Journal of the House of Representatives
of the First Session of the 111th General Assembly
of the State of South Carolina
being the Regular Session Beginning Tuesday, January 10, 1995

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Printed Page 4040 . . . . . Thursday, May 25, 1995

(1) eighty-five percent of the actual term of imprisonment imposed if the offender is convicted of a `violent' crime as defined in Section 16-1-60, irrespective of whether the prisoner is considered a violent offender; or

(2) seventy percent of the actual term of imprisonment imposed if the offender is convicted of a crime not listed in Section 16-1-60.

(B) These percentages must be calculated without the application of earned work credits, education credits, and good time credits. These percentages are to be applied to the actual term of imprisonment, not to include the portion of the sentence which has been suspended.

(C) If, during the term of imprisonment, a prisoner commits an offense or violates one of the rules of the institution, all or part of the credit he has earned may be forfeited at the discretion of the director of the Department of Corrections, if the prisoner is confined in facilities of the department, or in the discretion of the local official having charge of prisoners sentenced to terms of imprisonment at the local level. The decision to withhold credits is solely the responsibility of officials named in this subsection.

(D) This section does not apply to those prisoners serving time in a local correctional facility except those prisoners serving time in a local facility pursuant to a designated facility agreement."

D. The 1976 Code is amended by adding:

"Section 24-13-175. Notwithstanding another provision of law, sentences imposed and time served must be computed based upon a three hundred and sixty-five day year."

E. The 1976 Code is amended by adding:

"Section 24-21-560. All sentences pronounced in General Sessions Court involving incarceration for a term in excess of one year for crimes committed on or after July 1, 1996, include the incarceration period and up to two years continuous community supervision. All persons who commit a crime on or after July 1, 1996, involving a sentence of incarceration for a term in excess of one year must satisfactorily complete a community supervision program operated by the Department of Probation and Community Supervision. A sentence of incarceration for a term of one year or less imposed in General Sessions Court for a crime committed on or after July1,1996, may in the discretion of the sentencing judge include a requirement for completion of a community supervision program operated by the Department of Probation and Community Supervision. This program must last no more than two continuous years


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at the sole discretion of the department. The General Sessions Court shall determine when a prisoner fails to complete this program or whether a prisoner's community supervision should be revoked. The proceeding must be initiated pursuant to a warrant or a citation issued by a probation agent setting forth the violations of the community supervision program. If the supervision is revoked, the court shall order the prisoner to serve up to one year for the violation of the terms of the original sentence without any credits and then return to community supervision. While under community supervision, prisoners are not eligible to earn any type of credits. All decisions made by the department in dealing with community supervision are final, with no right of appeal. A convict must not be released into the community without having satisfactorily completed a period of community supervision. If the prisoner's community supervision is revoked, the court shall determine if the prisoner must be returned to prison for up to one year and then placed back on community supervision until he satisfactorily completes it or his community supervision is again revoked. This process will continue until the prisoner has satisfactorily completed community supervision. The prisoner must successfully complete community supervision in order to be released from the criminal justice system. Successful completion of the community supervision program satisfies the prisoner's sentence.

The Department of Corrections shall notify the Department of Probation and Community Supervision of the projected release date of inmates one hundred eighty days in advance. For offenders sentenced to one hundred eighty days or less, the Department of Corrections shall notify immediately the Department of Probation and Community Supervision.
The Department of Probation and Community Supervision shall notify victims registered pursuant to Section 16-3-1530(c) and the sheriff's office of the place where the prisoner is to be released when he is released to community supervision."

F. Section 1-30-10(A)15 of the 1976 Code, as added by Act 181 of 1993, is amended to read:

"15. Department of Probation, Pardon and Parole Community Supervision"

G. Section 1-30-10(F)(2)(iii) of the 1976 Code, as added by Act 181 of 1993, is amended to read:

"(iii) Department of Probation, Pardon and Parole Community Supervision created pursuant to Section 1-30-85 by the director of the former Department of Probation, Pardon and Parole;"

H. Section 1-30-85 of the 1976 Code, as added by Act 181 of 1993, is amended to read:


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"Section 1-30-85. Effective on July 1, 1993, the following agencies, boards, and commissions, including all of the allied, advisory, affiliated, or related entities as well as the employees, funds, property and all contractual rights and obligations associated with any such agency, except for those subdivisions specifically included under another department, are hereby transferred to and incorporated in and shall must be administered as part of the Department of Probation, Pardon and Parole Community Supervision:

Department of Probation, Pardon and Parole, formerly provided for at Section 24-21-10, et seq."

