Opinion ID: 3014592
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Commutation of Thomas’s Life Sentence (1995)

Text: Thomas, now 75 years old, has been incarcerated for 39 years in a Pennsylvania penitentiary for his conviction in 1969 of the first-degree murder of twelve-year-old Edith Connor.1 He was sentenced to life imprisonment, ineligible for parole under Pennsylvania laws. Despite his conviction, he has consistently maintained his innocence since his incarceration. In 1993 Thomas first applied to the Pardons Board for a commutation of his life sentence. In 1994 the Pardons Board unanimously recommended the commutation to the Governor. The Pardons Board noted 1. Thomas was arrested on October 15, 1964, and charged with the murder of Connor on September 19, 1964. His initial trial resulted in a conviction on first-degree murder charges. That conviction was vacated in 1967 upon discovery that the Commonwealth’s lead witness, a technician who matched fibers and debris from Thomas’s shoe repair shop to those found on the girl’s body, had falsified her credentials and perjured herself in another case. Mickens-Thomas I, at 376 n.3. He was again convicted in 1969 for first-degree murder based entirely on the testimony of Dr. Edward J. Burke, the then director of the Pennsylvania Police Department Laboratory, who corroborated the discredited technician’s testimony and vouched for the correctness of her testimony. Id.; Commonwealth v. Thomas, 202 A.2d 352, 354 (Pa. 1972). 4 Thomas’s attainment of a college degree, his participation in Alcoholics Anonymous, his participation in sex offender therapy, the support of the Pennsylvania Corrections Department, the long length of time served, the numerous recommendations from scholars, religious and community leaders, and his overall maturity and stability. MickensThomas I, at 377. On January 14, 1995, Governor Robert Casey granted commutation, commuting Thomas’s life sentence to a term of “31 years, 9 months, 6 days to life,” making him eligible for release on parole on July 21, 1996. B. Parole Board’s Initial Refusal to Consider Thomas’s Parole Application (1996) The Board initially refused to consider Thomas’s parole application filed on July 22, 1996, one day after he became eligible for parole, by relying on a newly enacted statute, 61 Pa. Stat. Ann. § 331.34a (West 1995), which made an applicant in Thomas’s situation ineligible for parole without having served a year in a pre-release center. MickensThomas I, at 380; Mickens-Thomas, 217 F. Supp. 2d at 574. On November 26, 1996, Thomas filed a mandamus action to challenge the Board’s refusal to consider his parole application with the Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania. Mickens-Thomas v. Commonwealth, Board of Probation & Parole, 699 A.2d 792 (Pa. Commw. Ct. 1997). The Board conceded in that action that the new statute could not be retroactively applied to Thomas’s application. The state court reversed the Board’s determination of parole ineligibility and ordered the Board to accept and consider Thomas’s parole application within 10 days of the court’s order. The court, however, denied Thomas’s request for an order compelling the Board to release him on parole. Because every effort by Thomas to obtain favorable parole action from the Board encountered its utmost resistance, it is reasonable to infer that Thomas’s successful appeals to the Commonwealth Court incurred the ire of the Board. C. Board’s First Denial of Thomas’s Parole Application (1997) Pursuant to the Commonwealth Court’s order, the Board considered Thomas’s parole application on August 21, 1997, but summarily denied it. The Board denied the 5 application even though its Guidelines recommended his release on parole and all voting Department of Corrections institutional staff, including the prison counselor and housing officer, recommended his release. Mickens-Thomas I, at 380-81. In its decision, the Board urged Thomas to secure the following before his next scheduled parole application review in 1998: investigation of a home plan; the availability of out-patient sex offender treatment; participation in a program plan prescribed by Department of Corrections officials; maintenance of a good conduct record; a continuing institutional recommendation for parole; and an evaluation by mental health professionals experienced with sex offenders. Id. “The Board made these recommendations in spite of Thomas’s apparent compliance with all of the Board’s suggestions prior to the hearing.” Id. D. Board’s Second Denial of Thomas’s Parole Application (1998) Before the Board considered Thomas’s second parole application in March 1998, he had complied with all of the Board’s suggested requirements stated in its 1997 decision. He maintained the positive recommendation of corrections authorities, who once more unanimously recommended his release and noted that he was in compliance with treatment programs. The prison counselor, corrections officer, and psychologist all endorsed his release. He continued to participate in a sex offender therapy program along with an Alcoholics Anonymous program. Post-release support networks were in place. Once again, the Guidelines relied on by the Board assigned Thomas a risk-assessment score that favored release. Mickens-Thomas I, at 381-82. Despite his compliance with essentially all of the Board’s conditions, the Board again summarily denied parole in March 1998. In this second denial of Thomas’s parole application, the Board again advised Thomas to seek counseling and treatment, participate in prescribed programming, maintain a clean record, and obtain institutional recommendation for purposes of his next scheduled parole application. Unlike the 1997 decision, the 1998 decision recommended no specific sex offender treatment. Moreover, despite the comment that Thomas needed “counseling and treatment,” psychiatric and 6 psychological evaluations did not contraindicate his release. Id. at 382. E. Board’s Third Denial of Thomas’s Parole Application (2000) Before the Board considered his next scheduled parole application, Thomas filed the underlying federal habeas action in December 1999. Shortly thereafter, the Board denied Thomas’s parole application in March 2000 for the third time. The Board gave as its reason the cryptic statement that it “[had] determined that the mandates to protect the safety of the public and to assist in the fair administration of justice cannot be achieved through [his] release on parole.” Mickens-Thomas I, at 382. The Board denied parole once again, even though all voting members of the Department of Corrections institutional staff, including Thomas’s counselor and work supervisor, unanimously recommended his parole. Again, he demonstrated a continued record of good conduct in prison and participation in sex offender therapy and all other programs prescribed by the Department of Corrections. Id. Despite all the recommendations and Thomas’s continuous record of good conduct, the Board once again advised him to maintain his Department of Corrections recommendation as a precondition for consideration at the next scheduled parole hearing in 2002. New to this third denial was the Board’s classification of Thomas on the Guidelines form as a “habitual substance abuser.” This increased his risk score by 2 and placed him for the first time in an unfavorable category for release.2 Id. at 383. The Board made the classification for the first time based on Thomas’s alcohol abuse prior to his conviction almost 40 years ago. The Board assigned this classification although Thomas had not abused alcohol throughout his incarceration and had consistently participated in Alcoholics Anonymous. Id. We questioned “why, if past alcohol abuse over forty years ago was a relevant factor, it had not been considered on his two prior Guidelines 2. Our earlier opinion stated that the classification of “habitual substance abuser” increased Thomas’s risk score by 3. The number should have been 2. 7 evaluations.” Id. Also new to this third denial was the increased risk score of 2, instead of 1, for the category of “victim injury” as a result of a modification of the Guidelines. Because of these new and modified risk factors, the Guidelines-based tally of risk scores for the first time counseled against granting parole despite Thomas’s record of continued good behavior and the unanimous support for his parole from the Department of Corrections institutional staff, including his counselor and work supervisor.