Barnes v. Pa. Bd. of Prob. & Parole

203 A.3d 382
CourtCommonwealth Court of Pennsylvania
DecidedJanuary 28, 2019
DocketNo. 386 C.D. 2018
StatusPublished
Cited by56 cases

This text of 203 A.3d 382 (Barnes v. Pa. Bd. of Prob. & Parole) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Barnes v. Pa. Bd. of Prob. & Parole, 203 A.3d 382 (Pa. Ct. App. 2019).

Opinion

OPINION BY JUDGE McCULLOUGH

Russell Barnes petitions for review of a March 22, 2018 decision of the Pennsylvania Board of Probation and Parole (Board), which recommitted Barnes as a convicted parole violator (CPV) and recalculated his parole violation maximum sentence date to September 25, 2027.

Background

In 2007, Barnes was found guilty of two counts of aggravated assault, burglary, carrying a firearm without a license, possessing a firearm even though he was not permitted to possess a firearm, criminal mischief, and violation of probation for possession of a controlled substance. (Certified Record (C.R.) at 1.) Barnes was originally sentenced to a term of incarceration of 9 to 19 years. (C.R. at 1-2.) Barnes' maximum sentence date was January 16, 2025, and his minimum sentence date was January 16, 2015. (C.R. at 2.)

On September 22, 2014, the Board granted Barnes parole, on or after January 16, 2015. (C.R. at 6.) On January 16, 2015, two days before Barnes' actual release date of January 18, 2015, Barnes signed a "conditions of parole" form, which advised, in relevant part, as follows: "If you are convicted of a crime committed while on parole/reparole, the Board has the authority, after an appropriate hearing, to recommit you to serve the balance of the sentence which you were serving when paroled/reparoled, with no credit for time at liberty on parole." (C.R. at 12-14.)

While on parole, Barnes was arrested by the Philadelphia Police Department on September 2, 2015. (C.R. at 21.) That same day the Board issued a warrant to commit and detain Barnes. (C.R. at 18.) On September 3, 2015, Barnes was charged with new criminal charges stemming from the September 2, 2015 arrest including, multiple counts of possession with intent to deliver controlled substances (PWID), conspiracy to commit PWID, simple possession of controlled substances, former felon not to possess a firearm, possession of a firearm with an altered serial number, and possession of instruments of a crime. (C.R. at 19, 43, 49-50.) For Barnes' new criminal charges, bail was set at $450,000 or 10% cash bail; however, Barnes did not post bail. (C.R. at 49.) On October 20, 2015, the Board issued a decision to detain Barnes pending the disposition of the new criminal charges. (C.R. at 24.)

After an April 28, 2017 hung jury mistrial, (C.R. at 62), Barnes entered a negotiated guilty plea on May 25, 2017, to one count of PWID and was sentenced to one to two years at a state correctional institution, with the sentence to "run concurrent with any other sentence" Barnes was serving, to be followed by three years of probation. (C.R. at 34-35.) On May 31, 2017, Barnes was physically returned to the Department of Corrections' (Department) custody, pending resolution of his status as a CPV. (Supplemental Certified Record (S.C.R.) at 7a.)

*385The Board provided Barnes with a notice of charges and hearing regarding the revocation of his parole for having a new criminal conviction. (C.R. at 38.) On September 27, 2017, the Board conducted a parole revocation hearing. (C.R. at 26.) On September 27, 2017, the Board voted to recommit Barnes as a CPV to serve 30 months of backtime with no credit for the time spent at liberty on parole. (C.R. at 26-33.) In its hearing report, the Board noted the presumptive range for the new conviction, as follows: "PWID (Heroin)/F[elony]: 24-36 M[onths]." (C.R. at 28.) The Board issued a decision on October 6, 2017, which was mailed on October 17, 2017, recommitting Barnes "to a state correctional institution as a [CPV] to serve 30 months of backtime" for the PWID offense. (C.R. at 87-88.) The same Board decision set Barnes' eligibility for reparole at March 26, 2020. Id. As a result of his recommitment as a CPV, Barnes' maximum sentence date was recalculated to September 25, 2027. (C.R. at 89.)

Barnes submitted an administrative remedies form to the Board on November 13, 2017, challenging the timeliness of the parole revocation hearing; the authority of the Board to recalculate and the accuracy of the recalculation of the new CPV maximum sentence; the 30-month term of backtime recommitment; the Board's failure to articulate its basis for not granting him credit for the time he spent at liberty on parole; and the lack of acknowledgement by the Board of the terms of Barnes' negotiated guilty plea, which stated that Barnes' new sentence would run concurrently with any other sentences. (C.R. at 107-112.) Thereafter, by decision dated February 20, 2018, and mailed February 23, 2018, the Board notified Barnes that he was not awarded credit for the time spent at liberty on parole because he had received a new conviction that was the same/similar to his original offense and for "early failure, [eight] months on the street." (C.R. at 99.)

On March 22, 2018, the Board mailed its response to Barnes' administrative appeal, affirming its decision. (C.R. at 113.) The Board explained that its parole revocation hearing had been timely because Barnes was returned to the Department's custody on May 31, 2017, and a hearing was held within 120 days on September 27, 2017. (Board Decision at 1.) The Board also explained that the 30-month backtime imposed on Barnes was within the presumptive range for a PWID-Heroin conviction. Id. The Board determined that the decision on whether to grant or deny a CPV credit for time at liberty on parole was purely a matter of discretion and that the Board had adequately articulated a reason for denying credit, i.e. , that Barnes' new conviction was similar to his original offense and he had an early failure on supervision. (Board Decision at 2.)

The Board also explained its calculation of Barnes' backtime. The Board noted that when Barnes was paroled on January 18, 2015, he had a maximum sentence date of January 16, 2025, meaning he had 3,651 total days remaining on his sentence. Id. The Board explained that it awarded Barnes one day of credit for September 2, 2015, after he was detained following his new criminal charges, pursuant to the Board's warrant. Id. Since Barnes never posted bail for the new charges and was, therefore, not incarcerated solely because of the Board's detainer during the period from September 3, 2015, until September 27, 2017, the Board did not award him credit for the same. Id. The Board also concluded that Barnes had not been eligible to commence service of his original sentence until September 27, 2017, the date when the Board voted to recommit him as a parole violator. Id. After subtracting the one day of credit that it awarded *386Barnes, the Board held that Barnes had 3,650 days remaining on his original sentence. Id.

Discussion

On appeal,1

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Bluebook (online)
203 A.3d 382, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/barnes-v-pa-bd-of-prob-parole-pacommwct-2019.