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ÔÔ€ÔÝ  ÝÑ  ÑÒ € ÒÒ „ ÒÑ\R AØ'\ÑÑ€ÑÑ7€Ï”XXdædÈ7ÑÑ  ÑÑ  Ñò òÔ€¼ÔÓ  ÓÙ€!ÙßR€%*A1-j|Hò` ç `€€@ÿRßÞ ÞÌà@ àIN€THE€COURT€OF€APPEALS€OF€TENNESSEEÌà@ àAT€NASHVILLEó óÔ€XÔÌÌÌÌÌDONALD€R.€McMAHAN,à àà àà à)Ìà àà àà àà àà àà à)Ìà àPetitioner/Appellant,à àà à)Ìà àà àà àà àà àà à)à àAppeal€No.Ìà àà àà àà àà àà à)à à01„A„01„9711„CH„00681ÌVS.à àà àà àà àà àà à)Ìà àà àà àà àà àà à)à àDavidson€ChanceryÌà àà àà àà àà àà à)à àNo.€97„163„IIIÌCANDACE€WHISMAN,à àà àà à)à àà àà àà àà àà àÌTENNESSEE€DEPARTMENT€OFà à)ÌCORRECTION,à àà àà àà à)Ìà àà àà àà àà àà à)Ìà àRespondent/Appellee.à àà à)ÌÌÌà@ àAPPEALED€FROM€THE€CHANCERY€COURT€OF€DAVIDSON€COUNTYÌà@ àAT€NASHVILLE,€TENNESSEEÌÌà@ àTHE€HONORABLE€ELLEN€HOBBS€LYLE,€CHANCELLORÌÌÌÌÌDONALD€R.€McMAHAN,€#126698ÌNortheast€Correctional€CenterÌP.€O.€Box€5000ÌMountain€City,€Tennessee€37683Ìà àPro€Se/Petitioner/AppellantÌÌJOHN€KNOX€WALKUPÌAttorney€General€and€ReporterÌÌPATRICIA€C.€KUSSMANNÌAssistant€Attorney€GeneralÌSecond€Floor,€Cordell€Hull€BuildingÌ425€Fifth€Avenue€NorthÌNashville,€Tennessee€37243Ìà àAttorney€for€Respondent/AppelleeÌÌÌÌà@ àAFFIRMED€AS€MODIFIEDÌà@ àAND€REMANDEDÌÌÌÌà àà àà àà àà àà àà àBEN€H.€CANTRELL,€JUDGEÌÌCONCUR:ÌTODD,€P.J.,€M.S.ÌKOCH,€J.ÌÌÓÓò òÔ€„Ôòòà@ àO€P€I€N€I€O€Nóóó óÔ€XÔÌÌà àà àThe€Chancery€Court€of€Davidson€County€ruled€that€it€lackedÏjurisdiction€over€a€Petition€for€Declaratory€Judgment€filed€by€a€prisoner€in€theÏcustody€of€the€Tennessee€Department€of€Correction,€and€it€dismissed€the€petitionÏwith€prejudice.€€We€affirm€the€dismissal,€but€we€amend€it€to€be€without€prejudice.ÌÌà@ àò òI.€€Facts€and€Prior€ProceedingsÌó óÌà àà àDonald€R.€McMahan€was€convicted€in€the€Criminal€Court€ofÏHamblen€County€of€multiple€counts€of€drug€possession.€€He€was€sentenced€onÏMarch€28,€1989,€receiving€sentences€amounting€to€35€years€for€possession€ofÍschedule€II€drugs€and€7€years€for€possession€of€cocaine.€€The€sentences€wereÏordered€to€run€consecutively,€for€a€total€of€42€years.ÌÌà àà àMr.€€McMahan€was€transferred€to€the€Carter€County€Work€Camp€inÏ1992€and€placed€on€work€release.€€On€July€23,€1993,€officers€of€the€facility€foundÏfour€grams€of€marijuana€at€the€foot€of€his€bed,€which€they€claimed€belonged€toÏhim.€€The€prisoner€was€tried€in€the€Carter€County€Criminal€Court,€and€wasÏconvicted€on€February€21,€1995€of€having€contraband€in€a€penal€facility.€€HeÏreceived€a€three€year€sentence,€to€be€served€consecutively€to€his€originalÏsentence.€ÌÌà àà àAt€the€time€of€his€transfer€to€the€work€camp,€Mr.€McMahan€had€beenÏpresented€with€a€document€entitled€Assignment€of€Responsibility,€which€heÏsigned,€and€which€read€in€relevant€part:Ìà8 àà8 àÓÓð ðI€understand€that€if€I€am€convicted€of€a€felony€exceptÏescape€committed€while€on€work,€educational,Ïrestitution,€or€other€program€which€allows€me€theÏprivilege€of€supervised€or€unsupervised€release€intoÏthe€community€I€must€serve€the€remainder€of€my€termÏwithout€parole€or€further€participation€in€such€programsÏ.€.€.€this€is€consistent€with€the€laws€of€Tennessee,Ïspecifically€40„28„123€(b)(1).ððÌÌÓÓÌà àà àAfter€he€was€sentenced,€Mr.€McMahan€was€notified€that€his€releaseÏeligibility€date€(RED),€which€is€the€earliest€date€that€a€prisoner€may€be€consideredÏfor€release,€had€been€moved€forward€from€the€year€1999€to€the€year€2029.€Ìà@ àÌà àà àOn€September€6,€1996,€Mr.€McMahan€addressed€a€document€whichÏhe€captioned€ð ðDeclaratory€Order€of€Exhaustion€of€Administrative€Rights€to€BeÏEnforced,ðð€to€Candace€Whisman,€a€sentence€analyst€with€the€SentenceÏInformation€Services€of€the€Department€of€Correction.€€The€document€containedÏargument€to€the€effect€that€a€mere€record€clerk€had€no€right€to€alter€a€prisonerððsÏRED,€and€a€request€that€Mr.€McMahanððs€previous€RED€of€1999€be€restored.€ÏThere€was€apparently€no€response€to€the€document.ÌÌà àà àThe€prisoner€subsequently€filed€a€Petition€for€Declaratory€JudgmentÏin€the€chancery€court,€which€contained€the€same€arguments€and€same€request€forÏrelief€as€in€the€document€he€previously€submitted€to€Ms.€Whisman.€€The€chanceryÏcourt€stated€that€the€petitioner€had€not€followed€the€procedures€that€are€requiredÏbefore€the€court€may€review€the€action€of€an€administrative€agency,€and€itÏdismissed€the€petition€with€prejudice.€€This€appeal€followed.ÌÌà@ àò òII.€€Jurisdictionó óÌÌà àà àThe€Uniform€Administrative€Procedures€Act€(UAPA),€Tenn.€CodeÏAnn.€ðð€4„5„101€et€seq.,€provides€a€mechanism€for€judicial€review€of€the€actions€ofÏstate€administrative€agencies.€€Under€the€Act,€an€individual€must€first€petition€theÏagency€itself€for€a€declaratory€order€as€to€ð ðthe€validity€or€applicability€of€a€statute,Ïrule,€or€order€within€the€primary€juridiction€of€the€agency.ðð€€Tenn.€Code€Ann.€ðð€4„5„223.ÌÌà àà àUpon€receiving€such€a€petition,€the€agency€may€convene€aÏcontested€case€hearing€and€issue€a€declaratory€order,€or€it€may€refuse€to€issue€aÏdeclaratory€order.€€In€either€case,€the€petitioner€is€entitled€at€that€point€to€apply€toÏthe€court€for€a€review€of€the€agencyððs€action,€through€a€Petition€for€DeclaratoryÏJudgment.€€Tenn.€Code€Ann.€ðð€€4„5„224.€ÌÌà àà àAs€the€Chancellor€noted,€the€Department€of€Correction€has€alsoÏestablished€specific€procedures€for€internal€review€of€its€actions,€which€a€prisonerÏmust€comply€with€before€taking€the€ultimate€administrative€step€of€filing€a€PetitionÏfor€a€Declaratory€Order€with€the€legal€office€of€the€department.€€Mr.€McMahan€didÏnot€follow€any€of€these€procedures,€nor€did€he€send€a€Petition€for€a€DeclaratoryÏOrder€to€the€proper€parties,€but€instead€sent€a€document€of€his€own€design€to€aÏdepartment€employee€who€lacked€the€authority€to€grant€him€the€relief€that€heÏsought.ÌÌà àà àIt€appears€from€the€caption€of€the€document€Mr.€McMahan€submittedÏto€Ms.€Whisman€that€he€was€aware€of€the€need€to€exhaust€his€administrativeÏremedies€before€he€would€be€permitted€to€apply€for€judicial€review,€and€that€theÏprocedures€to€follow€included€applying€for€a€declaratory€order.