State v. FowlerState v. Fowler
- Reporters:
- , ,
- Before:
- Prager
The opinion of the court was delivered by
Prager, J.:
This case involves consolidated direct appeals by the State in two criminal cases taken pursuant to K.S.A.‘22-3602. Each case raises an identical question of law pertaining to the authority of a district court to order jail time credit on a defendant’s sentence under authority of
The issue on appeal presented by the State may be stated as follows: Whether
Robert Fowler Case No. 83 CR 65 (57,683)
Defendant, Robert Fowler, was convicted of giving a worthless check in violation of
On December 13, 1983, a hearing was held at which time Fowler and counsel admitted the facts of the violation of probation and his probation was revoked. The matter was then continued to allow time for officials of the community corrections program to decide whether or not they would accept the de
“THE COURT: On the 13th of December, 1983, his probation was revoked and Mr. Fowler was committed to the custody of the Secretary of Corrections and the Sheriff will be deemed to have complied with the order of the Court by delivering or allowing custody of Mr. Fowler to be transferred to the Administrator of the Community Corrections of Sedgwick County. The future custody of Mr. Fowler is to be determined administratively between Community Corrections and the Administrator of the Community Corrections’ Program.”
The district court, in its journal entry, placed specific terms and conditions upon the defendant while under such “commitment”:
“It is therefore the order and judgment of the Court that the defendant be committed to the supervision of the Sedgwick County Community Corrections Program upon the following terms and conditions:
“a) That the defendant not violate the law in any manner;
“b) That the defendant be detained in a residential facility as designated by the Director of the Sedgwick County Community Corrections Program for such time and on such occasions as determined by the Director to meet the needs of the defendant and the program.
“c) That the defendant abide by all the rules, regulations and requirements of the Sedgwick County Community Corrections Program.
“d) That the defendant successfully complete the Sedgwick County Community Corrections Program.
[Conditions relating to the payment of costs and restitution omitted.]
“The defendant is advised that his failure to participate in or abide by the rules and regulations of the Community Corrections program will be cause for the director to transfer him to some other facility of the Secretary of Corrections as the Secretary shall direct.”
On September 21, 1984, a warrant was issued for Fowler’s arrest based upon sworn allegations of an officer of the community corrections program alleging violations of the terms and conditions of his placement at that facility. A hearing was begun on October 17, 1984, at which time defendant appeared without counsel. The court took the position that the defendant was not entitled to be represented by counsel because the hearing was not a probation revocation hearing. The court stated that defendant, never having been placed on probation, was at all times in the custody of the Secretary of Corrections while at the community corrections facility. The State took issue with this position, stating that this was a probation revocation hearing at which defendant was entitled to counsel. At the prosecutor’s request, the hearing was continued.
The court, however, did grant another continuance and ordered a new hearing which was held on November 9, 1984, at which time the State’s only witness again testified and was fully cross-examined by defense counsel. The defendant presented no evidence on his behalf. After this hearing, the court found that the defendant had violated the terms of his contract with the Sedgwick County Community Corrections Center and ordered that defendant be transported by the sheriff to the custody of the Secretary of Corrections. At this hearing, there was much discussion as to whether defendant Fowler was entitled to jail time credit for time he spent living at the community corrections facility and also for time while on work release from the county jail before he was placed under the community corrections program. The district court granted defendant 141 days of jail time credit for the time he spent in the county community corrections facility and also 94 days jail credit for the time defendant spent in jail awaiting sentencing. The trial court refused to award Fowler jail time credit of 51 days for the time he spent in the county jail under the work release program while on probation. The State then filed a motion to deny defendant the jail credit for the time spent in the community corrections facility, which the trial court overruled. The State then filed a notice of appeal from that order. The defendant, Fowler, filed a cross-appeal claiming error in denial of his right to counsel at defendant’s October 17, 1984, hearing and because of the court’s refusal to grant jail credit for the time he spent in the county jail pursuant to the work release program while on probation.
Kermit Edwards Cases No. 84 CR 207 & 489 (57,737)
In case No. 84 CR 207, defendant, Kermit Edwards, on August 27, 1984, pled guilty to two counts of burglary (
On August 29, 1984, defendant Edwards in case 84 CR 489 pled guilty to the crime of misdemeanor battery (
On December 7,1984, Judge Sanborn issued a warrant in both cases for defendant’s arrest based upon a sworn allegation that he had been absent without leave from the residential center for a period of six hours. On December 10, 1984, the warrant was amended to allege that defendant returned to the community corrections residential facility with marijuana in his possession.
