i o n e r s a s nonda~nqerous o f f e n d e r s constitut.ed a determinat.ion of t h e i r dangerousness-- t h a n w e can imp1 y t h a t fni.Lure t o invoke s e c t i o n 515-2206 ( 3 ) (b) constituted a determsnation t h a t r e s t r l c t l o n s on p e t r t ~ o n e r s " p a r o l e e l i q i b i l i t y were i n a p p r o p r i a t e , S e c t i o n 95-2206.16(1), R.C.M, 1947, now s e c t i o n 46-18-404(li MCA, c l e a r l y provides t h a t t h e s e n t e n c i n g c o u r t " s h a l l " d e s i g n a t e an o f f e n d e r a nondangerous o f f e n d e r i f e i t h e r of t h e c o n d i t i o n s of s u b s e c t i o n ( a ) '"or" (b) are - met. T h i s s t a t u t e governed t h e D i s t r i c t C o u r t ' s conduct i n s e n t e n c i n g p e t i t i o n e r s G r i f a l d o and Vanderbeck. Both G r i f a l d o and Vanderbeck s a t i s f i e d t h e c o n d i t i o n s p e c i f i e d i n su.bsc?ei_io;:i ( a ) , and t h e r e f o r e , t h e s e n t e n c i n g c o u r t s e r r e d i n f a i l i n g t o d e s i g n a t e 'hem as nondanqerous o f f e n d e r s . ?'he c a s e s a r e remanded t o t h e s e n t e n c i n g c o u r t s w i t h d i r e c t i o n s t o d e s i g n a t e t h e p e t i t i o n e r s a s nondanyerous o f f e n d e r s f o r purposes of p a r o l e e l i g i b i l i t y . i,,..' I?e Concur: