WPCz  # VUNa % 0N 0 b w@ 4 , ; m= 0DT   0J& 0Tp 0^ 0h" 0r 0| 0x 0 1u 0dU >gB)DC AMU*^- D3?v~' 0@v B AO$ 0D D/. B] HP LaserJet 4Si/4SiMX PS 600dpiPSCRIPT0nLH'"  Z 6Times New Roman Regular(&y$   (}(2e$ y!     XEQX `   0  - - DD%eӀD 3|xU(#$  0  laney v. campbell - opinion   ' IB011C20IB011C2 .   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)P 8Mac DefaultMac Default ` X<  9p`(&Times New Roman% Line 7 d%%%%7Border 1dd-&C << G<  9p`(Arial # !  #d#$$   ((   YYY FILED(XJuly18,1997CecilW.CrowsonAppellateCourtClerk  WWWW'dxd 5 !#d#$$   $    $X       _Tenn.CodeAnn.4121236(c)(3)provides:8  Anypersonwhocommittedafelony,includinganyClassXfelony,priortoDecember11,1985maybecomeeligibleforthesentencereductioncreditsauthorizedbythissectionbysigningawrittenwaiverwaivinghisrighttoservehissentenceunderthelawineffectatthetimehiscrimewascommitted.However,sentencereductioncreditsauthorizedbythissectionmaybeawardedonlyforconductand/orperformancefromandafterthedateapersonbecomeseligibleunderthissubsection.(emphasisadded).PtPtHH(FG(HH(d'h("$    Styl{WP}01  HH  2$HH  Geneva  <Px443!#4$*$$*$ KK  Geneva  Geneva .,6 Geneva   h HD: Geneva  h HD: Geneva  d-C<< CLevel 1Level 2Level 3Level 4Level 5($$   1  ' dxdP Pd ! . $$          \RA'\  \RA'\7dd7    ћ @ $ INTHECOURTOFAPPEALSOFTENNESSEE@ MIDDLESECTIONATNASHVILLE$ THOMASGERALDLANEY,   )       ) Plaintiff/Appellant,   )       ) DavidsonChancery       ) No.961282IIVS.       )       ) AppealNo.       ) 01A019703CH00142DONALCAMPBELL,Commissioner, )̜R')&A1-j|F`  `@RߛTennesseeDepartmentofCorrection,  )       ) Defendant/Appellee.   )@ APPEALFROMTHECHANCERYCOURTFORDAVIDSONCOUNTY@ ATNASHVILLE,TENNESSEE@ THEHONORABLECAROLL.McCOY,CHANCELLORForthePlaintiff/Appellant:    FortheDefendant/Appellee:ThomasGeraldLaney,ProSe    JohnKnoxWalkup        AttorneyGeneralandReporter        JohnR.Miles        CounselfortheState@ $ AFFIRMEDANDREMANDED $       WILLIAMC.KOCH,JR.,JUDGE$@ OPINION $ ThisappealinvolvesadisputebetweenaprisonerandtheDepartmentofCorrectionconcerningtheprisonersrighttoearnprisonersentencereductioncreditswhileondeathrow.Aftertheprisonerssentencewasreducedtolife,theDepartmentdeniedhisrequestforcreditforhiseducationalactivitieswhileondeathrow.TheChanceryCourtforDavidsonCountydeniedtheprisonerspetitionfordeclaratoryjudgment,andtheprisonerhasappealedtothiscourt.Weaffirmthetrialcourtbecausewehavedeterminedthataprisonerisnotentitledtoreceivesentencereductioncreditsforactivitiesorconducttakingplacewhentheprisonerwasineligibletoearncredits.@ I.  ThomasGerald_Laney_Ԁkilleda_Kingsport_ԀgrocerduringagunfightatthegrocershomeinOctober1980.HewasconvictedoffirstdegreemurderandwassentencedtodeathinApril1981.TheTennesseeSupremeCourtlaterupheldhisconvictionandsentence.Statev._Laney_,654S.W.2d383(Tenn.1983).FirstdegreemurderwasaClassXcrimewhenMr._Laney_Ԁcommittedhisoffense,and,likeallotherprisonerswhoreceivedthedeathpenalty,Mr._Laney_Ԁwasclassifiedasamaximumsecurityprisonerwhenhewasfirstincarcerated. Mr._Laney_ԀwasineligibletoearnsentencecreditswhenhewasfirstincarceratedbecauseprisonersconvictedofClassXoffenseswereexcludedfromtheprogram.Thisrestrictionwasremovedin1983forprisonerswhosignedawrittenwaiver.Mr._Laney_ԀwasassignedtoaneducationalprograminDecember1985.Inearly1986,hesignedawrittenwaiverinordertoparticipateintheeducationalprogram,eventhoughheunderstoodthathisdeathsentencepreventedhimfromearningsentencereductioncreditsatthattime.Heclaimshewastoldthathewouldreceivecreditsforhisparticipationifhisdeathsentencewasevervacated. TheCriminalCourtforSullivanCountyvacatedMr._Laney_sdeathsentencein1994andorderedanewsentencinghearing.OnNovember15,1994,Mr._Laney_Ԁwassentencedtolifeimprisonment.HewasterminatedfromthefulltimeeducationalprogramonDecember8,1994andwastransferredtotheMorganCountyRegionalCorrectionalFacility.Mr._Laney_becameeligibletoearn_prisonersentencereduction_Ԁcreditsafterreceivinghislifesentenceandhasbeenaccruingthesecreditseversincehesignedtherequiredwaiver. Mr._Laney_ԀrequestedtheDepartmenttoissueadeclaratoryorderthathewasentitledto1,600daysofcreditforhisparticipationinfulltimeeducationalprogramsfromMarch1,1986throughDecember8,1994whilehewasstillondeathrow.AftertheDepartmentdeniedhisrequest,Mr._Laney_ԀfiledapetitionforadeclaratoryrulingintheChanceryCourtforDavidsonCounty.ThetrialcourtdismissedthepetitiononNovember13,1996,onthegroundthatawardingprisonersentencereductioncreditsisdiscretionarywiththewardenandthatthewardendidnotabusehisdiscretionbydecliningtoawardMr._Laney_Ԁsentencecreditsforhisactivitieswhilehewasondeathrow.@ II.  Prisonersdonothaveaconstitutionalrighttoshortentheirsentencesbyearningsentencereductioncredits.Francev.Bradley,922S.W.2d118,119(Tenn.Ct.App.1995);Statev.Phillips,App.No.01C019605CR00215,1997WL254231,at*3(Tenn._Crim_.App.May16,1997)(NoTenn.R.App.P.11applicationfiled).Thesecreditsarecreaturesofstatute,and,therefore,therighttoreceiveoraccruethemrestsontherulesandcriteriacontainedinthestatutesauthorizingthem.Jonesv.Reynolds,App.No.01A019510CH00484,1997WL367661,at*3(Tenn.Ct.App.July2,1997)(NoTenn.R.App.P.11applicationfiled). PrisonerswhocommittedcrimespriortoDecember11,1985arenotentitledtoearnsentencereductioncreditsforparticipatinginprogramswhentheyarestatutorilyineligibletoaccruecredits.SeeTenn.CodeAnn.4121236(c)(3)(1990). +   ׀WhenMr._Laney_Ԁsignedthe_PSRC_Ԁwaiverin1986,Tenn.CodeAnn.4121236(a)(7)providedthatmaximumsecurityprisonerscouldnotearnprisonersentencereductioncredits.SinceMr._Laney_,likeallotherdeathrowinmates,wasamaximumsecurityprisoner,hewasineligibletoearnsentencereductioncreditsfortheeducationalprogramsheparticipatedinwhileondeathrow. Mr._Laney_ԀalsoassertsthattheDepartmentwasconstitutionallyrequiredtoawardhimthesesentencereductioncreditsretroactivelyafterhisdeathsentencewasvacatedandreplacedwithalifesentence.HearguesthattheDepartmentsfailuretogranthimthesecreditshasincreasedhissentenceby1,600daysinviolationoftheExPostFactoClausesinthestateandfederalconstitutions.Wedisagree. TheExPostFactoClausesinbothU.S.Const.art.I,10,cl.1andTenn.Const.art.I,11prohibittheenactmentoflawsthatretroactivelydisadvantageprisonersbyincreasingtheirpunishment._Lynce_Ԁv._Mathis_,___U.S.___,___,117S.Ct.891,89697(1997);California_Dept_ԀofCorrectionsv.Morales,514U.S.499,___,115S.Ct.1597,1601(1995);Statev._Ricci_,914S.W.2d475,480(Tenn.1996);_Kaylor_Ԁv.Bradley,912S.W.2d728,73132(Tenn.Ct.App.1995).Theypreventtheenactmentoflawsthatincreasecriminalpunishmentsbeyondthoseprescribedwhenthecrimewascommitted. WhenMr._Laney_Ԁmurderedthegrocerin_Kingsport_,personsconvictedofClassXcrimeswerenotentitledtoearnprisonersentencecredits.Evenafterthatrestrictionwaseased,personsclassifiedasmaximumsecuritywerestillineligibletoearnsentencereductioncredits.Thus,Mr._Laney_ԀdidnotbecomeeligibletoearnsentencereductioncreditsuntilNovember15,1994whenhisdeathsentencewasreplacedbylifeimprisonment.HehasbeenearningsentencecreditseversinceNovember1994,andtheDepartmentsrefusaltoawardhimadditionalcreditsretroactivelyforactivitieswhenhewasineligibletoearncreditshasnotunconstitutionallylengthenedhissentence.SeeHendersonv._Lutche_,938S.W.2d428,430(Tenn.Ct.App.1996)(holdingthataClassXprisonerwasnotentitledtobeawarded_prisonersentencereduction_Ԁcreditsretroactively).@ III.  WeaffirmthedismissalofMr._Laney_spetitionforadeclaratoryjudgmentandremandthecasetothetrialcourtforwhateverfurtherproceedingsmayberequired.WealsotaxthecostsofthisappealtoThomasGerald_Laney_.       ____________________________       WILLIAMC.KOCH,JR.,JUDGECONCUR:________________________________HENRYF.TODD,P.J.,M.S.________________________________SAMUELL.LEWIS,JUDGE