Arciniega v. Freeman

Decision Date26 October 1971
Docket NumberNo. 70-5135,70-5135
Citation30 L.Ed.2d 126,404 U.S. 4,92 S.Ct. 22
PartiesRaymond ARCINIEGA v. Edward R. FREEMAN, U. S. Marshal
CourtU.S. Supreme Court

PER CURIAM.

Petitioner's parole was revoked by the Federal Parole Board because of association with other ex-convicts. In a petition for habeas corpus, petitioner contended that the record did not disclose any evidence in support of this conclusion. The Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, sustained the revocation on the sole ground that petitioner worked at a restaurant-nightclub that employed other ex-convicts. 439 F.2d 776.

The Parole Board has wide authority to set conditions, 18 U.S.C. § 4203(a), and here petitioner was forbidden to 'associate' with other ex-convicts. But the Board's own regulations require 'satisfactory evidence' of a parole violation to justify an arrest warrant. 28 CFR § 2.35. We do not believe that the parole condition restricting association was intended to apply to incidental contacts between ex-convicts in the course of work on a legitimate job for a common employer. Nor is such occupational association, standing alone, satisfactory evidence of nonbusiness association violative of the parole restriction. To so assume would be to render a parolee vulnerable to imprisonment whenever his employer, willing to hire ex-convicts, hires more than one. Absent a clear Parole Board directive to this effect, we cannot sustain the judgment of the Court of Appeals that on-the-job contacts with fellow employees with police records is sufficient evidence of parole violation. If there is in this record other evidence of forbidden association or evidence of other parole violations, neither the Court of Appeals nor the United States has identified it.

The motion for leave to proceed in forma pauperis is granted, the petition for a writ of certiorari is granted, and the judgment of the Court of Appeals is reversed.

Reversed.

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  • USA v. Burroughs, No. 08-3085.
    • United States
    • U.S. Court of Appeals — District of Columbia Circuit
    • July 16, 2010
    ...is well established that associational conditions do not extend to ... chance meetings.” (citing Arciniega v. Freeman, 404 U.S. 4, 4, 92 S.Ct. 22, 30 L.Ed.2d 126 (1971) (per curiam))). Read against the backdrop of this assumption about associational conditions, the restriction on “indirect”......
  • Morrissey v. Brewer 8212 5103
    • United States
    • U.S. Supreme Court
    • June 29, 1972
    ...such as the typical requirement that the parolee avoid 'undesirable' associations or correspondence. Cf. Arciniega v. Freeman, 404 U.S. 4, 92 S.Ct. 22, 30 L.Ed.2d 126 (1971). Yet revocation of parole is not an unusual phenomenon, affecting only a few parolees. It has been estimated that 35%......
  • Sponick v. City of Detroit Police Dept.
    • United States
    • Court of Appeal of Michigan — District of US
    • August 29, 1973
    ...an obscure term. It means more than 'incidental contracts' between police officers and known criminals. Cf. Arciniega v. Freeman, 404 U.S. 4, 92 S.Ct. 22, 30 L.Ed.2d 126 (1971). To with a known criminal means to join with him for a particular purpose as 'a partner, fellow worker, colleague,......
  • Kelly v. State
    • United States
    • Texas Court of Criminal Appeals
    • May 3, 1972
    ...427 F.2d 258 (7th Cir. 1970), cert. denied, 400 U.S. 868, 91 S.Ct. 111, 27 L.Ed.2d 108 (1970). See also Arciniega v. Freeman, 404 U.S. 4, 92 S.Ct. 22, 30 L.Ed.2d 126 (1971).1 Wozencraft v. State, 388 S.W.2d 426 (Tex.Cr.App.1965); Campbell v. State, 456 S.W.2d 918, 922 (Tex.Cr.App.1970); Jac......
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