Resentencing (Re: Postrelease Supervision) of Defendants Who Have Completed Determinate Sentence But Are Still Serving Aggregate Sentence Does Not Violate Double Jeopardy
In a full-fledged opinion by Judge Rivera, the Court of Appeals determined defendants who have completed the determinate sentence for which mandatory postrelease supervision was not imposed but have not completed their aggregated sentences under Penal Law 70.30 can be resentenced to postrelease supervision without violating the Double Jeopardy Clause:
In these unrelated cases, each defendant claims that the imposition of mandatory postrelease supervision (PRS) to his determinate sentence at resentencing violates the Fifth Amendment Double Jeopardy Clause of the federal constitution. Defendants claim that they have completed their determinate sentences, therefore imposition of PRS violates the prohibition against multiple punishments. We conclude that the respective resentences do not constitute violations of the Double Jeopardy clause because defendants do not have a legitimate expectation of finality until they have completed their aggregated sentences under Penal Law § 70.30. People v Brinson… Nos 135, 136, CtApp 6-26-13