Watts v. DuBois

654 F. Supp. 1147, 1987 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 1362
CourtDistrict Court, D. Colorado
DecidedFebruary 26, 1987
DocketCiv. A. No. 78-M-495
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 654 F. Supp. 1147 (Watts v. DuBois) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, D. Colorado primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Watts v. DuBois, 654 F. Supp. 1147, 1987 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 1362 (D. Colo. 1987).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM OPINION AND ORDER

MATSCH, Judge.

In this class action on behalf of those inmates of the Federal Correctional Institution, Englewood, Colorado who are confined for treatment under the Youth Corrections Act (“YCA”), a challenge has been made to an attempt to transfer inmate Charles A. Molloy to another Bureau of Prisons (“BOP”) facility pursuant to a no further benefit finding made by the sentencing judge in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri. Mr. Molloy filed his individual motion for temporary restraining order and preliminary and permanent injunction and for a writ of habeas corpus, challenging the procedure followed as well as the decision. The procedural issues, involving questions of fundamental procedural due process, as well as the provisions of the YCA, have also been raised on behalf of the entire class. An ex parte temporary restraining order was issued on February 9, 1987, and a hearing on the motion for preliminary injunction was held on February 17, 1987.

While this court has no jurisdiction to reconsider the order of the sentencing judge on its merits, the procedural issues are properly raised in this proceeding. This court has reexamined its views expressed in DeMore v. Department of Justice, Civil Action No. 86-M-788, and now concludes that the position taken by the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals in Coates v. Smith, 746 F.2d 393 (7th Cir.1984), concerning the relationship between the federal habeas corpus statute, 28 U.S.C. § 2241, [1149]*1149and a motion attacking a sentence under 28 U.S.C. § 2255, is correct.

Charles Molloy was sentenced to an indeterminate term under the YCA, 18 U.S.C. § 5010(b), in the Eastern District of Missouri on August 13, 1982. He was first placed at FCI, Morgantown and was then placed at FCI, Englewood on April 22,1983 as a disciplinary transfer. After time in a halfway house in St. Louis, Missouri, he was granted conditional release on July 30, 1984. Mr. Molloy was then arrested for violating the conditions of his parole and was returned to FCI, Englewood. Upon arriving at Englewood, Mr. Molloy was informed by a staff member that a no further benefit finding would be sought to enable the BOP to transfer him to another institution.

The Parole Commission conducted a revocation hearing, and by Notice of Action dated October 20,1986, parole was revoked and Mr. Molloy was given a presumptive release date of November 20, 1987. The ground for revocation of parole was new criminal conduct: driving while intoxicated, possession of marijuana and stealing over $150.00. Mr. Molloy was also prosecuted in Missouri for distribution of marijuana. That offense occurred simultaneously with the 1982 federal offense resulting in his YCA sentence. He was placed on five years probation by state authorities.

On November 26, 1986, the Warden at FCI, Englewood wrote to the Assistant Director, Correctional Programs Division, BOP, requesting authority to seek a no further benefit finding. On December 23, 1986, the Director of the BOP sent a letter to the YCA sentencing judge, advising that the BOP believed that Mr. Molloy could obtain no further benefit from treatment under the YCA, and setting forth the inmate’s history. That letter included the following paragraph which is contained routinely in such letters to sentencing judges to obtain no further benefit findings:

As you know, Congress repealed the YCA in the Comprehensive Crime Control Act of 1984. It is our view that this legislative action nullifies any earlier assumption that Congress preferred to have youthful offenders committed under the YCA. Congress not only eliminated future use of the YCA, but also diminished arguments that there were special benefits to be gained from specialized youth sentencing. As a consequence, the number of YCA inmates in federal custody has rapidly declined to such a level that it is no longer feasible to operate any federal facility solely for housing YCA inmates.

Plaintiffs’ Exhibit 10.

Mr. Molloy had written his own letter to the sentencing judge, dated November 1, 1986, requesting that the court not grant a no further benefit finding. The judge responded by letter on November 12, 1986, saying that he had no jurisdiction. However, on December 29, 1986, the sentencing judge entered an order reading as follows:

The Court hereby concurs with the assessment made by the Department of Justice that defendant Charles Molloy can no longer benefit from YCA treatment in accordance with the ruling in Ralston v. Robinson, 454 U.S. 201 [102 S.Ct. 233, 70 L.Ed.2d 345] (1981).

Plaintiffs’ Exhibit 6.

The “letter request procedure” used in making the no further benefit finding concerning Mr. Molloy is identical with that followed routinely by the BOP, and the evidence taken with respect to Mr. Molloy is illustrative of the challenged procedure.

In Ralston v. Robinson, 454 U.S. 201, 102 S.Ct. 233, 70 L.Ed.2d 345 (1981), the Supreme Court held that a youth offender sentenced to a consecutive adult term of imprisonment for subsequent criminal acts need not be given further YCA treatment if the judge imposing the subsequent adult sentence determines that the youth will not benefit from further YCA treatment during the time to be served under the remainder of the youth sentence. In that case, the no further benefit finding was made by the second sentencing judge, using standard sentencing procedures.

[1150]*1150In United States v. Won Cho, 730 F.2d 1260 (9th Cir.1984), the court interpreted Ralston narrowly, and concluded that a judge may alter a YCA sentence to an adult sentence only when the youth offender is convicted of an additional crime and not when probation is revoked. Other courts have disagreed. For example, the District of Columbia Circuit Court of Appeals determined that a youth offender’s conduct during incarceration could be the basis for a no further benefit finding. In re Coates, 711 F.2d 345 (D.C.Cir.1983). The court held, however, that the “letter request procedure” was insufficient and remanded the case to the sentencing judge to fashion a procedure that comports with due process. Similarly, in Coates v. Smith, 746 F.2d 393, the court held that the “letter request procedure” was invalid, and required a hearing. The court said:

There remains the question of whether the subsequent order of the original sentencing judge of the Superior Court of the District of Columbia finding that Coates would no longer benefit from further treatment under the YCA is effective. We hold that it is without legal effect.

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Related

United States v. Jackson
681 F. Supp. 295 (D. Maryland, 1988)
Watts v. DuBois
660 F. Supp. 1246 (D. Colorado, 1987)

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Bluebook (online)
654 F. Supp. 1147, 1987 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 1362, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/watts-v-dubois-cod-1987.