I. Section 16-3-20 of the 1976 Code, as last amended by Act 488 of 1992, is further amended to read:

"Section 16-3-20. (A) A person who is convicted of or pleads guilty to murder must be punished by death, or by imprisonment for life, and is not eligible for parole until the service of twenty years; provided, however, that when or by a mandatory minimum of thirty years. If the State seeks the death penalty and an a statutory aggravating circumstance is specifically found beyond a reasonable doubt pursuant to subsections (B) and (C), and a recommendation of death is not made, the court trial judge must impose a sentence of life imprisonment. without eligibility for parole until the service of thirty years. For purposes of this section, `life' means until death. Provided, further, that Under no circumstances may a female who is pregnant with child be executed so long as she is in that condition pregnant. When the Governor commutes a sentence of death under the provisions of Section 14 of Article IV of the Constitution of South Carolina, 1895, the commutee is not eligible for parole. No person sentenced under the provisions of this subsection may receive any work-release credits, good-time credits, or any other credit that would reduce the mandatory imprisonment required by this subsection.

(B) When the State seeks the death penalty, upon conviction or adjudication of guilt of a defendant of murder, the court shall conduct a separate sentencing proceeding. In the proceeding, if a statutory aggravating circumstance is found, the defendant must be sentenced to either death or life imprisonment. If no statutory aggravating circumstance is found, the defendant must be sentenced to either life imprisonment or a mandatory minimum of thirty years. to determine whether the defendant should be sentenced to death or life imprisonment. The proceeding shall must be conducted by the trial judge before the trial jury as soon as practicable after the lapse of twenty-four hours unless waived by the defendant. If trial by jury has been waived by the defendant and the State, or if the defendant pleaded guilty, the sentencing proceeding


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shall must be conducted before the court judge. In the sentencing proceeding, the jury or judge shall hear additional evidence in extenuation, mitigation, or aggravation of the punishment. Only such evidence in aggravation as the State has made known to informed the defendant in writing prior to before the trial shall be is admissible. This section shall must not be construed to authorize the introduction of any evidence secured in violation of the Constitutions of the United States or the State of South Carolina or the applicable laws of either. The State, the defendant, and his counsel shall be are permitted to present arguments for or against the sentence to be imposed. The defendant and his counsel shall have the closing argument regarding the sentence to be imposed.

(C) The judge shall consider, or he shall include in his instructions to the jury for it to consider, any mitigating circumstances otherwise authorized or allowed by law and any of the following statutory aggravating and mitigating circumstances which may be supported by the evidence:

(a) Statutory aggravating circumstances:

(1) The murder was committed while in the commission of the following crimes or acts:

(a) criminal sexual conduct in any degree;

(b) kidnapping;

(c) burglary in any degree;

(d) robbery while armed with a deadly weapon;

(e) larceny with use of a deadly weapon;

(f) killing by poison;

(g) drug trafficking as defined in Section 44-53-370(e), 44-53-375(B), 44-53-440, or 44-53-445; or

(h) physical torture.

(2) The murder was committed by a person with a prior conviction for murder.

(3) The offender by his act of murder knowingly created a great risk of death to more than one person in a public place by means of a weapon or device which normally would be hazardous to the lives of more than one person.

(4) The offender committed the murder for himself or another for the purpose of receiving money or a thing of monetary value.

(5) The murder of a judicial officer, former judicial officer, solicitor, former solicitor, or other officer of the court during or because of the exercise of his official duty.

(6) The offender caused or directed another to commit murder or committed murder as an agent or employee of another person.


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(7) The murder of a federal, state, or local law enforcement officer, peace officer or former peace officer, corrections employee or former corrections employee, or fireman or former fireman during or because of the performance of his official duties.

