McCray v. Pennsylvania Dept. of Corrections

• Decision Date: 27 April 2005
• Citation: 872 A.2d 1127,582 Pa. 440
• Parties: Michael McCRAY, Appellee, v. PENNSYLVANIA DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS, Appellant.
• Court: Pennsylvania Supreme Court

872 A.2d 1127

582 Pa. 440

Michael McCRAY, Appellee, v. PENNSYLVANIA DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS, Appellant.

Supreme Court of Pennsylvania.

Submitted July 21, 2003.

Decided April 27, 2005.

Laura J. Neal, for Department of Corrections.

Michael McCray, Evansville, IN, ProSe.

John Packel, Ellen T. Greenlee, Philadelphia, Peter Rosalsky, for Defender Aoosciation of Philadelphia.

Before: CAPPY, C.J., CASTILLE, NIGRO, NEWMAN, SAYLOR, EAKIN, BAER, JJ.

OPINION

Justice NEWMAN.

This is a direct appeal by the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections (Department) from an Order of the Commonwealth Court, entered in its original jurisdiction, granting the Application for Summary Relief sounding in mandamus (Mandamus Action) that was filed by correctional institution inmate Michael McCray (McCray). The Mandamus Action sought a review of a decision of the Department and requested that the Commonwealth Court order the Department to rescind its decision of July 24, 2000, denying him credit for time served from May 1, 1996 through January 7, 1998. The Order of the Commonwealth Court directed the Department to credit McCray with one year, eight months and six days time served. We reverse the Order of the Commonwealth Court.

FACTS AND PROCEDURAL HISTORY

McCray was arrested and charged with twenty-seven crimes as the result of an incident that occurred in Philadelphia County on January 31, 1996. He entered into a plea agreement wherein he pled guilty¹ to three charges of aggravated assault,² one charge of firearms not to be carried without a license,³ and one charge of criminal conspiracy.⁴ Pursuant to the plea agreement, the Court of Common Pleas of Philadelphia County (trial court) sentenced McCray to eleven and one-half to twenty-three months in the Philadelphia County Prison and a concurrent probation term of ten years, with credit for time served. McCray filed a petition for reconsideration and the trial court vacated the previous sentence and imposed a new sentence consisting of time served to twenty-three months, credit for time served, the immediate grant of parole,⁵ and ten years of probation to run concurrently.

On September 17, 1999, McCray's probation was revoked following a determination that he had violated that probation.⁶ The trial court sentenced him to a term of two to four years' incarceration for each original count of the aggravated assault⁷ and criminal conspiracy⁸ charges to run concurrently, to be followed by five years of probation on the criminal conspiracy count. McCray requested credit for the time he served pursuant to the "time served to 23 months" segment of his sentence, which the Department denied.

In September of 2000, McCray, acting pro se, filed a Petition for Review in the original jurisdiction of the Commonwealth Court alleging that the Department had calculated his new sentence incorrectly by not crediting him for the time he served from May 1, 1996 to January 7, 1998.⁹ He then filed an Application for Summary Relief sounding in mandamus, arguing that he had received two separate sentences of incarceration for the same crime in violation of the Double Jeopardy Clause of the Fifth Amendment to the United States Constitution.

The Commonwealth Court reviewed applicable case law, particularly Commonwealth v. Bowser, 783 A.2d 348 (Pa.Super.2001),petition for allowance of appeal denied, 568 Pa. 733, 798 A.2d 1286 (2002),¹⁰ and Commonwealth v. Williams, 443 Pa.Super. 479, 662 A.2d 658 (1995),petition for allowance of appeal denied, 544 Pa. 607, 674 A.2d 1071 (1996).¹¹ The court rejected the holdings in both cases, relying on Section 9760 of the Sentencing Code, 42 Pa.C.S. § 9760, which states that a defendant must be given credit for all time spent in custody under a prior sentence if that defendant is later reprosecuted and resentenced for the same offense.¹² Accordingly, in a published Opinion, the Commonwealth Court granted McCray's Application for Summary Relief sounding in mandamus. We granted allowance of appeal to the Department of Corrections to examine whether mandamus was appropriate.

DISCUSSION

The Department launches a two-pronged attack on the decision of the Commonwealth Court and argues that an action in mandamus is an inappropriate mechanism to seek review of McCray's sentence because, first, McCray had not exhausted his available remedies and, second, he did not have a clear right to the relief he sought.

