State v. Iowa District Court for Jones County

An inmate pled guilty to domestic abuse assault in a plea bargain that dismissed a related sex abuse charge. After the inmate arrived at a facility of the Iowa Department of Corrections (IDOC), the IDOC required the inmate to participate in a Sex Offender Treatment Program (SOTP). For the initial classification mandating SOTP, the IDOC relied on the dismissed sex abuse charge and the victim’s detailed written statement included in a police report. An administrative law judge (ALJ) upheld the determination following an evidentiary hearing based on the inmate’s admission that he assaulted his girlfriend and the victim’s statement. The district court reversed, concluding that the IDOC cannot use unproven charges to require SOTP. The Supreme Court reversed and reinstated the IDOC’s decision, holding (1) the IDOC may rely on the victim’s written statement in a police report for the initial classification requiring SOTP provided that the inmate is afforded due process; (2) the ALJ may uphold the classification based on the inmate’s testimony admitting to a sexual component to the assault along with other evidence; and (3) the inmate in this case was provided with appropriate procedural protections, and there was no other error in these proceedings. View "State v. Iowa District Court for Jones County" on Justia Law