€€While€weÏrecognize€that€a€prisoner€who€is€unversed€in€the€law€and€is€acting€pro€se€may€notÏbe€held€in€every€instance€to€the€same€standards€that€are€imposed€on€a€licensedÏattorney,€we€do€not€believe€that€any€litigant€can€confer€jurisdiction€on€a€trial€courtÏunder€the€UAPA€without€following€the€requirements€of€the€statute€and€of€relevantÏregulations.€€We€therefore€affirm€the€action€of€the€trial€court€in€dismissing€theÏpetition€for€lack€of€jurisdiction.€ÌÌà àà àAn€involuntary€dismissal€for€lack€of€jurisdication€is€generallyÏconsidered€not€to€be€an€adjudication€on€the€merits.€€See€Rule€Tenn.R.Civ.€P.Ï41.02(3),€òòGoeke€v.€Woodsóó,€777€S.W.,2d€347,€349€(Tenn.€1989).€€We€therefore€doÏnot€believe€that€Mr.€McMahan€should€be€precluded€from€further€access€to€theÏcourts,€if€he€pursues€his€administrative€remedy€to€an€unsuccessful€conclusion,Ïand€we€amend€that€portion€of€the€trial€courtððs€order€that€would€have€had€the€effectÏof€cutting€him€off€from€such€access.€ò òÌÌà@ àIII.€ó óÌÌà àà àWe€affirm€the€action€of€the€trial€court,€but€declare€its€dismissal€to€beÏwithout€prejudice.€€Remand€this€cause€to€the€Chancery€Court€of€Davidson€CountyÏfor€further€proceedings€consistent€with€this€opinion.€€Tax€the€costs€on€appeal€toÏthe€appellant.€€ÌÌÌÓÓà àà àà àà àà àà àà à____________________________Ìà àà àà àà àà àà àà àBEN€H.€CANTRELL,€JUDGEÌÌÌÌCONCUR:ÌÌÌÌÌ_______________________________ÌHENRY€F.€TODD,€PRESIDING€JUDGEÌMIDDLE€SECTIONÌÌÌÌÌ_____________________________ÌWILLIAM€C.€KOCH,€JR.,€JUDGEÌÌÌÌÌÑ ° ÑÑ X ÑÌÑ  ÑÔ€¼Ôò òà@ àIN€THE€COURT€OF€APPEALS€OF€TENNESSEEÌà@ àAT€NASHVILLEó óÔ€XÔÌÌÌÌÌDONALD€R.€McMAHAN,à àà àà à)Ìà àà àà àà àà àà à)Ìà àPetitioner/Appellant,à àà à)Ìà àà àà àà àà àà à)à àAppeal€No.Ìà àà àà àà àà àà à)à à01„A„01„9711„CH„00681ÌVS.à àà àà àà àà àà à)Ìà àà àà àà àà àà à)à àDavidson€ChanceryÌà àà àà àà àà àà à)à àNo.€97„163„IIIÌCANDACE€WHISMAN,à àà àà à)à àà àà àà àà àà àÌTENNESSEE€DEPARTMENT€OFà à)ÌCORRECTION,à àà àà àà à)Ìà àà àà àà àà àà à)Ìà àRespondent/Appellee.à àà à)ÌÌÔ€¼Ôò òòòà@ àJ€U€D€G€M€E€N€Tóóó óÌÌÓÓÔ€XÔà àà àThis€cause€came€on€to€be€heard€upon€the€record€on€appeal€from€theÏChancery€Court€of€Davidson€County,€and€briefs€of€the€parties;€upon€considerationÏwhereof,€this€Court€is€of€the€opinion€that€in€the€decree€of€the€Chancellor€there€isÏno€reversible€error.€€However,€we€find€that€the€dismissal€of€the€petition€should€beÏwithout€prejudice.Ìà àà àIn€accordance€with€the€opinion€of€the€Court€filed€herein,€it€is,Ïtherefore,€ordered€and€decreed€by€this€Court€that€the€decree€is€affirmed€asÏmodified.€€The€cause€is€remanded€to€the€Chancery€Court€of€Davidson€County€forÏthe€enforcement€of€the€decree€and€for€the€collection€of€the€costs€accrued€below.Ìà àà àCosts€of€this€appeal€are€taxed€against€Donald€R.€McMahan,ÏPrincipal,€€for€which€execution€may€issue€if€necessary.ÌÓÓÌÌÌà àà àà àà àà àà à________________________________Ìà àà àà àà àà àà àHENRY€F.€TODD,€PRESIDING€JUDGEÌà àà àà àà àà àà àMIDDLE€SECTIONÌÌÌà àà àà àà àà àà à________________________________Ìà àà àà àà àà àà àBEN€H.€CANTRELL,€JUDGEÌÌÌà àà àà àà àà àà à________________________________Ìà àà àà àà àà àà àWILLIAM€C.€KOCH,€JR.,€JUDGE