On December 21, 1984, a hearing was held on these arrest warrants at which time defendant appeared in person and with counsel. After hearing evidence and arguments, the court ordered that the stay of execution previously granted in each case be dissolved. The court ordered in the felony case that Edwards serve the sentence previously imposed and that the sheriff transport him to the custody of the Secretary of Corrections. The concurrent misdemeanor sentence would also be served while defendant was in prison. The court, over the State’s objection, awarded defendant jail credit for 85 days he spent while he was residing at the Sedgwick County Community Corrections Center. At this hearing, Judge Sanborn stated categorically that Edwards had never been placed on probation. He had been serving his
sentence
and was entitled to credit by law for the time he spent at the community corrections center. Judge San-born emphasized the fact that, as district judge in the case, he had the authority to impose sentence, to commit the defendant to
The State appealed from the order of the district court in both cases granting each defendant jail time credit for the time he was residing at the Sedgwick County community corrections facility.
The issue raised by the State on appeal in both cases is whether
“21-4614. Deduction of time spent in confinement. In any criminal action in which the defendant is convicted upon a plea of guilty or trial by court or jury or upon completion of an appeal, the judge, if he or she sentences the defendant to confinement, shall direct that for the purpose of computing defendant’s sentence and his or her parole eligibility and conditional release dates thereunder, that such sentence is to be computed from a date, to be specifically designated by the court in the sentencing order of the journal entry of judgment or the judgment form, whichever is delivered with the defendant to the correctional institution, such date shall be established to reflect and shall be computed as an allowance for the time which the defendant has spent incarcerated pending the disposition of the defendant’s case. In recording the commencing date of such sentence the date as specifically set forth by the court shall be used as the date of sentence and all good time allowances as are authorized by the Kansas adult authority are to be allowed on such sentence from such date as though the defendant were actually incarcerated in any of the institutions of the state correctional system. Such jail time credit is not to be considered to reduce the minimum or maximum terms of confinement as are authorized by law for the offense of which the defendant has been convicted.” (Emphasis supplied.)
It should be noted that
Simply stated, the State maintains that the jail time credit provided for in
At the outset, we must consider the alternative dispositions which a district court may adjudge after a defendant has been convicted of a crime.
“Whenever any person has been found guilty of a crime, the court may adjudge any of the following:
“(a) Commit the defendant to the custody of the secretary of corrections or, if confinement is for a term less than one year, to jail for the term provided by law;
“(b) impose the fine applicable to the offense;
“(c) release the defendant on probation subject to such conditions as the court may deem appropriate, including orders requiring full or partial restitution;
“(d) suspend the imposition of the sentence subject to such conditions as the court may deem appropriate, including orders requiring full or partial restitution; or
“(e) impose any appropriate combination of (a), (b), (c) and (d).
“In imposing a fine the court may authorize the payment thereof in installments. In releasing a defendant on probation the court shall direct that the defendant be under the supervision of a court services officer.
“The court in committing a defendant to the custody of the secretary of corrections shall fix a maximum term of confinement within the limits provided by law. In those cases where the law does not fix a maximum term of confinementfor the crime for which the defendant was convicted, the court shall fix the maximum term of such confinement. In all cases where the defendant is committed to the custody of the secretary of corrections, the court shall fix the minimum term within the limits provided by law.”
Section (2)(a) authorizes a district court to commit the defendant to the custody of the Secretary of Corrections or, if confinement is for a term less than one year, to jail for the term as provided by law. Various felonies under the Kansas Criminal Code are classified in
This conclusion is also supported when we consider the statutory definitions of “suspension of sentence” and “probation” contained in
“21-4609. Custody of persons sentenced to confinement; notice of modification of sentence. When a person is sentenced to imprisonment upon conviction of a felony, the judgment of the court shall order that such person be committed, for such term or terms as the court may direct, to the custody of the secretary of corrections. When such person is sentenced to the custody of the secretary of corrections and such sentence is subsequently modified in any respect, including discharge of such defendant from custody, by a court of this state having jurisdiction of such matter, such court shall thereupon notify the secretary of corrections of the nature of such modification.
“The secretary of corrections may designate as the place of confinement any available and suitable correctional institution or facility maintained by the state of Kansas or a political subdivision thereof.
“Any person serving a sentence of imprisonment may be transferred from one institution to another by order of the secretary of corrections.” (Emphasis supplied.)
That statute states clearly that when a person is sentenced to imprisonment upon conviction of a felony such person shall be committed to the
custody
of the Secretary of Corrections. It is up to the Secretary of Corrections to designate the place of confinement, including any state correctional institutions or facilities maintained by the state or
a political subdivision thereof.
There is no provision under Chapter 21, Article 46, which covers sentencing, which authorizes a district court to commit a defendant to the custody of community corrections. On the contrary, community corrections is mentioned only under
After a defendant has been committed to the custody of the Secretary of Corrections, the secretary is given broad discretion in selecting the place of actual custody. The powers of the Secretary of Corrections are set forth generally in
These various statutes have been summarized to show the legislative scheme which permits a sentencing court to utilize a community corrections center through the process of placing the defendant on probation, but requires that confinement in the county corrections residential center be made a condition of probation. If a defendant is committed under a sentence, the commitment must be made to the custody of the Secretary of Corrections, who may then utilize community corrections facilities by contract in carrying out programs to rehabilitate a convicted felon.
