WPC # VU>a % 0(4w@0 0l8 0D 0L 4 0J< 0T 0^ 0h8 0r 0| 0 0 1u U, 0dEU, 0NU6#B)YDC B AM D3/U*b' 0@v~vq AOD 0DY D/ BHP LaserJet 4Si/4SiMX PS 600dpiPSCRIPT0 <( 9Z &Courier RegularX($D Q x3|xx fgDhijDklmnӀx((3$ !      0  (#$  0  > $Small Circle0 2 0Indent123  2" 0Indent20 23  2, 0Indent30 0 23  26 0Indent40 0 0 23  2@ 0Indent50 0 0 0 23  2J 0Indent60 0 0 0 0 23  2T 0Indent70 0 0 0 0 0 23  2^ 0Indent80 0 0 0 0 0 0 23   ?AGMSYaioIndent0I.A.1.a.(1)(a)i)a)<  9p`(ModernP 8Mac DefaultMac Default ` X<  9p`(Monaco>$"Small Circle"0  <  9p`(Courier New% Line 7 d&&&&7Border 1dd d-'C << G(((('dxd<  9p`(Arial  !  #d#%  ++   YYY FILED+XSeptember13,1996CecilW.CrowsonAppellateCourtClerk  ("$    PtPtHH(FG(HH(d'@Styl{WP}01  HH  2$HH  Geneva  <Px443!#4$*$$*$ KK  Geneva  Geneva .,6 Monaco   BA Op Monaco  BA Op Monaco -C<< CLevel 1Level 2Level 3Level 4Level 5($$   1  ' dxdP Pd ! . &##Xd&###Xd#%  \RA'\ ` X X \RA'\7Xdd7  ћSHERMANALEXANDERHENDERSON, )  )#` XxX# Petitioner/Appellant, ) AppealNo.  ) 01A019602CH00054v.  )  ) W.G.LUTCHE,etal, ) DavidsonChancery  ) No.952661III̜L),';+'h|W `  `Lߛ Respondents/Appellees. )  %COURTOFAPPEALSOFTENNESSEEMIDDLESECTIONATNASHVILLEAPPEALFROMTHECHANCERYCOURTFORDAVIDSONCOUNTYATNASHVILLE,TENNESSEETHEHONORABLEROBERTS.BRANDT,CHANCELLOR ` XX   %XSHERMANALEXANDERHENDERSON,ProSeL.C.R.C.F.RuralRoute1,Box330Tiptonville,Tennessee38079CHARLESW.BURSONAttorneyGeneralandReporterPATRICIAC.KUSSMANNAssistantAttorneyGeneralCivilRightsandClaimsDivision404JamesRobertsonParkwaySuite2000Nashville,Tennessee37243 ATTORNEYSFORRESPONDENTS/APPELLEES  AFFIRMEDANDREMANDED  %SAMUELL.LEWIS,JUDGE  %OPINION  #` ` X# %XThisisanappealasofrightbypetitioner/appellant,ShermanAlexanderHenderson,fromthejudgmentoftheChanceryCourtforDavidsonCountydismissingpetitioner'scomplaint. PetitionerisaninmateinthecustodyoftheDepartmentofϜCorrection("theDepartment").On8January1980,petitionerwasconvictedoffirstdegreemurderinShelbyCounty,Tennesseeandwassentencedtolifeimprisonment.Atthetimeofhisconviction,thesentencecreditlawsprovidedthatpetitionerwasineligibletoearnsentencereductioncredits.Tenn.CodeAnn.4121212&214(repealed1985E.S.Tenn.Pub.Actsch.514).Petitioner'soriginalparoledatewascalculatedatthirtyyearsandsetfor15September2009. In1985,theGeneralAssemblyentactedTennesseeCodeAnnotatedsection4121236(c).1985E.S.Tenn.Pub.Actsch.512.On1March1986,petitionersignedawaiversothathecouldearnprisonersentencereductioncreditsinaccordancewiththissection.Between1March1986and10November1995,petitionerearned1173daysofprisonersentencereductioncreditswhichmovedhisparoleeligibilitydateforwardto27November2004. On29August1995,petitionerfiledapetitionseekingadeclaratoryjudgmentthattheDepartmenthadincorrectlycalculatedhissentencereductioncredits.Petitionerinsistedthatsection4121236entitledhimtoreductioncreditfromthedateofhissentencingin1980.TheDepartment'spositionisdiametricallyopposedtothiscontention.Itinsistedthatpetitionerisnotentitledtosentencereductioncreditspriorto1March1986,theeffectivedateofthewaiversignedbypetitioner.TheDepartmentmovedtodismisspetitioner'spetitionclaimingitfailedtostateaclaimuponwhichreliefcouldbegranted.ThetrialcourtfoundthattheDepartmentcorrectlycalculatedpetitioner'ssentencereductioncreditsanddismissedhispetition. Afterovercomingcertainproceduralerrors,petitionerperfectedanappealtothiscourt.Followingourreviewofthisrecord,weareoftheopinionthatthetrialcourtproperlyfoundthattheDepartmentcorrectlycalculatedpetitioner'ssentencereductioncreditsandthatthestatutedidnotentitlehimtoretroactivesentencecredits. Whenpetitionerwasincarcerated,TennesseeCodeAnnotatedsections4121212and4121214wereineffect.Pursuanttothesesections,petitionerwasnoteligibletoearncreditagainsthisparoleeligibilitydatebecausehewasconvictedofaClassXfelonyandwasservingalifesentence.In1985,theGeneralAssemblyrepealedthesesectionsandenactedTennesseeCodeAnnotatedsection4121236.1985E.S.Tenn.Pub.Actsch.512&14.ThissectionallowedinmatesconvictedofClassXfeloniestoearnsentencereductioncredits.TennesseeCodeAnnotatedsection4121236(c)(3)provides:8 Anypersonwhocommittedafelony,includinganyClassXfelony,priortoDecember11,1985maybecomeeligibleforthesentencereductioncreditsauthorizedbythissectionby