State v. Waller

Decision Date20 January 1976
Docket NumberNo. 11629,11629
Citation544 P.2d 1147,97 Idaho 377
PartiesThe STATE of Idaho, Plaintiff-Respondent, v. James B. WALLER, Defendant-Appellant.
CourtIdaho Supreme Court

James B. Waller, pro se.

Wayne L. Kidwell, Atty. Gen., Gordon S. Nielson, Senior Deputy Atty. Gen., Lynn E. Thomas, Deputy Atty. Gen., Boise, for plaintiff-respondent.

PER CURIAM.

Defendant-appellant was sentenced to life imprisonment for first degree murder on January 3, 1972. By motion filed pro se April 16, 1974, he asked the district court for credit on his sentence for the approximately six months he spent in the county jail prior to the imposition of sentence. 1 He appeals from the district court order denying his motion.

The method for computing the term of imprisonment is established by I.C. § 18-309. The original section made no provision for credit for presentence incarceration. 2 That section was repealed, however, effective January 1, 1972, shortly before appellant was sentenced. Subsequently, the legislature enacted the following statute, effective April 1, 1972:

I.C. § 18-309.

'In computing the term of imprisonment, the person against whom the judgment was entered, shall receive credit for any period of incarceration prior to entry of judgment, if such incarceration was for the offense or an included offense for which judgment was entered. The remainder of the term commences to run only upon the actual delivery of the defendant at the place of imprisonment, and if thereafter, during such term, the defendant by any legal means is temporarily released from such imprisonment and subsequently returned thereto, the time during which he was at large must not be computed as part of such term.' 3

By repealing the original section and subsequently enacting the amended section the legislature recognized the inequity of denying credit for presentence incarceration. Although the appellant here was sentenced shortly after the repeal and shortly before the reenactment which provided credit for incarceration before judgment, we agree with the Alaska Supreme Court that fairness dictates that the credit be given to him. Thompson v. State, 496 P.2d 651 (Alaska 1972). See also Ham v. State of North Carolina, 471 F.2d 406 (4th Cir. 1973); People v. Jones, 176 Colo. 61, 489 P.2d 596 (1971). Consequently, we reverse the order of the district court and remand for resentencing to give defendant credit for the time he spent in the county jail from July 6, 1971 to the time that...

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4 cases
  • State v. Hoch
    • United States
    • Idaho Supreme Court
    • June 11, 1981
    ...court is affirmed. BAKES, C. J., and McFADDEN and DONALDSON, JJ., concur. BISTLINE, Justice, dissenting. I. In State v. Waller, 97 Idaho 377, 544 P.2d 1147 (1976), this Court first gave its consideration to I.C. § 18-309, which had been amended in 1972 and again in 1975, bringing it to its ......
  • Still v. State
    • United States
    • Idaho Supreme Court
    • January 21, 1976
  • Law v. Rasmussen
    • United States
    • Idaho Supreme Court
    • March 4, 1983
    ...include time he has already paid. This is so as a matter of fairness, and it is what the legislature intended. See, State v. Waller, 97 Idaho 377, 544 P.2d 1147 (1946); State v. Hoch, 102 Idaho 351, 630 P.2d 143 Because petitioner was given maximum sentences of five years for each offense, ......
  • State v. Beer
    • United States
    • Idaho Supreme Court
    • July 2, 1976
    ...I.C. § 18-309, as amended, and reenacted effective April 1, 1972, could not be retroactively applied to appellant. State v. Waller, 97 Idaho 377, 544 P.2d 1147 (1976), had not been handed down when the trial court denied the motion. Application of the holding in that case would ordinarily r......

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