Opinion ID: 552091
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Claims Relating to Procedural Changes

Text: 6 The district court found that the following challenges raised by the petitioner only represented changes in procedure: the revocation of a prisoner's right to waive parole interviews; the increase in membership of the prison review board; the notice to the prosecuting state's attorney and to the victim or victims of prisoner's parole hearing; the limitation on the award of meritorious good time (not to exceed three months); the repeal of compensatory goodtime; the rule directing that the Department of Corrections pay for only three first class letters a week for each prisoner; the rule dictating that prisoners no longer receive interest on trust accounts; the charge for copying of documents; the requirement that prisoners account for clothes and bed clothes; the requirement that prisoners carry identification; and the mandatory testing and quarantining of prisoners for communicable diseases. 7 With the exception of the good time credit change, we agree with the district court that these claims do not trigger the protection of the ex post facto clause. Even though these changes may work to the petitioner's detriment as alleged, a procedural change is not ex post facto. Dobbert, 432 U.S. at 292. The changes in the law do not criminalize previously innocent acts, aggravate the punishment for a prior crime, increase the punishment for a prior crime, or change the amount of proof necessary to convict. Id. (citing Hopt v. Utah, 110 U.S. 574 (1884)). Thus, the district court correctly concluded, that most of the challenged laws were procedural changes and did not violate the prohibition against ex post facto.