MICHAEL PAZDEN,
Petitioner-Appellant,
v.
NEW JERSEY STATE PAROLE BOARD,
Respondent-Respondent.
Argued October 12, 2004 - Decided January 21, 2005
Before Judges A. A. Rodríguez, Weissbard and Hoens.
On appeal from the Final Agency Decision of the New Jersey State Parole
Board,
PN: 283002.
Kevin McNulty argued the cause for appellant (Gibbons, Del Deo, Dolan, Griffinger &
Vecchione, attorneys; Lawrence S. Lustberg and Philip James Degnan, on the brief).
Walter C. Kowalski, Deputy Attorney General, argued the cause for respondent (Peter C.
Harvey, Attorney General, attorney; Patrick DeAlmeida, Deputy Attorney General, of counsel; Mr. Kowalski,
on the brief).
The opinion of the court was delivered by
HOENS, J.A.D.
Michael Pazden appeals from the decision of the New Jersey State Parole Board
denying his application for a modification of the special conditions of his parole.
He challenges the special conditions on statutory and constitutional grounds, asserting that the
conditions exceed the authority of the Parole Act, see N.J.S.A. 30:4-123.45 to -123.76,
and, in the alternative, that they are void for vagueness. While we do
not agree with Pazden's statutory challenge to the special conditions of his parole,
we conclude that in general conditions of parole are subject to constitutional limitations
and that in particular the conditions imposed on Pazden cannot withstand constitutional scrutiny.
We therefore reverse and remand.
The essential facts of Pazden's underlying offense and conviction are not in dispute,
but an explanation of those facts is necessary for an understanding of our
analysis of his challenge to the special conditions. In short, Pazden and his
brother were engaged in a business venture in the late 1980's and early
1990's as a part of which they planned to build a condominium complex
in Clifton. As a means to that end, they created Riverview Village, Inc.
(Riverview), a corporation which would be the vehicle for the construction and marketing
of the units in the condominium complex. Riverview entered into an agreement for
an option to purchase a fourteen-acre parcel where the project was to be
built.
After entering into the option agreement, Riverview began to market units in the
project to prospective purchasers. Those contracts required payment of a 10% deposit by
the purchasers toward the price of each unit. Purchasers who desired certain upgrades
to their units were required to make additional deposits to cover a portion
of those costs. The contracts represented that the deposit money, including the additional
deposits for upgrades, would be held by Riverview in an escrow account pending
completion of the project. Between March 1989 and April 1990, Riverview entered into
numerous contracts with individuals for purchase of units in the project.
According to the State's evidence, the Public Offering Statement (POS) utilized by Pazden
was not approved by the Department of Community Affairs and was not accurate.
Among other things, the deposit money was not held in escrow as required,
but was instead used by Pazden to make payments to the owner of
the land in furtherance of the continuation of the option contract. In addition,
to the extent that the POS represented that Riverview was already the owner
of the land on which the condominium project was to be built, it
was false. While Pazden made significant payments to the landowner to preserve the
option to purchase the parcel, eventually the project failed and none of the
condominium units was ever built. Moreover, when the project failed, because the deposit
money had not been held in an escrow account as promised, there were
insufficient funds to reimburse all of those who had contracted to purchase units.
Forty-three of the purchasers lost the money they had paid for their units.
Following a lengthy investigation, Pazden was named in two indictments. In the first,
Indictment No. 93-12-1353-I, Pazden was charged with offenses including one count of second-degree
theft by deception, N.J.S.A. 2C:20-4, forty-three counts of third-degree theft by deception, N.J.S.A.
2C:20-4, one count of second-degree theft by failure to make required disposition, N.J.S.A.
2C:20-9, forty-three counts of third-degree theft by failure to make required disposition, N.J.S.A.
2C:20-9, and forty-three counts of third-degree misapplication of entrusted property, N.J.S.A. 2C:21-15. In
the second, Indictment No. 96-01-0016-I, he was named in two counts of fourth-degree
uttering a forged instrument, N.J.S.A. 2C:21-1a(3). Part of the State's proofs at trial
related to its assertion that in furtherance of the scheme, Pazden had intentionally
used an unapproved and inaccurate version of the POS. The State's evidence also
demonstrated that in an effort to cover the fact that the funds had
not been repaid to purchasers, Pazden had issued reimbursement checks from Riverview payable
to two purchasers and then had forged endorsements on those checks.
In 1996 a jury found Pazden guilty of 119 of the counts in
Indictment No. 93-12-1353-I and of both counts of uttering a forged instrument contained
in Indictment No. 96-01-0016-I. When interviewed in connection with the pre-sentence report, Pazden
denied that he was guilty, acknowledged that many people had lost their money,
and blamed that loss on his poor business decisions rather than on any
criminal intent on his part.
Thereafter, Pazden was sentenced to a term of eight years, with a three-year
period of parole ineligibility for second-degree theft by deception, with which all of
the third-degree theft by deception counts were merged. He was sentenced as well
to a concurrent term of eight years with a three-year period of parole
ineligibility for the second-degree failure to make required disposition, with which all of
the third-degree failure to make required disposition counts merged. He was also sentenced
to consecutive four-year terms on each of two of the misapplication of funds
counts, with which all of the other counts for misapplication of funds merged.
On the separate charges for uttering forged instruments, Pazden was sentenced to a
one-year term to be served concurrently with the previously imposed terms. Therefore, Pazden
was sentenced to an aggregate sentence of sixteen years with a three-year period
of parole ineligibility. This court affirmed Pazden's conviction on direct appeal, State v.
