Opinion ID: 1129523
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: loss of earned credits

Text: We held in Prock, supra, there is no infringement of due-process liberty interest when a prisoner is denied the privilege of receiving good-time credits while in administrative segregation because neither Oklahoma statutory law nor state regulation created a liberty interest in such circumstances. However, the factual situation in the instant case is different in that Mitchell argues he has a state created liberty interest in earned credits lost due to his disciplinary action rather than merely an opportunity to earn credits. We find his argument persuasive. Credit for good conduct is a matter of statutory right under 57 O.S.Supp. 1984 § 138, which provides in pertinent part: A. Except as provided in subsection B of this section and in Section 224 of Title 57 of the Oklahoma Statutes, every inmate of a state correctional institution who satisfactorily engages in work or attends school, approved or provided by the Department shall have one (1) day deducted from the term of imprisonment for each day that he engaged in the activity. Section 138 specifically prescribes the conditions which must be met for the loss of earned credits: Earned credits may be subtracted from the total credits accumulated by an inmate, upon recommendation of the institution's disciplinary committee, following due process, and upon approval of the warden or superintendent. (emphasis added). There is no room for construction or provision for further inquiry when the Legislature plainly expresses its intent. Hughes Drilling Co. v. Morgan, 648 P.2d 32, 35 (Okla. 1982). We thus find Mitchell has a state created liberty interest in earned credits and is entitled to due-process protection. In Prock supra, we observed both the federal and the state Due Process Clauses require that prisoners with claims to interests or expectations of a constitutionally protected nature be afforded access to courts. Accordingly, with respect to Mitchell's claim of loss of earned credits the trial court erred in declining to assume jurisdiction. Therefore, the trial court is reversed and the case remanded to determine whether or not Mitchell's state-created liberty interest in earned credits was arbitrarily abrogated. Although § 138 requires due process to be followed it does not delineate what process is due in the forfeiture of earned credits. In Wolff v. McDonnell, 418 U.S. 539, 94 S.Ct. 2963, 41 L.Ed.2d 935 (1974), the United States Supreme Court articulated the minimum requirements of procedural due process appropriate in prison disciplinary proceedings involving the revocation of a state created liberty interest in good-time credits. It noted the full panoply of rights due a defendant in a criminal prosecution does not apply to prison disciplinary proceedings. Wolff requires in the context of state prison disciplinary proceedings that the inmate must be afforded: (1) advance written notice of the claimed violation; (2) a written statement by the factfinder as to the evidence relied on and the reasons for the disciplinary action; and (3) the right to call witnesses and present documentary evidence in his defense when permitting him to do so would not be unduly hazardous to institutional safety or correctional goals. 418 U.S. at 563-567, 94 S.Ct. at 2978-2980. It viewed these procedures as representing a reasonable accommodation between the interests of the inmates and the needs of the institution. In Superintendent v. Hill, 472 U.S. 445, 105 S.Ct. 2768, 86 L.Ed.2d 356 (1985), the Court subsequently held that revocation of good time does not comport with the minimum requirements of procedural due process unless the findings of the prison disciplinary board are supported by some evidence in the record. Upon remand the district court must accordingly review the record and determine whether Mitchell's prison disciplinary proceeding which resulted in the loss of earned credits met these minimum due process requirements set forth in Wolff and Hill to insure that his state created liberty interest was not arbitrarily abrogated.