Gibson v. Cummings

78 P.3d 1174, 31 Kan. App. 2d 957, 2003 WL 21947300, 2003 Kan. App. LEXIS 975
CourtCourt of Appeals of Kansas
DecidedAugust 8, 2003
DocketNo. 90,038
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 78 P.3d 1174 (Gibson v. Cummings) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Kansas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Gibson v. Cummings, 78 P.3d 1174, 31 Kan. App. 2d 957, 2003 WL 21947300, 2003 Kan. App. LEXIS 975 (kanctapp 2003).

Opinion

Green, J.:

Robert Gibson was convicted of two separate felonies. His two sentences were aggregated for a controlling prison term of 6 to 20 years with a sentence begins date of September 4, 1990. Gibson received good time credits of 10 years and reached his conditional release date on September 4, 2000. Gibson later had his conditional release revoked. Gibson maintained that once his conditional release date had been met, the good time credits he had earned merged with the time served and thus satisfied his maximum term of imprisonment by operation of law. The trial court disagreed and denied his petition under K.S.A. 2002 Supp. 60-1501. We agree with the trial court and affirm the denial of the 1501 petition and deny the motion for costs and attorney fees.

Gibson was convicted of a felony and was sentenced to an indeterminate prison term of 5 to 15 years. He was later convicted of a second felony and was sentenced to an indeterminate prison term of 1 to 5 years. His two sentences were aggregated for a controlling prison term of 6 to 20 years with a sentence begins date of September 4, 1990.

Gibson received a good time credit of 10 years for determining his conditional release date. See K.S.A. 1990 Supp. 22-3725(c) (good time credit for maximum sentences greater than 2 years is one-half of the sentence). Gibson was released on his conditional release date, September 4, 2000.

[959]*959In 2001, Gibson was convicted of a third felony and sentenced to 16 months. In 2002, he returned to prison as a conditional release violator due to the new conviction. The Kansas Department of Corrections (KDOC) calculated the maximum date on his indeterminate sentence as September 4, 2010.

Gibson filed a grievance with the KDOC alleging it incorrectly calculated his release date for the aggregated sentence. He maintained that the good time credits (10 years) and the previous time served (10 years) should both be applied to his maximum sentence of 20 years. Gibson requested a discharge on the aggregated sentence. The KDOC denied his request. It determined that Gibson’s good time credits did not apply to the maximum sentence and his sentence was computed correctly.

Gibson filed a petition under K.S.A. 2002 Supp. 60-1501. The trial court agreed with the KDOC and denied relief.

Gibson maintains that the trial court erroneously held that his good time credits did not apply toward his maximum sentence. In short, Gibson argues that his good time credits of 10 years were the equivalent of time served.

A petition for a writ of habeas corpus filed under K.S.A. 2002 Supp. 60-1501 is not subject to the ordinary rules of civil procedure. To avoid summary dismissal, a K.S.A. 2002 Supp. 60-1501 petition must allege shocking and intolerable conduct or continuing mistreatment of a constitutional nature. Bankes v. Simmons, 265 Kan. 341, 349, 963 P.2d 412, cert. denied 525 U.S. 1060 (1998).

Whether good time credit can be applied as time served on the maximum sentence is a question of law. The trial court found there was no merit to this claim. When the trial court’s legal conclusion is challenged, our review is unlimited. 265 Kan. at 349.

Gibson argues that the statutes and regulations that were in effect when he committed his two felonies control. An amendment to a regulation after the date a petitioner committed his or her crime that would increase the petitioner’s release date beyond what it would have been under the regulation at the time the petitioner committed tire crime would be an ex post facto law. Garner v. Nelson, 25 Kan. App. 2d 394, 399, 963 P.2d 1242 (1998). A comparison of the statutes and regulations for good time credit and [960]*960conditional release showed there have been no substantive changes to the applicable language for this issue. As a result, references are made to the current authority.

K.S.A. 2002 Supp. 22-3718, which authorizes conditional release, states:

“Upon release, an inmate who has served the inmate’s maximum term or terms, less such work and good behavior credits as have been earned, shall be subject to such written rules and conditions as the Kansas parole board may impose, until the expiration of the maximum term or terms for which the inmate was sentenced or until die inmate is otherwise discharged.”

The amount of good time credit to determine the date of conditional release is set forth in K.S.A. 2002 Supp. 22-3725.

The regulations are consistent with K.S.A. 2002 Supp. 22-3718. A prisoner shall be granted conditional release when he or she has served the maximum sentence less good time credits authorized by statute. K.A.R. 45-10-1(a). The “conditional release date” is defined as the ending date of the maximum sentence less the good time credits not forfeited. K.A.R. 44-6-101(m). To determine the conditional release date, the good time credits are presumed earned and applied to the maximum sentence when it is first computed. K.A.R. 44-6-108(c).

A prisoner on conditional release is placed under parole supervision in the same manner as parolees and subject to the same terms and conditions as parolees. K.A.R. 45-10-l(b). If the. Secretary of Corrections determines probable cause shows a person on conditional release violated the conditions of release, the person may be returned to prison, subject to a final hearing and order of the Kansas Parole Board (KPB) in the same manner provided for parole violators. K.A.R. 45-10-1(b). If the person’s conditional release is revoked, the KPB may order the violator to serve all or part of the remaining time on the sentence. K.A.R. 45-9-3.

The regulation defining good time credits indicates that they do not affect the maximum sentence. “Good time credits shall not forgive or eliminate the sentence but shall function only to allow the inmate to earn the privilege of being released from incarceration earlier than the full minimum or maximum sentence, subject to conditions specified and imposed pursuant to applicable law.” [961]*961K.A.R. 44-6-101(a). Nevertheless, Gibson contends that the term “otherwise discharged” in K.S.A. 2002 Supp. 22-3718 applies. He relies upon two cases: May v. Hoffman, 179 Kan. 149, 293 P.2d 265 (1956), and Smith v. Crouse, 298 F. Supp. 1029 (D. Kan. 1968), aff'd

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
78 P.3d 1174, 31 Kan. App. 2d 957, 2003 WL 21947300, 2003 Kan. App. LEXIS 975, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/gibson-v-cummings-kanctapp-2003.