B.M. Thompson v. PBPP

CourtCommonwealth Court of Pennsylvania
DecidedApril 17, 2018
Docket606 C.D. 2017
StatusUnpublished

This text of B.M. Thompson v. PBPP (B.M. Thompson v. PBPP) 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
B.M. Thompson v. PBPP, (Pa. Ct. App. 2018).

Opinion

IN THE COMMONWEALTH COURT OF PENNSYLVANIA

Brian M. Thompson, : Petitioner : : v. : : Pennsylvania Board of : Probation and Parole, : No. 606 C.D. 2017 Respondent : Submitted: February 16, 2018

BEFORE: HONORABLE ROBERT SIMPSON, Judge HONORABLE CHRISTINE FIZZANO CANNON, Judge HONORABLE BONNIE BRIGANCE LEADBETTER, Senior Judge

OPINION NOT REPORTED

MEMORANDUM OPINION BY JUDGE FIZZANO CANNON FILED: April 17, 2018

Brian M. Thompson (Thompson) petitions for review of the Pennsylvania Board of Probation and Parole’s (Board) decision not to revise Thompson’s maximum sentence date to credit him with the time he spent in four inpatient drug and alcohol treatment programs while on parole. Thompson contends that the Board erred by failing to credit him with the time he spent in these programs because he was sufficiently restrained to be considered in custody. Because Thompson failed to meet his burden to prove that the restrictions imposed on him during treatment were equivalent to the restrictions imposed on him during incarceration, we affirm. I. Background

On April 11, 2002, Thompson was sentenced to a term of 5 years to 15 years for burglary. Certified Record (C.R.) at 9. Thompson’s minimum and maximum dates for this sentence were August 3, 2006 and August 3, 2016, respectively. Id. From October 10, 2007 through November 20, 2014, Thompson had been released on parole, recommitted as a technical parole violator, and then re- paroled from several state correctional institutions on at least six occasions. Each time the Board released Thompson on parole, the Board subjected Thompson’s release to special conditions, including, in pertinent part, the condition that Thompson receive evaluations and treatment for his drug abuse.1 C.R. at 12, 54, 74, 77, 97, 113 & 142. Thompson, while on parole, attended four inpatient drug and alcohol treatment programs as follows: (1) Conewago Place (Hummelstown) from November 12, 2007 to March 8, 2008 and from May 8, 2008 to May 13, 2008; (2) Keenan House from August 3, 2009 to November 5, 2009; (3) Conewago Place (Pottsville) from September 26, 2011 to December 5, 2011; and (4) Gaudenzia Siena House (Gaudenzia) from July 11, 2013 to October 10, 2013 and from November 21, 2014 to January 16, 2015. Notice of Board Decision Recorded October 3, 2016 and mailed October 4, 2016, Findings of Fact (F.F.) 1A, 2A, 3A & 4A. After discharge from Gaudenzia, on February 27, 2015, the West Manchester Township Police Department arrested Thompson and charged him with retail theft. C.R. at 144-47. Thompson pled guilty and received a sentence of one to two years’ incarceration. DC16E-Sentence Status Summary at 2, C.R. at 1-2. The Board, by decision recorded October 22, 2015 and mailed November 4, 2015,

1 Thompson violated his parole on several occasions, in part, due to heroin, cocaine and alcohol use.

2 recommitted Thompson as a convicted parole violator and recalculated Thompson’s maximum sentence date to January 16, 2020. C.R. at 196-97. The Board did not grant Thompson any credit for time he spent at the four inpatient programs. C.R. at 198. Thompson challenged the Board’s decision not to credit him with time spent in treatment asserting that he was in custody, rather than at liberty on parole, given the restrictive nature of the programs. The Board conducted an evidentiary hearing to ascertain whether Thompson was entitled to credit for the time spent at these programs. At the Board hearing, Thompson and directors from the programs testified regarding the conditions at the facilities during Thompson’s stays.

A. Conewago Place (Hummelstown)

Thompson testified that during intake at Conewago Place (Hummelstown), the staff searched his person and property. Evidentiary Hearing, June 30, 2016, Supplemental Certified Record (S.C.R.) at 26A-27A. The staff explained to Thompson, during intake, that Thompson had to follow the rules and regulations of the program or face an unsuccessful discharge. Id. Thompson testified that, within the facility, the doors connecting the residents’ rooms were screwed shut and some of the doors were alarmed.2 Id. He also testified that the windows in the residents’ sleeping quarters were screwed shut. Id. at 27A. While at Conewago Place (Hummelstown), Thompson never left the “property for anything.” Id. at 28A. Thompson asserted that “it was made clear, we

2 Thompson explained that the doors from each room to the outside were screwed shut because the facility used to be an “old hotel or something. So each room had a door that at one point was accessible to the outside.” S.C.R. at 27A-28A. However, the remaining doors at the facility were alarmed. Id.

3 were not allowed to leave the building without a staff escort.” Id. Thompson further explained that if he needed a personal item, such as socks or deodorant, he provided the staff with a list to purchase the items for him. Id. Thompson never left the facility for a doctor’s appointment because the facility had a doctor that came into the facility to provide treatment. Id. As a result, Thompson never left “for any personal business whatsoever.” Id. On cross-examination, Thompson acknowledged that, unlike his time in prison, the staff at Conewago Place (Hummelstown) did not strip search him before entering the program,3 the staff was not armed, and the staff did not shadow or handcuff him while he was there. Id. at 30A-32A. Thompson admitted that he was not locked in a prison cell while staying at Conewago Place (Hummelstown), the facility did not have a razor wire surrounding it, and there were no prison guards stationed there. Id. at 31A. Thompson admitted that if he left the facility, the staff would contact his parole agents and police; he would be charged with a technical parole violation rather than escape. Id at 32A.4

3 Thompson stated that at prison, prior to entering, he was strip-searched and had to turn in all of his clothing and personal belongings. S.C.R. at 30A. On direct-examination, Thompson testified that the facility did a “pat search” on him and that he could keep certain items such as clothing. Id. at 26A.

4 The facility director of Conewago Place (Hummelstown) also testified; however, on cross-examination, she admitted that she was not employed at the facility in 2007 when Thompson resided at the program. S.C.R. at 36A. Upon review of the Board’s findings, Thompson’s testimony supported its findings regarding his time at Conewago Place (Hummelstown). Thus, a review of the facility director’s testimony is not necessary. 4 B. Keenan House

Thompson testified that upon arrival at the Keenan House, the staff searched his person and property. S.C.R. at 11A. Thompson explained that the facility is a three-story building. Id. at 13A. The front door on the first floor has a buzzer to buzz residents, including Thompson, in and out of the building. Id. The facility has doors with alarms on them; if Thompson opened the front door from inside the building, an alarm would sound. Id. Thompson witnessed two people exit through the doors; one of those individuals was charged with sudden false alarm. Id. Thompson left the facility roughly 8 to 10 times during his treatment for various reasons, including to sign up for benefits at the Veterans Administration and to do community service. Id. at 14A-16A. When Thompson left the facility, senior peer members, who were residents that had been in treatment for a longer period of time, escorted him. Id. The admissions director of the facility, Diane Hopkins, also testified. Ms. Hopkins explained that all the doors to the facility were locked from the outside to prevent individuals from entering. Id. at 18A. Because the doors are locked from the outside, any resident could leave the facility at any time of his or her own free will. Id.

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Bluebook (online)
B.M. Thompson v. PBPP, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/bm-thompson-v-pbpp-pacommwct-2018.