signingawrittenwaiverwaivinghisrighttoservehissentenceunderthelawineffectatthetimehiscrimewascommitted. However,sentencereductioncreditsauthorizedbythissectionmaybeawardedonlyforconductand/orperformancefromand afterthedateapersonbecomeseligible underthissection.Tenn.CodeAnn.4121236(c)(3)(1990)(emphasisadded). Itispetitioner'sinterpretationofthestatutethatitentitleshimtoearncreditagainsthisparoleeligibilitydateretroactivelytothedateofhisincarceration.Werespectfullydisagree.Undertheplainwordingofthestatute,aninmatemaynotearncreditsuntilhebecomes"eligibleunderthissubsection." Id. PetitionerdidnotbecomeeligibletoearncredituntilhesignedawaiverandcouldnothavebecomeeligibleforcreditbeforetheGeneralAssemblyenactedthesection. Despitepetitioner'sarguementthattheDepartmentshouldapplythestatuteretrospectively,thereisapresumptionthatcourtsaretoapplystatutesprospectivelyunlessthereisaspecificstatutorydirectiverequiringcourtstoapplythemretrospectively.Oursupremecourthasstated"[i]ntheabsenceoflegislativeintentoranecessaryinferencethatastatuteistohaveretroactiveforce,anactofthelegislatureistobegivenprospectiveeffectonlybythecourts." ElectricPowerBd.v.Woods ,558S.W.2d821,825(Tenn.1977).Courtsmustapplyastatuteprospectivelyintheabsenceof"'themostclearandunequivocalexpression'"tothecontrary. Hendersonv.Ford ,488S.W.2d720,721(Tenn.1972)(quoting Jenningsv.Jennings ,165Tenn.295,54S.W.2d961(1932)).TennesseeCodeAnnotatedsection4121236issilentastoretroactiveapplicationandthereisnothinginthestatutefromwhichwecaninferthattheGeneralAssemblyintendeditapplyretroactively.Petitionerhasnorighttoanawardofsentencereductioncreditspriortosigningthewaiverin1986. PetitioneralsoarguesthattheDepartment'srefusaltoretroactivelyapplythesentencereductionstatuteviolatestheexpostfactoclauseoftheUnitedStatesConstitution.Thisargumentiswhollywithoutmerit.TheUnitedStatesConstitutionprovidesthat"[n]ostateshall...passany...expostfactoLaw...."U.S.Const.art.I,10,cl.1. Anexpostfactolawcontainstwocriticalelements.First,thelawmustapplytoeventsoccurringbeforeitsenactment;second,itmustdisadvantagetheoffenderaffectedbyit. Statev.Ricci ,914S.W.2d475,480(Tenn.1996)(citationsomitted).Whenpetitionerwasconvicted,hisparoleeligibilitydatewascalculatedtobe15September2009.Oncehesignedthewaiver,hiseligibilitydatebeganmovingforward.Ithasnowmovedforwardbyalmostfiveyears.TheDepartment'srefusaltofurtheracceleratehisparoleeligibilitydateinnowaydisadvantagespetitioner. PetitioneralsoarguesthattheDepartmentviolatedhisrighttodueprocess.TennesseeCodeAnnotatedsection4121236doesnotcreateaprotectedlibertyinterestinreceivingsentencereductioncreditsfromthedateofaprisoner'sindictment.Afterreviewingitspastdecisionsinvolvingprisoner'sdueprocessrights,theUnitedStatesSupremeCourtstated:8 StatesmayundercertaincircumstancescreatelibertyinterestswhichareprotectedbytheDueProcessClause.Buttheseinterestswillbegenerallylimitedtofreedomfromrestraintwhich,whilenotexceedingthesentenceinsuchanunexpectedmannerastogiverisetoprotectionbytheDueProcessClauseofitsownforce,nonethelessimposesatypicalandsignificanthardshipontheinmateinrelationtotheordinaryincidentsofprisonlife. Sandinv.Conner ,115S.Ct.2293,2300,132L.Ed.2d418,42930(1995)(citationsomitted).WhilepetitionermayarguethattheDepartment'sfailuretoawardhimcreditfromthedateofhisindictmentviolatedhisfreedomfromrestraint,hecannotarguethatitinflictedsignificanthardshiponhim.Toexplain,priortotheenactmentofTennesseeCodeAnnotatedsection4121236,petitioner'sordinaryprisonliferevolvedaroundthefactthathewasnoteligibleforparoleuntil15September2009.Aftertheenactmentofthestatute,petitioner'sreleasedatebeganmovingforward.Itisimpossibletoarguethatthisresultcreatedasignificanthardshiponpetitioner.PetitionercannotclaimthattheDepartmentviolatedhisrighttodueprocessintheabsenceofaprotectedlibertyinterest. ThejudgmentofthetrialcourtinaffirmingtheactionoftheDepartmentofCorrectionisaffirmedwithcostsassessedtothepetitioner/appellant,ShermanAlexanderHenderson.Thecauseisremandedtothetrialcourtforfurthernecessaryproceedings.  __________________________________  SAMUELL.LEWIS,JUDGECONCUR:_________________________________BENH.CANTRELL,JUDGE_________________________________WILLIAMC.KOCH,JR.,JUDGE