UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS
Filed 5/1/96
FOR THE TENTH CIRCUIT
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JONATHAN DAVID BROWN, )
)
Plaintiff-Appellant, )
)
v. ) No.95-3404
) (D.C. No. 95-CV-3420)
JASON GROSS and JANET RENO, ) (Dist. of Kan.)
)
Defendants-Appellees. )
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ORDER AND JUDGMENT*
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Before ANDERSON, BARRETT, and MURPHY, Circuit Judges.
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After examining the briefs and the appellate record, this
panel has determined unanimously that oral argument would not
materially assist the determination of this appeal. See Fed. R.
App. P. 34(a); Tenth Cir. R. 34.1.9. The case is therefore ordered
submitted without oral argument.
Jonathan David Brown (Brown) appeals the district court’s
Order dismissing his civil rights action for failure to state a
claim.1
*
This order and judgment is not binding precedent, except
under the doctrines of law of the case, res judicata, and
collateral estoppel. The court generally disfavors the citation
of orders and judgments; nevertheless, an order and judgment may
be cited under the terms and conditions of Tenth Cir. R. 36.3.
1
Although we agree with the district court that Brown’s
allegations on appeal are frivolous, we nevertheless grant his
Motion for Leave to Proceed In Forma Pauperis in order to reach
the merits of this appeal. See (Appendix at A-38).
In 1992, Brown was convicted of accessory after the fact to
vandalism of a synagogue, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 3, and false
declarations, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1623. He was sentenced
to 27 months imprisonment followed by three years of supervised
release.
On August 5, 1994, Brown inquired about serving the remaining
10% of his sentence as home confinement under 18 U.S.C. § 3624(c).
He was informed that due to the nature of his offense release to
home confinement was denied, but told to reapply on September 16,
1994. On September 20, 1994, the Bureau of Prisons denied Brown’s
second request for release to home confinement.
On October 13, 1995, Brown filed this civil rights complaint
under 28 U.S.C. §§ 1331 and 1343, 42 U.S.C. § 1985, and Bivens v.
Six Unknown Named Agents of Federal Bureau of Narcotics, 403 U.S.
388 (1971). Brown alleged that appellees, while acting outside
their official capacities, deprived him of his right to due process
and his right to associate under the First and Fifth Amendments
when they denied him release to home confinement on the basis of
his offense and alleged association with white supremacy groups.
On October 25, 1995, the district court dismissed Brown’s
complaint sua sponte for failure to state a claim. The district
court concluded that under 18 U.S.C. § 3624(c) release to home
confinement was at the discretion of the Bureau of Prisons and,
therefore, Brown had no right to this type of release. The court
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further found that Brown’s “complaint reflects no more than the
reasonable exercise of discretion by Bureau of Prisons
authorities.” (Appendix at A-25).
On appeal, Brown argues that the district court abused its
discretion in dismissing his complaint sua sponte for failure to
state a claim. Brown reiterates his contentions that he was denied
his right to associate and his right to due process under the First
and Fifth Amendments by the Bureau of Prisons’ denial of his
request for release to home confinement.
The district court may dismiss a complaint sua sponte for
failure to state a claim upon which relief can be granted under
Fed. R. Civ. P. 12(b)(6) if “it is ‘patently obvious’ that the
plaintiff could not prevail on the facts alleged and allowing him
an opportunity to amend his complaint would be futile.” Hall v.
Bellmon, 935 F.2d 1106, 1110 (10th Cir. 1991) (citations omitted).
We review the district court’s dismissal and construction of §
3624(c) de novo. Prows v. Federal Bureau of Prisons, 981 F.2d 466,
469 (10th Cir. 1992), cert. denied, ___ U.S. ___ (1993).
18 U.S.C. § 3624(c) provides, in relevant part:
(c) Pre-release custody.--The Bureau of Prisons
shall, to the extent practicable, assure that a prisoner
serving a term of imprisonment spends a reasonable part,
not to exceed six months, of the last 10 per centum of
the term to be served under conditions that will afford
the prisoner a reasonable opportunity to adjust to and
prepare for his re-entry into the community. The
authority provided by this subsection may be used to
place a prisoner in home confinement. . . .
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In Prows, we concluded that the Bureau of Prisons had
discre+tion under § 3624(c) regarding where a prisoner was held in
pre-release confinement. 981 F.2d at 469-70. Therefore, the
district court did not err in determining that Brown did not have
a right to release to home confinement and that his complaint
reflected no more than a reasonable exercise of discretion by the
Bureau of Prisons.
We AFFIRM substantially for the reasons set forth in the
district court’s Order of October 25, 1995.
Entered for the Court:
James E. Barrett,
Senior United States
Circuit Judge
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