The Department asserts that the Commonwealth Court erred in granting McCray's petition because an adequate remedy existed outside of a writ of mandamus. The Department complains that McCray should have availed himself of the multi-step, Consolidated Inmate Grievance Review System by which inmates may seek redress of complaints arising during their confinement that are not related to prison misconduct. Second, it avers that an inmate who disagrees with the credit applied to his or her sentence should seek relief from the sentencing court, not the Commonwealth Court, because the Department does not have the authority to correct or clarify a sentence.

Appropriateness of Mandamus Action

Initially, we must address the appropriateness of the Mandamus Action within the context of a Petition for Review. The Commonwealth Court has routinely entertained Petitions for Review in the nature of mandamus seeking orders to compel the Department to apply credit for time served. See, e.g., Alston v. Pennsylvania Bd. of Probation & Parole, 799 A.2d 875 (Pa.Cmwlth.2002)

(treating habeas corpus petition as one in mandamus seeking credit for federal time served); Saunders v. Dept. of Corrections, 749 A.2d 553 (Pa. Cmwlth.2000) (denial of writ of mandamus to compel Department to modify confinement dates after parole revocation); Doxsey v. Bureau of Corrections, 674 A.2d 1173 (Pa.Cmwlth.1996) (denying writ of mandamus to compel Department to credit him with time spent in Maryland prison under a detainer warrant). In fact, only the Commonwealth Court is imbued with the authority to issue writs of mandamus or prohibition to other government units, including administrative agencies.¹³

Bethlehem Mines Corp. v. Commonwealth, 462 Pa. 207, 340 A.2d 435 (Pa.1975); Saunders, supra. Where discretionary actions and criteria are not being contested, but rather the actions of the Department in computing an inmate's maximum and minimum dates of confinement are being challenged, an action for mandamus remains viable as a means for examining whether statutory requirements have been met. Accordingly, if mandamus was the appropriate action, the Commonwealth Court was the appropriate forum.

Mandamus — Want of any other Remedy

A proceeding in mandamus is an extraordinary action at common law and is available only to compel the performance of a ministerial act or mandatory duty where there exists no other adequate and appropriate remedy; there is a clear legal right in the plaintiff, and a corresponding duty in the defendant. Jackson v. Vaughn, 565 Pa. 601, 777 A.2d 436, 438 (2001). The challenge by the Department stems primarily from its assertion that McCray had other adequate and appropriate remedies to render mandamus unavailable to him.

We begin by examining the appropriate method by which to seek relief when there is a question as to the correct application of credit for time served. The Department contends that the Commonwealth Court erred in granting the Mandamus Action because McCray had adequate remedies available to him in the form of the internal prison grievance system and, more importantly, he should have sought relief from the sentencing court.

Chapter 93 of Title 37 of the Pennsylvania Code contains regulations pertinent to state correctional institutions. Section 93.9 establishes an inmate grievance system that provides a forum for prison inmates to complain to the Department about problems that arise "during the course of confinement." 37 Pa.Code § 93.9. That section states:

(a) The Department will maintain an inmate grievance system which will permit any inmate to seek review of problems which the inmate experiences during the course of confinement. The system will provide for review and resolution of inmate grievances at the most decentralized level possible. It will also provide for review of the initial decision making and for possible appeal to the Central Office of the Department. An inmate will not be disciplined for the good faith use of the grievance systems. However, an inmate who submits a grievance for review which is false or malicious may be subject to appropriate disciplinary procedures. Copies of the directive governing grievance procedures will be made available to the inmates.

(b) Inmates may also pursue available remedies in State and Federal court.

Id. This system addresses such problems as the initial decisions regarding cell and work assignments along with the day-to-day living problems associated with incarceration. Problems arising during confinement could include opportunities to make and receive phone calls, availability of legal materials and assistance, visitations, recreation, counseling, and a myriad of other considerations that occur in a system that houses large numbers of persons in confined spaces. The Department is disingenuous in asserting that this is the appropriate mechanism to entertain a legal challenge to an application for credit for time served. If the Department has no authority to correct or clarify a sentence, as it claims, then it is incongruous to contend that its internal grievance system is an available remedy. Further, the General Assembly has not conferred the authority to consider matters of law on the decision-makers of the internal grievance system. Finally, the regulation promulgated by the Department of Corrections enabling the internal grievance system specifically permits inmates to pursue any remedies available to them in state or federal forums. 37 Pa.Code § 93.9(b). The Department also contends that McCray should have...