From Casetext: Smarter Legal Research

Spence v. Page

Court of Criminal Appeals of Oklahoma
Jan 15, 1969
449 P.2d 717 (Okla. Crim. App. 1969)

Opinion

No. A-14822.

January 15, 1969.

Original proceeding in which Terry W. Spence seeks a writ of mandamus. Writ denied.

Terry W. Spence, pro se.

G.T. Blankenship, Atty. Gen., Charles L. Owens, Asst. Atty. Gen., for respondent.


This is an original proceeding in which Terry W. Spence, presently confined in the Oklahoma State Penitentiary, seeks a writ of mandamus to direct the Warden of the State Penitentiary to compute his term and give him good time and work credits according to prison time calculation chart in use at the time Petitioner was originally sentenced to the penitentiary in 1965.

Petitioner alleges that he was originally incarcerated in the Oklahoma State Penitentiary in 1965 on his conviction for the crime of burglary for which he was sentenced to serve a four and one-half year term with six months incarceration and the remaining four years on probation pending good conduct. In 1967 while on probation Petitioner pled guilty to the charge of burglary and was sentenced to an additional two year term in the penitentiary. Petitioner alleges that upon his return to the penitentiary to serve the balance of the four and one-half year sentence he was informed that his good time credits and work credits would be calculated according to a new chart suggested by a ruling of the Attorney General after the passage of the Oklahoma Corrections Act of 1967, 57 O.S.Supp. 1968 § 501[ 57-501] et seq. Petitioner claims that his good time and work credits should be computed on the basis of the chart in existence when he was originally sentenced to the penitentiary in 1965 and that to compute his sentence on the basis of a new chart violates his rights as the imposition of an ex post facto law.

This identical contention has been dealt with by this Court on previous occasions and rejected. In Lyles v. Page, Okla. Cr. 442 P.2d 542, this court held:

"The use of a time calculation chart by the prison authorities is not provided for in the statutes, or the constitution of the State of Oklahoma, and, therefore, no rights have accrued to this petitioner under same. Such calculation chart has been established by the prison authorities for their convenience. Further, the ex post facto operation of laws as promulgated by the State and Federal Constitutions refers only to statutory or constitutional provisions, and not to any administrative rules and regulations, such as the time calculation chart."

It is therefore apparent that Petitioner has failed to state a cause of action for the issuance for a writ of mandamus and accordingly the motion of the State to dismiss must be sustained and the writ requested is hereby denied. Writ denied.

This application was assigned to the Referee, Mr. Penn Lerblance, by the Presiding Judge of this Court. The foregoing findings of fact and conclusions of law were submitted by the Referee and approved and adopted by the Court.


Summaries of

Spence v. Page

Court of Criminal Appeals of Oklahoma
Jan 15, 1969
449 P.2d 717 (Okla. Crim. App. 1969)
Case details for

Spence v. Page

Case Details

Full title:TERRY W. SPENCE, PETITIONER, v. RAY H. PAGE, WARDEN, OKLAHOMA STATE…

Court:Court of Criminal Appeals of Oklahoma

Date published: Jan 15, 1969

Citations

449 P.2d 717 (Okla. Crim. App. 1969)
1969 OK CR 12

Citing Cases

Taylor v. Miss. State Probation Parole Bd.

The statute, by speaking in terms of the "total of such term or terms" clearly carries with it the mandate…