(8) The murder of a family member of an official listed in subitems (5) and (7) above with the intent to impede or retaliate against the official. `Family member' means a spouse, parent, brother, sister, child, or person to whom the official stands in the place of a parent, or a person living in the official's household and related to him by blood or marriage.

(9) Two or more persons were murdered by the defendant by one act or pursuant to one scheme or course of conduct.

(10) The murder of a child eleven years of age or under.

(b) Mitigating circumstances:

(1) The defendant has no significant history of prior criminal conviction involving the use of violence against another person.

(2) The murder was committed while the defendant was under the influence of mental or emotional disturbance.

(3) The victim was a participant in the defendant's conduct or consented to the act.

(4) The defendant was an accomplice in the murder committed by another person and his participation was relatively minor.

(5) The defendant acted under duress or under the domination of another person.

(6) The capacity of the defendant to appreciate the criminality of his conduct or to conform his conduct to the requirements of law was substantially impaired.

(7) The age or mentality of the defendant at the time of the crime.

(8) The defendant was provoked by the victim into committing the murder.

(9) The defendant was below the age of eighteen at the time of the crime.

(10) The defendant had mental retardation at the time of the crime. `Mental retardation' means significantly subaverage general intellectual functioning existing concurrently with deficits in adaptive behavior and manifested during the developmental period.

The statutory instructions as to statutory aggravating and mitigating circumstances shall must be given in charge and in writing to the jury for its deliberation. The jury, if its verdict be is a recommendation of death, shall designate in writing, and signed by all members of the jury, the statutory aggravating circumstance or circumstances which it found beyond


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a reasonable doubt. The jury, if it does not recommend death, after finding an a statutory aggravating circumstance or circumstances beyond a reasonable doubt, shall designate, in writing, and signed by all members of the jury, designate the statutory aggravating circumstance or circumstances it found beyond a reasonable doubt. In nonjury cases the judge shall make such makes the designation. Unless at least one of the statutory aggravating circumstances enumerated in this section is so found, the death penalty shall must not be imposed.

Where a statutory aggravating circumstance is found and a recommendation of death is made, the court trial judge shall sentence the defendant to death. The trial judge, prior to before imposing the death penalty, shall find as an affirmative fact that the death penalty was warranted under the evidence of the case and was not a result of prejudice, passion, or any other another arbitrary factor. Where a statutory aggravating circumstance is found and a sentence of death is not recommended by the jury, the court trial judge shall sentence the defendant to life imprisonment as provided in subsection (A). In the event that all members of the jury after a reasonable deliberation cannot agree on a recommendation as to whether or not the death sentence should be imposed on a defendant found guilty of murder, the trial judge shall dismiss such jury and shall sentence the defendant to life imprisonment as provided in subsection (A). Before dismissing the jury, the trial judge shall question the jury as to whether or not it found an aggravating circumstance or circumstances beyond a reasonable doubt. If the jury has found an aggravating circumstance or circumstances beyond a reasonable doubt, the jury shall designate this finding, in writing, signed by all the members of the jury. The jury shall not recommend the death penalty if the vote for such penalty is not unanimous as provided. Before dismissing the jury, the trial judge shall question the jury as to whether or not it found a statutory aggravating circumstance or circumstances beyond a reasonable doubt. If the jury does not unanimously find any statutory aggravating circumstances or circumstances beyond a reasonable doubt, it shall not make a sentencing recommendation. Where a statutory aggravating circumstance is not found, the trial judge shall sentence the defendant to either life imprisonment or a mandatory minimum of thirty years. If the jury has found a statutory aggravating circumstance or circumstances beyond a reasonable doubt, the jury shall designate this finding, in writing, signed by all the members of the jury. The jury shall not recommend the death penalty if the vote for such penalty is not unanimous as provided. If members of the jury after a reasonable deliberation cannot agree on a recommendation as to whether or not the


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death sentence should be imposed on a defendant found guilty of murder, the trial judge shall dismiss such jury and shall sentence the defendant to life imprisonment as provided in subsection (A).

