Sims v. State
Sims v. State
Opinion of the Court
Appellant Roger D. Sims appeals the dismissal of his petition for writ of habeas corpus. Sims raises two grounds for reversal of the order-that the circuit court erred in rejecting his claim that he was subject to double jeopardy and that the sentence imposed on him was illegal. We find no error and affirm the order.
I. Background
In 2001, Sims pleaded guilty to rape and incest in the Craighead County Circuit Court and was sentenced to concurrent terms of imprisonment in the Arkansas Department of Correction (ADC) of 420 months for rape and 120 months for incest. In 2017, Sims, who is incarcerated in Texas, filed his habeas petition in the Jefferson County Circuit Court, that is, in the county where the headquarters of the ADC and its director are located.
II. Grounds for Issuance of the Writ
A writ of habeas corpus is proper when a judgment of conviction is invalid on its face or when a circuit court lacks jurisdiction over the cause. Philyaw v. Kelley ,
III. Standard of Review
A circuit court's decision on a petition for writ of habeas corpus will be upheld unless it is clearly erroneous. Hobbs v. Gordon ,
IV. Double Jeopardy
Sims argues that his sentence was rendered illegal because he was found guilty of both rape and incest. We have held that, while some double-jeopardy claims are cognizable in habeas corpus proceedings, when the petitioner does not show that on the face of the commitment order there was an illegal sentence imposed, the claim does not implicate the jurisdiction of the court to hear the case, and the claim is not one that is cognizable. Edwards v. Kelley ,
For purposes of double jeopardy, whether two offenses are the "same offense" depends on whether each statutory provision requires proof of a fact that the other does not. Under this criteria, rape and incest require the satisfaction of different elements and thus are separate offenses. Moreover, the issue is one that could have been raised before Sims entered his plea of guilty to rape and incest. See
V. Illegal Sentence
Sims contends that his sentence was rendered illegal because the judgment-and-commitment order required that he complete the ADC's RSVP program for sexual offenders while in prison. Here, the circuit court found that the judgment-and-commitment order did not contain this requirement. The court noted that the only requirement in the judgment was that Sims register as a sex offender.
Sims appended to his habeas petition a copy of what he purported to be the judgment-and-commitment order in his case. Handwritten at the top of the final page of the order are the words, "defendant is ordered to complete RSVP in prison." The body of the document does not contain any such language but only requires he register as a sex offender. The record does not contain a certified copy of the original judgment-and-commitment order for us to compare, however, the circuit court ruled that the order does not require completion of the RSVP program. Sims does not argue that he has been required to complete the RSVP program during his approximately sixteen years of incarceration. Considering the evidence as advanced by Sims, we cannot say that the circuit court erred in finding that the judgment-and-commitment order did not include a special condition of incarceration as part of Sims's sentence.
VI. Request for a Hearing
Sims asks that this court order a hearing to be held on his petition. We have noted that, while our statutory habeas corpus scheme contemplates a hearing in the event the writ is issued, there is no requirement that a hearing be given a petitioner regardless of the content of the *872petition. Mackey v. Lockhart ,
Affirmed.
Sims named the State of Arkansas as respondent to his petition for writ of habeas corpus. The circuit court noted that Arkansas Code Annotated section 16-112-105(b)(1) requires that the action be directed to the person in whose custody the prisoner is detained. Sims should have named Wendy Kelley, Director of the ADC. Nevertheless, Sims stated that he was filing his petition as a person in the custody of the ADC and the circuit court ruled on the claims in the habeas petition as though Sims had named Kelley.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- Roger D. SIMS v. STATE of Arkansas
- Cited By
- 8 cases
- Status
- Published