In re Jenson

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Penal Code sections 3051 and 1170.1(c) are irreconcilable as they apply to a youth offender who commits an additional crime in prison after the age of 26, because section 3051, which specifically addresses youth offenders, dictates that the youth offender be immediately released upon being found suitable for parole. In contrast, section 1170.1(c) would require the same youth offender to serve any applicable Thompson term even after being found suitable for release. Because section 3051 is both later-enacted and more specific, section 3051 supersedes section 1170.1(c).The Court of Appeal granted a petition for writ of habeas corpus, ordering Ronald Jenson released. Jenson was convicted of first degree felony murder at age 19. Jenson committed three additional in-prison crimes during his first nine years of incarceration, but he has remained crime-free for the last 30 years of his sentence. The Board of Parole Hearings found Jenson suitable for release on parole at a youth offender parole hearing, but the CDCR ordered him to serve an additional sentence for his in-prison offenses. The court held that Jenson need not serve his Thompson term and was entitled to be released from prison. View "In re Jenson" on Justia Law