(D) Notwithstanding the provisions of Section 14-7-1020, in cases involving capital punishment any a person called as a juror shall must be examined by the attorney for the defense.

(E) In every a criminal action in which a defendant is charged with a crime which may be punishable by death, a person may not be disqualified, excused, or excluded from service as a juror therein by reason of his beliefs or attitudes against capital punishment unless such beliefs or attitudes would render him unable to return a verdict according to law."
J. Section 16-3-625 of the 1976 Code is amended to read:

"Section 16-3-625. Any A person seventeen years of age or older who resists the lawful efforts of a law enforcement officer to arrest him or her or any other another person with the use or threat of use of any a deadly weapon against the officer, when such and the person is in possession or claims to be in possession of a deadly weapon, shall be deemed is guilty of a felony and, upon conviction, shall must be punished by imprisonment for imprisoned for a mandatory minimum of five years and not more than ten nor less than two years. No sentence imposed hereunder for a first offense shall be suspended to less than six months nor shall the persons so sentenced be eligible for parole until after service of six months. No person sentenced under this section for a second or subsequent offense shall have such sentence suspended to less than two years nor shall such person be eligible for parole until after service of two years.

As used in this section `deadly weapon' shall mean means a shotgun, rifle, pistol, or knife any instrument which can be used to inflict deadly force.

This section shall in no manner does not affect or replace the common law crime of assault and battery with intent to kill nor shall does it apply if the sentencing judge, in his discretion, elects to sentence an eligible defendant under the provisions of the `Youthful Offenders Act'."

K. Section 16-3-1180(C) of the 1976 Code is amended to read:

"(C) The aggregate of award to and on behalf of victims may not exceed ten thousand dollars unless the Crime Victim's Advisory Board, by two-thirds vote, and the director concur that extraordinary circumstances exist. In such case, the award may not exceed twenty-five thousand dollars."


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L. Section 16-3-1260 of the 1976 Code is amended to read:

"Section 16-3-1260. (1) Any A payment of benefits to, or on behalf of, a victim or intervenor, or eligible family member under this article shall create creates a debt due and owing to the State by any a person found in as determined by a court of competent jurisdiction of this State, to have who has committed such the criminal act.

(2) The circuit court, when placing on probation any a person who owes a debt to the State as a consequence of a criminal act, may set as a condition of probation the payment of the debt or a portion of the debt to the State. The court also may also set the schedule or amounts of payments subject to modification based on change of circumstances.

(3) The Department of Parole and Community Corrections shall also have the right to make payment of the debt or a portion of the debt to the State a condition of parole.

(4) When a juvenile is adjudicated delinquent in a family court proceeding involving a crime upon which a claim under this article can be made, the family court, in its discretion, may order that the juvenile pay the debt to the Victim's Compensation Fund State Office of Victim Assistance, as created by this article, as an adult would have to pay had an adult committed the crime. Any assessments so ordered may be made a condition of probation as provided in Section 20-7-1330.

(5)(4) Payments authorized or required under this section must be paid to the Victim's Compensation Fund State Office of Victim Assistance. The Director of the Victim's Compensation Fund State Office of Victim Assistance shall coordinate the development of policies and procedures for the South Carolina Department of Corrections, Department of Juvenile Justice, the South Carolina Office of Court Administration, and the South Carolina Board Department of Parole Probation and Community Corrections Supervision to assure that victim restitution programs are administered in an effective manner to increase payments into the Compensation Fund State Office of Victim Assistance.

(6)(5) Restitution payments to the Victim's Compensation Fund State Office of Victim Assistance may be made by the Department of Corrections from wages accumulated by offenders in its custody who are subject to this article, except that offenders wages shall must not be used for this purpose if such monthly wages are at or below minimums required to purchase basic necessities."

