Jenkins v. Hamilton

56 Misc. 3d 508, 53 N.Y.S.3d 454
CourtNew York Supreme Court
DecidedAugust 29, 2016
StatusPublished

This text of 56 Misc. 3d 508 (Jenkins v. Hamilton) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering New York Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Jenkins v. Hamilton, 56 Misc. 3d 508, 53 N.Y.S.3d 454 (N.Y. Super. Ct. 2016).

Opinion

OPINION OF THE COURT

Lucy Billings, J.

Petitioner has been on parole since May 3, 2012, following his conviction January 22, 1982, and subsequent incarceration for kidnapping in the first degree. When he was convicted in 1982, kidnapping in the first degree was not classified as a sex offense. Even now, kidnapping in the first degree is classified as a sex offense only if the victim is under 17 years old, which petitioner’s victim was not. (Correction Law § 168-a [2] [a] [i]; People v Howard, 27 NY3d 337, 339-340 [2016]; People v Knox, 12 NY3d 60, 65 [2009].) As part of the conditions of his parole, however, respondent New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision (DOCCS) Division of Parole and Parole Officers in November 2013 assigned him to a unit for sex offenders and in February 2015 required him to participate in a sex offender treatment program. Petitioner seeks reassignment out of the sex offenders’ unit and removal of the condition that he participate in sex offender treatment, on the grounds that these conditions are arbitrary, not rationally based on the facts or law, and an abuse of discretion. (CPLR 7803 [3].)

I. Respondents’ Initiation of Sex Offender Treatment

The parties agree that petitioner was convicted for arranging and carrying out with two codefendants the kidnapping of a female victim and, only after he had left the premises in which she was detained, one of his codefendants raped her. Neverthe[510]*510less, respondents consider petitioner to have been a “bystander of rape.” (Verified petition, exhibit E; verified answer ¶ 14.) His Parole Officer respondent Hamilton referred petitioner to Shiloh Consulting, LLC, where he was admitted February 25, 2015, “to receive psychotherapy to explore the factors that had contributed to his conviction of kidnapping and being the bystander of rape.” (Verified petition, exhibit E.) On June 15, 2015, Shiloh Consulting discharged him due to an “inability to meet treatment goals.” (Id.) While this reason suggests that the psychotherapists failed in their objective, Shiloh Consulting commented on his discharge that he “continues to demonstrate his resistence in therapy from expressing, ‘A group of sex offenders can not help me.’ ” (Id.) Between February and June 2015, however, he attended the treatment readiness group sessions in which he was placed for eight weeks and biweekly individual therapy sessions.

Upon petitioner’s discharge from this sex offender treatment program, respondent Parole Officers fitted petitioner with a global positioning system (GPS) ankle monitor, due in part to his disinterested participation in the program, as well as previous failures to visit the parole office as required and violations of his curfew. Now that petitioner has worn the monitor over a year he also seeks that the monitor be removed or, at minimum, regularly adjusted to prevent injury to his ankle or alternative body part where the monitor is fitted.

II. Respondents’ Justification for Petitioner’s Continued Treatment and Monitor

DOCCS may designate petitioner “a discretionary sex offender because he kidnapped a woman who was later raped by his co-defendants” (verified answer f 18), based “not ... on convictions alone,” but also on other past behavior and current behavior as a parolee (verified petition, exhibit G), as long as the designation and associated conditions imposed on his parole are rationally related to his conduct and chances of recidivism. (Executive Law § 259-c [2]; 9 NYCRR 8003.3; Matter of Williams v Department of Corr. & Community Supervision, 136 AD3d 147, 159 [1st Dept 2016]; Matter of Williams v New York State Div. of Parole, 71 AD3d 524, 525 [1st Dept 2010]; Matter of M.G. v Travis, 236 AD2d 163, 168-169 [1st Dept 1997]; Matter of George v New York State Dept. of Corr. and Community Supervision, 107 AD3d 1370, 1372-1373 [3d Dept 2013].) “Simply because a challenged act is discretionary does not mean it is unreviewable under CPLR 7803 (3) . . . .” (Matter of [511]*511Anonymous v Commissioner of Health, 21 AD3d 841, 843 [1st Dept 2005].)

