Opinion ID: 779130
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Prohibition against associating with Mr. Henry.

Text: 20 For the reasons described above, it is arguable that Mr. Sines also waived his right to challenge the modification to his conditions of supervised release which prohibits contact with Mr. Henry. The government, however, makes no claim of waiver on this ground, and therefore we do not find it necessary to determine whether, by agreeing not to appeal or challenge his sentence, Mr. Sines also agreed not to challenge any modification of that sentence. Instead, after reviewing the merits of the claim, we find that the district court did not abuse its discretion in modifying the conditions of Mr. Sines' supervised release to prohibit him from associating with William Henry. 21 A district court may modify, reduce, or enlarge the conditions of supervised release, at any time prior to the expiration or termination of the term of supervised release, pursuant to the provisions of the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure relating to the modification of probation and the provisions applicable to the initial setting of the terms and conditions of post-release supervision. 18 U.S.C. § 3583(e)(2). Section 3583(e) instructs, therefore, that just as a district court has wide discretion when imposing the terms of supervised release ( United States v. Guy, 174 F.3d 859, 861 (7th Cir. 1999)) so too must it have wide discretion in modifying the terms of that supervised release. Consequently, we review a district court's imposition of a special condition of supervised release for an abuse of discretion. United States v. Monteiro, 270 F.3d 465, 469 (7th Cir.2001) (reviewing initial imposition of supervised release). 22 Mr. Sines objects to the prohibition of contact with Mr. Henry on the grounds that the order: (1) exceeds the authority of the sentencing judge; (2) illegally imposes on Mr. Sines' freedom to associate; (3) subjects him to double jeopardy in violation of the Fifth Amendment; (4) is unnecessarily discriminatory. 23 In determining whether to modify the terms of supervised release, the district court must consider most of the same factors it considers in imposing a term of supervised release. 18 U.S.C. § 3583(e). Specifically, the district court must ensure that the particular condition: 24 (1) is reasonably related to specified sentencing factors, namely the nature and circumstances of the offense and the history and characteristics of the defendant; 25 (2) is reasonably related to the need to afford adequate deterrence, to protect the public from further crimes of the defendant, and to provide the defendant with needed educational or vocational training, medical care, or other correctional treatment in the most effective manner; 4 26 (3) involves no greater deprivation of liberty than is reasonably necessary to achieve these goals; and 27 (4) is consistent with any pertinent policy statements issued by the Sentencing Commission. 28 Monteiro, 270 F.3d at 468-69 (citing United States v. Schave, 186 F.3d 839, 841 (7th Cir.1999); 18 U.S.C. §§ 3583(d), 3553(a)(1), (a)(2)(B)(D); U.S. Sentencing Guidelines Manual § 5D1.3(b)). 29 In this case the district judge determined that the defendant's association with Mr. Henry would jeopardize his ability to comply with other conditions of his supervised release and would create an atmosphere ripe with potential for more criminal activity. Despite the fact that Mr. Henry was convicted of a misdemeanor and not a felony, his crime was directly related to Mr. Sines' — that is, the pornographic videotape that Mr. Henry illegally possessed depicted Mr. Sines engaged in sexual activities with a minor. Although the district court did not articulate each of the factors it considered when amending the terms of the supervised release, the court was within its discretion in modifying the terms to include a prohibition against contact with Mr. Henry. 30 The prohibition against contact with Mr. Henry was not imposed as punishment for his previous crime involving sexual exploitation of a child, but rather was based on the district court's assessment — after considering the history and characteristics of the defendant pursuant to 18 U.S.C. §§ 3583(e), 3553(a)(1) — that the condition would help to deter Mr. Sines from further criminal conduct and protect the public from further crimes. See, e.g., Peterson, 248 F.3d at 84-85 (upholding condition of supervised release requiring sex offender counseling after conviction for bank larceny, where defendant had prior conviction for sexually abusing his disabled daughter); United States v. Wesley, 81 F.3d 482, 484 (4th Cir.1996) (ordering defendant to abstain from alcohol while on supervised release for embezzlement conviction based on defendant's past convictions involving alcohol-related offenses). Because it was within the court's discretion to impose the restriction as a condition of Mr. Sines' supervised release for the current violation, the court was not imposing further punishment for the previous crime in violation of the Fifth Amendment. 31 Mr. Sines argues that the modification which prohibits him from having contact with Mr. Henry infringes upon his freedom of association. Although it is true that persons on supervised release, like prisoners, do not relinquish all constitutional rights, ( Wolff v. McDonnell, 418 U.S. 539, 555, 94 S.Ct. 2963, 41 L.Ed.2d 935 (1974)) those rights are not unfettered. Schave, 186 F.3d at 844. A court may impose conditions of supervised release which implicate fundamental rights so long as those conditions are reasonably related to the ends of rehabilitation and protection of the public from recidivism. Id. at 843. Several courts, including this court, have upheld conditions of supervised release which impose on defendants' rights to freely associate with others. See, e.g., id. at 844 (restriction on defendant's association with white supremacist groups or organizations which pursue their aims through violent means); United States v. Showalter, 933 F.2d 573, 575-76 (7th Cir.1991) (prohibition on associating with other skin-heads and neo-Nazis); United States v. Crandon, 173 F.3d 122, 127-28 (3d Cir. 1999) (prohibition on accessing internet); Bee, 162 F.3d at 1235-36 (prohibition on association with minors); United States v. Bortels, 962 F.2d 558, 559-60 (6th Cir. 1992) (prohibition on contact with anyone convicted of a felony, including defendant's fiancé); Malone v. United States, 502 F.2d 554, 556-57 (9th Cir.1974) (prohibition against participating in or belonging to any American Irish Republican movement, any Irish or Irish Catholic organizations; prohibition against visiting Irish pubs or accepting employment that would associate defendant with Irish organizations). 32 Certainly a court must consider infringement on freedom of association more scrupulously when the infringement threatens to impose on a relationship that involves a deep attachment with an individual who shares in the personal aspects of one's life. See Roberts v. United States Jaycees, 468 U.S. 609, 619-20, 104 S.Ct. 3244, 82 L.Ed.2d 462 (1984). Although Mr. Sines now claims that Mr. Henry is such a person, the record is devoid of any appreciable evidence of this type of relationship. Because Mr. Sines has failed to put forth any record evidence of his relationship with Mr. Henry, his claim that the order discriminates against him on the basis of sexual orientation is likewise without merit.