It is thus clear that in the present pases the trial court had no authority to commit each of the defendants to the custody of the Secretary of Corrections and then order they reside in the Sedgwick County Community Corrections Residential Facility without placing them on probation.
The question to be determined is whether each of the defendants was entitled to jail time credit during the period each resided in the community corrections center. It is important to note the difference between “jail time credit” and “good time credit.” “Jail time credit” must be determined by the sentencing court and included in the journal entry at the time the trial court sentences the defendant to confinement. This requirement is found in
“Good time credit” is provided for in
In Kansas, the right to jail time credit is statutory. State v. Babcock, 226 Kan. 356, 358, 597 P.2d 1117 (1979). Jail time credit varies widely among the various states, depending upon the language of that particular state’s statutes. See, for example, the annotation on the subject in 24 A.L.R. 4th 789, containing cases dealing with a defendant’s right to credit for time spent in a halfway house or other rehabilitation center or any other restrictive imprisonment as a condition of probation. See also the annotation in 28 A.L.R. 4th 1265 on the subjection of computation of incarceration time under work release or “hardship” sentences.
Prior to the enactment of the Kansas Code of Criminal Procedure in 1970, the Kansas cases held that a defendant, who was confined in a county jail for a period of time as a condition of probation, was not entitled to credit for the time served, in the event his probation was later revoked and he was committed to the custody of a state correctional institution. In
In re McClane,
129 Kan. 739, 284 Pac. 365 (1930), the defendant was convicted of attempted rape and was paroled (probated) by the district court from a jail sentence on condition that he serve six months in the Neosho County jail. The defendant later violated the terms of his parole and it was revoked. The defendant contended that he was entitled to six months’ credit for the time served in the county jail under his probation agreement. This court held that,
The Kansas Code of Criminal Procedure, adopted in 1970 and as amended, contains specific statutes which allow jail time credit on a sentence where the defendant was confined under a variety of circumstances.
In
State v. Thorn,
1 Kan. App. 2d 460, 570 P.2d 1100 (1977), it was held that when a defendant has spent time in jail solely awaiting disposition of revocation of probation proceedings, he is entitled to an allowance of time on his sentence as provided by
These various statutes are cited to show that, throughout the Criminal Code, the legislature, in its discretion, has provided for jail time credit on a sentence where the defendant has spent time in confinement under certain specific circumstances. There is no statute which provides that a defendant shall have credit for time spent in confinement as a condition of probation required by the trial court. In State v. Snook, 1 Kan. App. 2d 607, it was held that when probation is revoked, neither the applicable statutes nor the Constitution requires that the defendant be given credit on his sentence for time spent on probation.
State v. Babcock,
226 Kan. 356, holds that when probation is revoked, a trial court may not give credit on a defendant’s sentence for time spent in a halfway house fulfilling a condition of probation. The opinion in
Babcock
implies that if a defendant has been placed on probation he is entitled to jail time credit for any time spent in the actual or constructive control of jail or prison officials. We have concluded, however, that under
A difficulty in each case arises, however, because the district court, without authority and contrary to
We will now consider the cross-appeal of the defendant, Fowler. Defendant Fowler first maintains that the district court erred in refusing to allow him jail time credit, under
Defendant Fowler’s second point on his cross-appeal is that the revocation of his commitment to the community corrections department and his transfer to the custody of the Secretary of Corrections must be set aside, because he was not represented by counsel at the first hearing which was held on October 17, 1984. As noted heretofore in the opinion, the court stated on the record that it regarded the procedure as an administrative hearing at which the defendant was not entitled to be represented by counsel. The court stated that the sole issue to be determined was whether the defendant had violated any term or terms required by the community corrections system. However, the court recessed the hearing following the presentation of the State’s witness in order that defendant might obtain legal counsel. No decision was actually rendered on the original hearing on October 17, 1984. On October 24, 1984, defendant appeared in person and with his counsel. The matter was again continued to November 9,1984, when defendant appeared in person and with counsel. The court directed the State to present any evidence regarding the allegations. The sole witness for the State again testified and was fully cross-examained by defense counsel. The defendant chose to present no evidence. At the close of that hearing, the court found that the defendant had violated his agreement with the Sedgwick County Community Corrections Center and ordered that defendant be transported by the sheriff to the custody of the Secretary of Corrections.
We have considered the entire record and have concluded that
For the reasons set forth above, it is the judgment of this court that the judgment of the district court granting the defendant Fowler and the defendant Edwards jail time credit for the period of time they were confined in the custody of the Sedgwick County Community Corrections Center is affirmed. It is further the judgment of this court that the judgment of the district court denying to defendant Robert Fowler jail time credit for the time he spent in the Sedgwick County jail under a work release program as a condition of his probation is affirmed.
The judgment of the district court determining that defendant Fowler had violated the conditions of his contract with the Sedgwick County Community Corrections Center and transferring him to the custody of the Secretary of Corrections is affirmed.