Opinion ID: 1613303
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: whether the board of pardons and paroles had authority to reduce williams' good time credits.

Text: When Williams was convicted and sentenced the Board of Pardons and Paroles had no explicit statutory authority to reduce a parolee's good time credits because of a parole violation. In 1983, SDCL 24-15-24 was amended to provide that if the Board determined a parole violation had occurred, the board is authorized to order the reduction of time in full or in part for good conduct granted under § 24-5-1. Williams was paroled in 1984. As a condition of his parole he signed a parole agreement in which he acknowledged that if he violated parole his good time credits could be revoked. Williams was found to have violated his parole and all six years of his good time credit were revoked. Williams argues that the Board had no authority to revoke his good time credits absent the 1983 amendment of the statute. He argues that application of the statute was ex post facto. The 1983 statute authorized the Board to reduce an inmate's good time credits for parole violations. This 1983 statute was enacted and in effect when Williams was paroled in 1984. Moreover, Williams agreed in 1984 that the Board of Pardons and Paroles could revoke his good time credit if he violated parole. Again, there was no retrospective application of the 1983 statute. We affirm the decision of the circuit court. WUEST and SABERS, JJ., concur. HENDERSON and AMUNDSON, JJ., dissent.