People ex rel. Cleveland v. New York State Division of Parole

117 Misc. 2d 687, 459 N.Y.S.2d 242, 1983 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 3203
CourtNew York Supreme Court
DecidedJanuary 26, 1983
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 117 Misc. 2d 687 (People ex rel. Cleveland v. New York State Division of Parole) 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
People ex rel. Cleveland v. New York State Division of Parole, 117 Misc. 2d 687, 459 N.Y.S.2d 242, 1983 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 3203 (N.Y. Super. Ct. 1983).

Opinion

OPINION OF THE COURT

Gerard E. Delaney, J.

On September 1, 1982, petitioner’s parole was revoked following a final hearing on August 23, 1982. (Petitioner waived a preliminary hearing on June 24, 1982.) He attacks the continued detention as illegal on several grounds.

Initially, he claims that the detention is illegal because he was given “disproportionate punishment” compared to a cross complainant, another prisoner, one Eugene Malverty. The two charges alleged for violation of parole were (1) that petitioner, while on parole, had assaulted Malverty with a knife on June 10, 1982. (By decision of the Hearing Violation Board, dated Aug. 8, 1982, this charge was not sustained and was dismissed), and (2) that on June 10, 1982, the petitioner possessed a knife without the permission of his parole officer. This second charge was sustained [688]*688and formed the basis for the revocation. Petitioner had claimed justification for the assault inasmuch as Malverty is alleged to have had a knife also and to have cut petitioner first. Criminal charges against both parties were dismissed.

Petitioner claims that Eugene Malverty’s parole was not revoked for such incident as Malverty’s sentence had expired before it could be revoked.

“While it is true that intentional or purposeful discrimination of an otherwise nondiscriminatory law violates equal protection * * * it must be borne in mind that one who alleges discriminatory enforcement must meet the ‘heavy burden’ of showing ‘conscious, intentional discrimination’ * * * or a consciously practice pattern of discrimination. * * * The conscious exercise of some selectivity in enforcement of the law is not in itself a constitutional violation.” (People v Goodman, 31 NY2d 262, 268.)

It is clear from the hearing transcript that the issue of parolee Malverty’s violation status was raised and that as petitioner alleges, Malverty’s original sentence expired before he could be revoked. As noted above, actual criminal charges against both petitioner and Malverty were dismissed prior to the revocation hearing. Under the circumstances, this court does not find any violation of constitutional dimension on this issue raised.

Petitioner • alleges next that his final parole hearing should have been held in the county where the offense occurred (i.e., New York) instead of at the Queensboro Correctional Facility in Queens, New York. Section 259-i (subd 3, par [e], cl [i]) of the Executive Law states that the revocation hearing shall be held “reasonably near” the place of the alleged violation or arrest. Petitioner waived his initial preliminary parole hearing and assumably never requested a “local” hearing, i.e., by his terminology, New York County. The hearing, having taken place in Queens was, under law, “reasonably near” New York County. Such issue is dismissed. (Cf. People ex rel. Calloway v Skinner, 33 NY2d 23.)

Petitioner alleges that admissions he made to parole officers on June 10 and 24,1982, following his arrest on the underlying assault and weapons charges were illegally [689]*689obtained. Under law, the Division of Parole is charged with making a prompt investigation of alleged violations of parole conditions. (Executive Law, § 259-a, subd 5; 9 NYCRR 8000.1 [a].) These duties were not suspended by petitioner’s arrest or his assignment of counsel. (Cf. Matter of Utsey v New York State Bd. of Parole, 89 AD2d 965, 966.) As the statements were used solely within the parole process (the underlying criminal charges having been dismissed) their use within same was permissible. (Matter of Utsey v New York State Bd. of Parole, supra; see, also, People v Parker, 82 AD2d 661, 666; cf. People v Ronald W., 24 NY2d 732.) However, any and all statements made by petitioner during his final parole revocation hearing of August 23, 1982, are ordered suppressed from consideration in any revocation hearing on this same matter. (See infra.)

The secondary argument to the extent that the admissions are tainted by an alleged illegal search at the scene of the underlying crime is without merit. No facts are provided by petitioner so as to inquire into the search and seizure proper and to determine how and when the weapon was recovered.

Petitioner also alleges that his waiver of counsel at his final parole revocation hearing was involuntary as a matter of law. (Cf. Executive Law, § 259-i, subd 3, par [f], cl [v].) The following is a transcript of the initial moments of the hearing:

“hearing officer: On the case of Arnold Cleveland.
“Mr. Cleveland, my name is Mullen, I am the hearing officer, we are here today for a final hearing. I ask you are you ready for a final hearing today.
“mr. Cleveland: Well, I couldn’t get a lawyer, and I wrote the court, but I am going ahead with it.
“hearing officer: Okay. You say you want to be represented by a lawyer?
“mr. Cleveland: But I couldn’t get one, the courts, the Legal Aid, I am going here with it.
“hearing officer: You contacted Legal Aid, the Parole Revocation Unit?
[690]*690“mr. Cleveland: Yes.
“hearing officer: When?
“mr. Cleveland: 15 Park Row.
“hearing officer: When?
“mr. Cleveland: About last month.
“hearing officer: Last month?
“mr. Cleveland: Yes.
“hearing officer: What response did you get from them?
“mr. Cleveland: They told be to write Judge X. Amith. I wrote him, I didn’t get no answer back yet from him.
“hearing officer: When did you write to the court?
“mr. Cleveland: About three weeks ago.
“hearing officer: And you got no response?
“mr. Cleveland: No response.
“hearing officer: The situation is this, Mr. Cleveland. You have a right to be represented at this proceeding by a lawyer, it is a right that you have, a statutory right. The right to a lawyer is an important right. If you do not have a lawyer at this point I can grant you an adjournment to another date since you have made efforts to obtain a lawyer. The court will eventually appoint a lawyer for you, you just have to be patient. They may in fact appoint Legal Aid to do it for you. They have a limited staff, they can only handle certain cases. However, the Supreme Court in Queens, they can appoint court-appointed attorneys to come in here to represent you. Since you want to be represented by a lawyer, you made an effort to obtain a lawyer, I have no hesitancy in granting you adjournment if you want one. If you wish to waive your right to counsel you are waiving an important right, but you can do so and proceed.
“mr. Cleveland: I want to proceed.
“hearing officer: You want to proceed?
“MR. CLEVELAND: YES.”

[691]

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Bluebook (online)
117 Misc. 2d 687, 459 N.Y.S.2d 242, 1983 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 3203, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/people-ex-rel-cleveland-v-new-york-state-division-of-parole-nysupct-1983.