Opinion ID: 1922750
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Does the special review board have the power to order or recommend the forfeiture of petitioner's good time?

Text: Sec. 959.15(10), Stats. 1967, provides: PAROLE. Any person committed as provided in this section may be paroled if it appears to the satisfaction of the department after recommendation by a special review board, appointed by the department (a majority of whose members shall not be connected with the department) that he is capable of making an acceptable adjustment in society. . . . The precise question raised is whether in addition to recommending parole this statute authorizes the special review board to direct the forfeiture of a sex deviate's good time when his parole is revoked. In order to determine the scope of the special review board's powers, we begin with a basic statement of law: [A]dministrative agencies have only such powers as are expressly granted to them or necessarily implied and any power sought to be exercised must be found within the four corners of the statute under which the agency proceeds. [7] The controversy between the parties boils down to what is an implied power under the review board's statute. Is the power to recommend forfeiture of good time implied under the four corners of the statute? This court has not had the occasion to determine the scope of an administrative agency's implied power under a statute. The rule in other jurisdictions is that `. . . a power which is not expressed must be reasonably implied from the express terms of the statute; or, as otherwise stated, it must be such as is by fair implication and intendment incident to and included in the authority expressly conferred.' [8] Consistent with this rule is the proposition that any reasonable doubt of the existence of an implied power of an administrative body should be resolved against the exercise of such authority. [9] The only express power granted the special review board is to recommend to the department that a sex deviate is capable of making an acceptable adjustment in society. [10] In carrying out this express power the special review board has the implied power to hold hearings and make investigations to determine whether or not to make the recommendation to the department. These are implied powers under the express statutory grant. The power to recommend forfeiture of good time is not incident to and included in the authority to recommend parole. The functions are separate. They are separate in the parole statute, [11] they are separate in the department's parole board manual of procedures and practice. [12] We conclude that neither expressly nor by implication is the power to recommend forfeiture of good time given to the review board. Its actions in making such recommendations are not merely erroneous, they are void ab initio. [13]