Opinion ID: 186598
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Thaddeus Fletcher — Reparole

Text: 17 Fletcher is serving a sentence imposed by the District of Columbia Superior Court. He was convicted of rape in 1980, and sentenced to a term of 12 to 36 years in prison. Fletcher v. Reilly, CA No. 01-2058, 2003 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 26412, at  (D.D.C. Nov. 24, 2003). The D.C. Board released Fletcher on parole in 1990 but revoked that parole in 1998. Id. at -2. Although the Board's paroling and reparoling authority over eligible District of Columbia prisoners had already passed to the U.S. Parole Commission, the Board retained jurisdiction to supervise parolees until August 5, 2000. Reparole Amendment, 66 Fed.Reg. at 37,136. In October of 1998, the Board revoked Fletcher's parole and ordered that a reparole hearing would be conducted by August 2000. Fletcher, 2003 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 26412, at . The most important ground supporting the Board's revocation order was Fletcher's Maryland conviction. See U.S. Parole Commission's Opposition to Petition for Habeas Corpus, Exhibits G & H, Fletcher v. Reilly, CA No. 01-2058 (D.D.C. Nov. 24, 2003). 18 When Fletcher's reparole hearing was held in November 2000, the Commission had assumed all of the responsibilities of the D.C. Board of Parole. See Reparole Amendment, 66 Fed.Reg. at 37,136. In considering Fletcher's case, the Commission applied the federal reparole regulations, as amended in August 2000. After determining that Fletcher's salient factor score was five and the severity of his offense fell into Category Eight, the Commission set a presumptive parole date of October 29, 2010. Fletcher, 2003 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 26412, at -3; U.S. Parole Commission's Opposition to Petition for Habeas Corpus, Exhibits I & J (Ex. I & Ex. J), Fletcher v. Reilly, CA No. 01-2058 (D.D.C. Nov. 24, 2003). 19 Neither the salient factor score nor the offense severity category takes into account Fletcher's post-incarceration behavior. See 28 C.F.R. §§ 2.81, 2.21, 2.20 (2001). The Commission acknowledged that Fletcher had received a B.A. in Urban Studies from the University of the District of Columbia and that he was working as a clerk in the Metro Shop and a supervisor in the Fabric Industry. However, neither of these rehabilitative accomplishments, nor Fletcher's completion of various life-skills and psychological programs, were formally weighed by the Commission in its reparole decision. See Ex. I, supra, at 3-4; Ex. J, supra, at 1. In other words, Fletcher's post-incarceration behavior did not factor into the assessment of either his reparole eligibility — i.e., the earliest date an inmate may be considered for reparole — or his reparole suitability — i.e., whether the inmate is in fact a good candidate for release. As noted above, the reparole regulations have been amended since Fletcher's reparole hearing in 2000. See 28 C.F.R. § 2.81 (2005). The new changes, however, do not affect Fletcher's claim in any material way.