Opinion ID: 2166984
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Hood

Text: On August 14, 1991, Wayne Hood was convicted of theft by the Circuit Court for Somerset County and was sentenced to eight years imprisonment, with all but four years suspended. The sentence commenced on August 11, 1991, and Hood was paroled on February 3, 1993. On December 22, 1993, Hood was again convicted of theft by the Circuit Court for Wicomico County and was sentenced to four years imprisonment, to begin on July 16, 1993. The December 1993 conviction constituted a violation of Hood's parole for the August 1991 sentence. Thus, on February 10, 1994, Hood appeared before the MPC for a hearing at which the MPC revoked Hood's parole pursuant to Art. 41, § 4-612(c). The MPC granted Hood street-time credits, however, for the period from February 3, 1993 to July 16, 1993, pursuant to Art. 41, § 511(d). On February 28, 1994, Hood was convicted of possession of a controlled dangerous substance and sentenced to nine months. On August 31, 1994, Hood appeared before the Circuit Court for Somerset County for a hearing on his violation of probation. At this time, the court reimposed the four years that were suspended in 1991 in conjunction with Hood's original theft conviction, to run consecutively to any of Hood's other sentences. As a result of Hood's new sentences, the Division calculated Hood's new maximum expiration date as July 16, 2001, and it determined that Hood was entitled to five days of good-conduct credits per month until that date, a total of 569 credits. On May 18, 1995, Hood filed a grievance in the IGO arguing that the Division incorrectly calculated the number of good-conduct credits Hood was due. Hood argued that, pursuant to § 700, he was entitled to ten days of good-conduct credits per month on the sentence for the December 1993 theft conviction because the conviction occurred after Art. 27, § 700 was amended. The matter was referred to the Office of Administrative Hearings, and there was a hearing before an ALJ on August 16, 1995. On August 29, 1995, the ALJ determined that the grievance was without merit. Hood sought judicial review in the Circuit Court for Somerset County which affirmed the decision of the ALJ on August 22, 1996. Hood then appealed to the Court of Special Appeals, which, in an unreported per curiam opinion filed on October 30, 1996, reversed the decision of the circuit court. The Court of Special Appeals held that, as to Hood's sentences imposed after October 1, 1992, Hood was entitled to good-conduct credit at the rate of ten days per month. The court remanded the case to the circuit court with instructions to reverse and remand the decision of the Secretary for further proceedings consistent with its opinion. The Secretary filed a petition for writ of certiorari, and this Court granted certiorari on February 14, 1997.