A. Sex Offender Treatment

Petitioner’s only conduct to which respondents relate his required participation in sex offender treatment is his kidnapping of his victim, which “enabled his co-defendant to rape her.” (Verified answer ¶ 21.) Respondents do not dispute that petitioner was neither present nor nearby when his codefend-ant raped her. Respondents do not claim that petitioner knew his codefendant would rape his victim or knew facts that reasonably would have led petitioner to believe she would be raped. Nonetheless, his kidnapping did leave her entirely vulnerable to further victimization by his partner in their initial crime.

Yet respondents never explain why, if this conduct over 30 years before petitioner’s parole justified sex offender treatment as a condition of his parole, the treatment suddenly was warranted in February 2015, but not between his release in May 2012 and February 2015, almost three years later. Respondents do not cite to any conduct by petitioner during this period indicating his failure to take responsibility for his actions or his propensity to repeat his past offense or to commit a sex offense in the future.

During his parole, petitioner has maintained a mutually respectful, supportive, and harmonious marriage and both volunteer and compensated employment. Shortly after his discharge from Shiloh Consulting, he voluntarily enrolled in Queens Counseling for Change July 14, 2015. Respondents present its director Menzie’s unsworn correspondence dated May 16, 2016, to petitioner’s current Parole Officer who succeeded respondents Hamilton and Medina, recounting that petitioner attended four treatment sessions between July 23 and September 1, 2015, but then did not return until January 21, 2016. The program then conveyed to him the expectation that he was to attend weekly sessions. Although he attended only nine sessions between January 21 and May 16, 2016, approximately biweekly, the correspondence indicates no deficiency in his attendance or dissatisfaction with his participation. The program director comments positively regarding petitioner’s participation: “appropriate and cooperative. He has expressed remorse regarding the circumstances of his Instant Offense.”

In supplemental unsworn correspondence dated August 7, 2016, to petitioner’s Parole Officer, director Menzie elaborates:

[512]*512“Mr. Jenkins has verbalized a developed understanding of his responsibility for the actions that led to his treatment referral and supervision as a d[is]cretionary sex offender.
"... He has discussed . . . his responsibility for the outcome of what he set in motion and appears to have more empathy after his exposure to sessions. He acknowledges the trauma the victim has most likely had to deal with given his actions. . . . He has been cooperative with staff directives and appropriate in sessions . . . and has been more concise in demonstrating his openness and understanding of the topics of each session.”

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Related

Goodwin v. Perales
669 N.E.2d 234 (New York Court of Appeals, 1996)
People v. Knox
903 N.E.2d 1149 (New York Court of Appeals, 2009)
Matter of Williams v. Department of Corr. & Community Supervision
136 A.D.3d 147 (Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York, 2016)
The People v. Quanaparker Howard
52 N.E.3d 1158 (New York Court of Appeals, 2016)
Lantry v. State
844 N.E.2d 276 (New York Court of Appeals, 2005)
Koch v. Sheehan
998 N.E.2d 804 (New York Court of Appeals, 2013)
Anonymous v. Commissioner of Health
21 A.D.3d 841 (Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York, 2005)
Williams v. New York State Division of Parole
71 A.D.3d 524 (Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York, 2010)
Shearn v. Durst
90 A.D.3d 539 (Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York, 2011)
Metropolitan Movers Ass'n v. Liu
95 A.D.3d 596 (Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York, 2012)
M.G. v. Travis
236 A.D.2d 163 (Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York, 1997)

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Bluebook (online)
56 Misc. 3d 508, 53 N.Y.S.3d 454, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/jenkins-v-hamilton-nysupct-2016.