United States v. Nelson

18 C.M.A. 177, 18 USCMA 177, 39 C.M.R. 177, 1969 CMA LEXIS 552, 1969 WL 5941
CourtUnited States Court of Military Appeals
DecidedMarch 14, 1969
DocketNo. 21,512
StatusPublished
Cited by55 cases

This text of 18 C.M.A. 177 (United States v. Nelson) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering United States Court of Military Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
United States v. Nelson, 18 C.M.A. 177, 18 USCMA 177, 39 C.M.R. 177, 1969 CMA LEXIS 552, 1969 WL 5941 (cma 1969).

Opinions

Opinion of the Court

Ferguson, Judge:

Accused was' convicted by a general court-martial, convened at Da Nang, Vietnam, upon his plea of guilty, of absence without leave, violation of a lawful general order, possession of marihuana, and breach of restriction, in violation of Articles 86, 92, and 134, Uniform Code of Military Justich, 10 USC §§ 886, 892, and 934, respectively. He was sentenced to a bad-conduct discharge, total forfeitures, confinement at hard labor for six months, and reduction to pay grade E-l. Intermediate appellate authorities approved the findings and sentence. We granted review on the sole issue of:

“Whether the circumstances of accused’s pretrial confinement resulted in a denial of due process of law.”

At the outset of the trial, and prior to the accused’s entry of a plea, trial defense counsel moved for a dismissal of all of the charges and specifications on the ground that during the period of his pretrial confinement the accused was subjected to punishment in violation of Article 13 of the Code, supra, and “NavPers 15825, Revised January 1966, specifically, paragraphs 5c and d.”

At the direction of his counsel, the accused, in an out-of-court hearing on the motion, testified that he had been ordered into pretrial confinement on May 9, 1968. For the first week he was put through a program of indoctrination, during which time he wore an armband denominating him as an indoctrinee. After completing this program, he was transferred to medium security for an additional week and then placed in a minimum security status, in which status he remained until the day of his trial on June 20, 1968.

During this latter period of time the accused wore green utilities, the same as sentenced1 and adjudged2 prisoners, observed the same hours, ate his meals with them, was governed by the same rules and regulations, and also slept in a hut with both sentenced and adjudged prisoners. Apparently, the only means of distinguishing the various categories of prisoners was by means of the lettering on the armbands worn (“D” for detainee; “A” [179]*179for adjudged; and “S” for sentenced), with the armbands also distinguishable by color (red for maximum security; black for medium security; and green for minimum security). Also during this period, the accused was sent on various work parties away from the brig compound and used indiscriminately and interchangeably with sentenced and adjudged prisoners.

Trial defense counsel argued from this testimony that “the accused has already been punished for his offenses” and cited this Court’s decision in United States v Bayhand, 6 USCMA 762, 21 CMR 84.

The law officer, after listening to discussion of the issue by both trial and defense counsel, overruled the motion in the following language:

“In order for me to evaluate the work assignments it is necessary for me to consider the conditions available in I Corps. I cannot close my eyes to the fact that we are in a war zone. And in acting upon your motion, Mr. Defense Counsel, I cannot close my eyes to these conditions. They are all around me. The accused is not required to do any more nor has any more been expected of him than is expected from other sailors and marines stationed in this area. Officers and men stationed in I Corps are required to work long hours, perform arduous and tedious labor. I therefore find that the accused has not been punished while in pretrial confinement. Accordingly, defense counsel, the motion is overruled.”

Before this Court, appellate defense counsel asserted that the law officer applied an incorrect test in overruling defense counsel’s motion; that Article 13 of the Code and Navy’s own regulations expressly prohibit the situation that served as the basis for the motion; and that the circumstances of accused’s pretrial confinement comes within the guidelines set down in United States v Bayhand, supra, for determining when an unsentenced prisoner has been subjected to punishment other than arrest or confinement.

Government appellate counsel contended that the pertinent codal provision and the Navy regulation proscribe only the imposition of punitive duty hours, labor, and wearing of a distinctive uniform. They adopted the law officer’s view that the brig area was in a war zone, where everyone had to work hard and perform similar labor, and argued that the fact of war made the not “all-inclusive” test' in Bayhand inapplicable in the present situation.

We do not believe that the Government’s view is sustainable. Article 13 of the Code, supra, states:

“Subject to section 857 of this title (article 57) [Effective date of sentences], no person, while being held for trial or the result of trial, may be subjected to punishment or penalty other than arrest or confinement upon the charges pending against him, nor shall the arrest or confinement imposed upon him be any more rigorous than the circumstances require to insure his presence, but he may be subjected to minor punishment during that period for infractions of discipline.”

In enlarging on that Article of the Code, the Manual for Courts-Martial, United States, 1951, paragraph 125, in pertinent part states that:

“No member of the armed forces of the United States shall . . . while being held awaiting trial or the results of trial be subjected to punishment or penalty other than arrest or confinement upon the charges pending against him . . . [Nor shall] an accused ... be required to observe either duty hours or training schedules devised as punitive measures, nor required to perform punitive labor, nor required to wear other than the uniform prescribed for unsenteneed prisoners, except that during such periods he may be subjected to minor punishment for infractions of discipline (see Art. 13).”

Paragraph 186(3) also provides that:

“, . . Prisoners being held for [180]*180trial or whose sentences have not been approved and ordered executed will be accorded the facilities, accommodations, treatment, and training prescribed in pertinent regulations.”

Within the Naval service, this implementation has been accomplished by the Department of the Navy’s Corrections Manual, NAVPERS 15825, Revised, chapter 406.5, page 54:

“It is necessary to recognize the difference in status of prisoners whose sentences to confinement have not been ordered executed from other prisoners. (See 107.1 and 107.2). However, since the correctional program is rehabilitative and corrective in nature rather than punitive, prisoners whose sentences to confinement have not been ordered executed may be assigned to participate in program activities with sentenced prisoners under the following circumstances:
a. To classroom instructions and other training activities, not designed as punitive.
b. To various police, fatigue, and work details which may be assigned to duty personnel in the maintenance and operation of the command, and which are not devised as punitive.
c. To unrestricted participation in the full rehabilitative work program when the prisoner has volunteered or agreed after having had explained to him his rights and privileges in the matter.
d.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
18 C.M.A. 177, 18 USCMA 177, 39 C.M.R. 177, 1969 CMA LEXIS 552, 1969 WL 5941, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/united-states-v-nelson-cma-1969.