Alvarez v. State, Department of Corrections

638 P.2d 804, 1981 Colo. App. LEXIS 903
CourtColorado Court of Appeals
DecidedAugust 13, 1981
Docket80CA1073
StatusPublished
Cited by6 cases

This text of 638 P.2d 804 (Alvarez v. State, Department of Corrections) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Colorado Court of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Alvarez v. State, Department of Corrections, 638 P.2d 804, 1981 Colo. App. LEXIS 903 (Colo. Ct. App. 1981).

Opinions

[806]*806TURSI, Judge.

Plaintiff, Thomas Alvarez, appeals a judgment of the district court dismissing his complaint seeking reversal of his prison disciplinary determination by the Department of Corrections Administrative Adjustment Board. We affirm in part and reverse in part.

In July 1979, Alvarez was an inmate housed in the medium security portion of the Canon City correctional facility. On July 10, 1979, his cell was searched, and following this search he was charged with four violations of the Code of Penal Discipline. On July 12,1979, a hearing was held before the Administrative Adjustment Board and Alvarez was found guilty of three of the four charges. These were possession of dangerous contraband (Class 1), possession of dangerous drugs (Class 2), and possession of drug paraphernalia (Class 2). He was assessed a penalty of forty-nine days punitive segregation, one hundred forty-two days loss of privileges, forty-five days loss of good time and regressive transfer to maximum security. This decision was approved on appeal by the Appeals Committee, and Superintendent of the correctional facility.

On September 7, 1979, Alvarez filed a complaint pursuant to the provisions of C.R. C.P. 106 and the Administrative Procedure Act, § 24-4-106, C.R.S. 1973 (1980 Cum. Supp.). Several hearings were held and on March 17, 1980, the action was dismissed. It is from this judgment that Alvarez appeals.

Alvarez contends that the Code of Penal Discipline Rule III A 1 violates his right to due process because it creates an irrebuttable presumption that knowledgeable possession may be inferred if an object is found on the person or in the cell of an inmate where it is likely that only the inmate could have placed it. This argument is without merit.

The challenged rule permits accused inmates to rebut any presumption of knowledgeable possession by showing possible access by other persons to the place in which the contraband was found. Furthermore, due process is satisfied if the evidence necessary to invoke the inference is sufficient for a rational fact-finder to find the inferred fact beyond a reasonable doubt and if the presumed fact is more likely than not to flow from the proved fact on which it is made to depend. People v. McClendon, 188 Colo. 140, 533 P.2d 923 (1975). That due process standard is met here.

Alvarez’s next contention is that there was not sufficient competent evidence to support the decision of the Board. He bases this argument on the fact that no physical or testimonial evidence was offered by the Board, and it relied solely on Alvarez’s testimony and on the notice of charges containing a summary report which was read into the record. This contention lacks merit.

The summary report provided considerable detail as to the nature and substance of the charges. Alvarez did not contest the allegation that the contraband was found in his cell, and his sole defense during the hearing was that the contraband simply was not his. Upon reviewing the record of the disciplinary proceeding, we find that there was sufficient evidence to support the Board’s findings of guilty on three of the four charges, and we will not substitute our judgment for that of the Board. Board of County Commissioners v. Simmons, 177 Colo. 347, 494 P.2d 85 (1972).

Alvarez also contends that the unbridled discretion given to the Administrative Adjustment Board in assessing penalties is violative of due process as guaranteed by the Colorado Constitution. We agree.

The Code of Penal Discipline of the Colorado Department of Corrections establishes, at all facilities of the Department, a system of prohibitions and sanctions dealing with inmate conduct which causes or threatens to cause harm to self, others or property. The Code requires notice of charges and a hearing before an impartial hearing officer or board with the right to present evidence and request the attendance of witnesses. [807]*807Upon completion of the hearing, the hearing officer, or board by majority vote, determines the inmate’s guilt or innocence and what disciplinary action, if any, should be imposed. The inmate has a right of appeal to the superintendent or director.

The Code of Penal Discipline Rule II C 1 provides in part:

“Any or all of the following sanctions may be imposed at the discretion of the Hearing Officer or Board upon a finding of guilty for a Class I or Class II offense
c. Loss of privileges.
d. Punitive Segregation for up to thirty (30) days.
e. Change in security designation ....
f. Loss of all or any part of accumulated statutory good time . .. . ”

The Code of Penal Discipline in effect at the time of the hearing granted the Board complete discretion in assessing sanctions after a finding of guilt. Class I and II offenses for which these sanctions may be imposed range from murder, manslaughter, and kidnapping to refusal to work, entering into contracts, and verbal abuse.

In speaking of procedural due process our Supreme Court had said that “[a] major concern in reviewing administrative actions is to protect against arbitrary actions by agency personnel.” Elizondo v. State Department of Revenue, 194 Colo. 113, 570 P.2d 518 (1977). See People v. Lepik, Colo., 629 P.2d 1080 (1981). When an administrative decision is left to the unfettered discretion of individual hearing officers or boards, neither those affected by the agency action, the public, nor the courts have any means of knowing in advance what evidence might be considered material to a particular decision. Nor is there any assurance that each hearing officer or board will not, consciously or subconsciously, follow standards quite different from those applied by his/her colleagues, or board counterpart. Elizondo v. State Department of Revenue, supra. Furthermore, penalties imposed on a person must be rationally based upon the variety of evil proscribed and must bear a reasonable relationship to the persons involved and the public purpose sought to be achieved. See People v. Montoya, 196 Colo. 111, 582 P.2d 673 (1978); People v. Colasanti, Colo., 626 P.2d 1136 (1981).

The recently adopted ABA, Standards Relating to the Legal Status of Prisoners § 23-3.1 at 10 (4th Tent. Draft, 1980) suggests that rules for prisoner conduct should include a schedule indicating the maximum and minimum possible punishment for each offense, proportionate to that offense. The Commentary to this Standard states:

“Due process also requires a schedule of penalties.

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Alvarez v. State, Department of Corrections
638 P.2d 804 (Colorado Court of Appeals, 1981)

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638 P.2d 804, 1981 Colo. App. LEXIS 903, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/alvarez-v-state-department-of-corrections-coloctapp-1981.