M. The first paragraph of Section 16-3-1530(C) of the 1976 Code, as last amended by Act 68 of 1991, is further amended to read:

"Victims and witnesses who wish to receive notification and information shall provide the solicitor, the Department of Corrections, and the


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Department of Probation, Parole and Pardon Services Community Supervision their current address and telephone number. This information, as it is contained in Department of Corrections and Department of Probation, Parole and Pardon Services Community Supervision files, is privileged and must not be disclosed directly or indirectly, except between these two departments, or by order of a court of competent jurisdiction. The solicitor's office which is prosecuting the case has the responsibility of the rights in this subsection, except items (6) and (7) which are the responsibility of the Department of Probation, Parole and Pardon Services Community Supervision and the Department of Corrections."

N. Section 16-3-1530(D)(3) of the 1976 Code is amended to read:

"(3) A victim has the right to receive restitution for expenses or property loss incurred as the result of the crime. The judge shall order restitution at every sentencing for a crime against person or property or as a condition of probation or parole, unless the court finds a substantial and compelling reason not to order restitution. The court shall diligently, fairly, and in a timely manner enforce all orders of restitution."

O. Section 16-3-1550(B) of the 1976 Code, as last amended by Act 579 of 1988, is further amended to read:

"(B) It is the responsibility of the solicitor's Victim or Witness Assistance Unit in each judicial circuit or a representative designated by the solicitor or law enforcement agency handling the case to advise all victims of their right to submit to the court, orally or in writing at the victim's option, a victim impact statement to be considered by the judge at the sentencing or disposition hearing in general sessions court and at a parole hearing. The solicitor's office or law enforcement agency shall provide a copy of the written form to any victim who wishes to make a written report. In those cases which the solicitor determines that there has been extensive or significant impact on the life of the victim, the Victim or Witness Assistance Unit shall assist the victim in completing the form. The victim shall submit this statement to the solicitor's office within appropriate time limits set by the solicitor to be filed in the court records by the solicitor's office so it may be available to the defense for a reasonable period of time prior to before sentencing. The court shall allow the defendant to have the opportunity to rebut the victim's written statement if the court decides to review any part of the statement before sentencing. If the defendant is incarcerated, the solicitor shall forward a copy of the impact statement and copies of all completed Victim/Witness Notification Requests to the Department of Corrections and to the Parole and Community Corrections Board Department of Probation and


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Community Supervision. Solicitors shall begin using these victim impact statements no later than January 1, 1985."

P. Section 16-11-311 of the 1976 Code is amended to read:

"Section 16-11-311. (A) A person is guilty of burglary in the first degree if the person enters a dwelling without consent and with intent to commit a crime therein in the dwelling, and either:

(1) when, in effecting entry or while in the dwelling or in immediate flight therefrom, he or another participant in the crime:

(a) is armed with a deadly weapon or explosive; or

(b) causes physical injury to any a person who is not a participant in the crime; or

(c) uses or threatens the use of a dangerous instrument; or

(d) displays what is or appears to be a knife, pistol, revolver, rifle, shotgun, machine gun, or other firearm; or

(2) the burglary is committed by a person with a prior record of two or more convictions for burglary or housebreaking or a combination of both; or

(3) the entering or remaining occurs in the nighttime.

(B) Burglary in the first degree is a felony punishable by life imprisonment; provided, that the. For purposes of this section, `life' means until death. The court, in its discretion, may sentence the defendant to a term of not less than fifteen years, provided, that no person convicted of burglary in the first degree shall be eligible for parole except upon service of not less than one-third of the term of the sentence."

Q. Section 17-25-45 of the 1976 Code is amended to read:

"Section 17-25-45. (1) A.(A) (1) Notwithstanding any other another provision of law, any a person who has three two convictions under the laws of this State, any other another state, or the United States, for a violent crime as defined in Section 16-1-60 except a crime for which a sentence of death has been imposed shall, upon the third conviction in this State for such a violent crime, except a crime for which a sentence of death has been imposed, must be sentenced to life imprisonment without parole. For purposes of this section `life imprisonment' means until death.

B.(2) For the purpose of this section only, a conviction is considered a second conviction only if the date of the commission of the second crime occurred subsequent to the imposition of the sentence for the first offense. A conviction is considered a third conviction only if the date of the commission of the third crime occurred subsequent to the imposition of the sentence for the second offense. Convictions totaling more than three must be determined in a like manner.


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