Initial Sentencing
Cal. PEN § 1170.2
California Statutes
(
a) In the case of any inmate who committed a felony prior to July 1, 1977, who would have been sentenced under
Section if he or she had committed it after July 1, 1977, the Board of Prison Terms shall determine what the length of time of imprisonment would have been under
Section without consideration of good-time credit and utilizing the middle term of the offense bearing the longest term of imprisonment of which the prisoner was convicted increased by any enhancements justified by matters found to be true and which were imposed by the court at the time of sentencing for such felony. These matters include: being armed with a deadly or dangerous weapon as specified in
Section 211a, 460, 3024, or prior to July 1, 1977, which may result in a one-year enhancement pursuant to the provisions of
Section 12022; using a firearm as specified in
Section 12022.5 prior to July 1, 1977, which may result in a two-year enhancement pursuant to the provisions of
Section 12022.5; infliction of great bodily injury as specified in
Section 213, 264, or prior to July 1, 1977, which may result in a three-year enhancement pursuant to the provisions of
Section 12022.7; any prior felony conviction as specified in any statute prior to July 1, 1977, which prior felony conviction is the equivalent of a prior prison term as defined in
Section 667.5, which may result in the appropriate enhancement pursuant to the provisions of
Section 667.5; and any consecutive sentence. (
b) If the calculation required under subdivision (
a) is less than the time to be served prior to a release date set prior to July 1, 1977, or if a release date had not been set, the Board of Prison Terms shall establish the prisoner’s parole date, subject to subdivision (d), on the date calculated under subdivision (
a) unless at least two of the commissioners of the Board of Prison Terms after reviewing the prisoner’s file, determine that due to the number of crimes of which the prisoner was convicted, or due to the number of prior convictions suffered by the prisoner, or due to the fact that the prisoner was armed with a deadly weapon when the crime was committed, or used a deadly weapon during the commission of the crime, or inflicted or attempted to inflict great bodily injury on the victim of the crime, the prisoner should serve a term longer than that calculated in subdivision (a), in which event the prisoner shall be entitled to a hearing before a panel consisting of at least two commissioners of the Board of Prison Terms as provided for in
Section 3041.5. The Board of Prison Terms shall notify each prisoner who is scheduled for such a hearing within days of July 1, 1977, or within days of the date the prisoner is received by or returned to the custody of the Department of Corrections, whichever is later. The hearing shall be held before October 1, 1978, or within days of receipt of the prisoner, whichever is later. It is the intent of the Legislature that the hearings provided for in this subdivision shall be accomplished in the most expeditious manner possible.
At the hearing the prisoner shall be entitled to be represented by legal counsel, a release date shall be set, and the prisoner shall be informed in writing of the extraordinary factors specifically considered determinative and on what basis the release date has been calculated. In fixing a term under this
section the board shall be guided by, but not limited to, the term which reasonably could be imposed on a person who committed a similar offense under similar circumstances on or after July 1, 1977, and further, the board shall be guided by the following finding and declaration hereby made by the Legislature: that the necessity to protect the public from repetition of extraordinary crimes of violence against the person is the paramount consideration. (
c) Nothing in this
section shall be deemed to keep an inmate in the custody of the Department of Corrections for a period of time longer than he would have been kept in its custody under the provisions of law applicable to him prior to July 1, 1977. Nothing in this
section shall be deemed to require the release of an inmate sentenced to consecutive sentences under the provisions of law applicable to him prior to July 1, 1977, earlier than if he had been sentenced to concurrent sentences. (
d) In the case of any prisoner who committed a felony prior to July 1, 1977, who would have been sentenced under
Section if the felony was committed on or after July 1, 1977, the good behavior and participation provisions of
Article 2.5 (commencing with
Section 2930) of
Chapter of Title of Part shall apply from July 1, 1977, and thereafter. (
e) In the case of any inmate who committed a felony prior to July 1, 1977, who would have been sentenced under
Section if the felony was committed on or after July 1, 1977, the Board of Prison Terms shall provide for release from prison as provided for by this code. (
f) In the case of any inmate who committed a felony prior to July 1, 1977, the length, conditions, revocation, and other incidents of parole shall be the same as if the prisoner had been sentenced for an offense committed on or after July 1, 1977. (
g) Nothing in this
chapter shall affect the eligibility for parole under
Article 3 (commencing with
Section 3040) of
Chapter of Title of Part of an inmate sentenced pursuant to
Section as operative prior to July 1, 1977, for a period of parole as specified in subdivision (
b) of
Section 3000. (
h) In fixing a term under this section, the Board of Prison Terms shall utilize the terms of imprisonment as provided in