Pazden, No. A-7013-95T4 (App. Div. June 17, 1999), but remanded for further consideration
of whether it was appropriate to impose consecutive sentences for the misappropriation of
funds counts.
See footnote 1
Pazden served approximately four years of his sentence in prison and was released
on parole. The original Certificate of Parole, issued December 28, 2000, subjected Pazden
to standard conditions of parole, namely, that he obey all laws, that he
report to his parole officer on a regular basis, that he notify his
parole officer if he were arrested, if he were the subject of a
criminal complaint, if he moved or changed his employment, and other similar but
standard conditions. That original certificate also imposed special conditions on Pazden's parole, including
that he adhere to a restitution payment plan, that he submit to random
urine testing and alcohol monitoring, that he refrain from contact with any of
the victims of the crimes or with his co-defendant, and that he undergo
thirty-six months of intensive supervision. The December 2000 Certificate of Parole also contained
the following special condition: "You are to attempt to gain and maintain steady
employment. If not working, participate in vocational training/educational program."
Following his release on parole, Pazden advised his parole officer that he had
secured employment as a construction superintendent with TWC, Inc., and that the work
involved renovating a restaurant. He reported that he was then earning a salary
of $1000 per week and that he was receiving reimbursement for expenses in
addition to his weekly salary. In that position, Pazden had no responsibility for
any of the financial aspects of the work and was not engaged in
dealing with the general public. That job ended late in May 2001. Early
in July 2001, Pazden advised his parole officer that he had started working
for his son, David, who had hired him as an independent contractor to
design and build a home. That letter further advised that David was then
residing in Japan where he could be reached by telephone.
A year later, Pazden's employment status changed. On July 12, 2002, his son
David sent correspondence to Pazden's parole officer which advised that Pazden was then
working as a construction superintendent for David's company, Who Land & Development, L.L.C.,
at a salary of $500 per week together with expenses. In or about
October 2002, a new parole officer was assigned to Pazden's supervision. That officer
became concerned about Pazden's employment in light of the nature of the offenses
for which Pazden had originally been sentenced. In particular, the officer questioned whether
Pazden's duties as a construction supervisor for Who Land might place him in
a position in which he had actual, apparent or implied authority to receive
money or deposits on behalf of that company. In part that concern was
based on the fact that the correspondence from David utilized a New Jersey
mailing address while David was employed overseas. In addition, the officer was concerned
about certain of the evidence relating to Pazden's employment, in particular, Pazden's assertion
that he was paid in cash and on an irregular basis. At about
the same time, Pazden became less compliant with his reporting obligation and his
payments toward restitution became less frequent. As a result of these questions and
concerns, on October 30, 2002, the Adult Panel of Parole Board imposed two
additional special conditions of parole on Pazden.
Those conditions, which are the subject of the challenge now before us, are
as follows:
1. Subject is to refrain from engaging in any employment and/or business venture or
dealing that would allow him to have actual, apparent or implied authority to
act either on his own behalf and/or as an agent for any other
person, corporation, joint venture, partnership (limited or otherwise), or any other corporate entity,
that authorizes to accept, on behalf of himself and/or any third person, party
and or corporate entity, any negotiable instrument(s) (including, but not limited to monies,
currencies, checks, notes, stocks, bonds, certificates of deposits, drafts, bills of exchange, order
bills or lading, etc.), deposits, escrows, earnest monies or instruments.
2. Subject shall refrain from entering or negotiating, on behalf of himself and/or any
third person, party or corporation, any commercial or business-related contract(s) or agreement(s), written
or oral, unless expressly authorized to do so by the New Jersey State
Parole Board.
Included along with these additional special conditions was the following statement: "Justification: The
Adult Panel is of the opinion that due to the nature and characteristics
of the commitment offense the above-noted special conditions will lessen the likelihood of
subject's return to criminal behavior."
Pazden wrote to the District Parole Supervisor requesting that the conditions be clarified.
In that letter, Pazden described his duties with Who Land as follows:
In that capacity I do not receive deposits of any nature from purchasers
nor do they pass through my hands. All deposits are received by an
independent real estate broker who forwards them directly to my son's attorney who
in turn deposits them in his trust account.
In my capacity as construction supervisor I have negotiated commercial and/or business related
contracts, as Purchaser with subcontractors and suppliers and my continued employment as a
construction supervisor will require that I continue to do so. In that facet
of my employment I handle only monies of my son and daughter or
their company. Both are intimately familiar with my personal history including the nature
of the offenses for which I have been convicted.
His letter also requested that he be given specific permission to continue his
employment with Who Land.
On December 18, 2002, counsel for Pazden applied to the Adult Panel of
the Parole Board for a modification of the additional special conditions. On January
31, 2003, following the receipt of further information concerning Pazden's employment, the Adult
Panel denied his request. Its letter advised that:
given the nature and characteristics of Mr. Pazden's extensive array of commitment offenses,
the special conditions imposed by the Adult Panel seek to lessen the likelihood
of subject's return to criminal activity. Moreover, the Adult Panel believes that the
special conditions are in the interest of advancing public safety by ensuring that
subject does not become re-involved in any employment or business venture that may
lead to the potential misappropriation of funds.
The Parole Board specifically rejected arguments raised through counsel that the additional special
conditions were overly broad, unduly restrictive or otherwise constitutionally infirm.
Thereafter, Pazden's parole officer continued to gather information concerning Pazden's employment. In February
2003, Pazden was at a construction site hammering nails. The sign in front
of the building site described it as an eight-condominium project and identified Who
Land as the developer. In March, the parole officer received conflicting information concerning
whether Pazden was being paid in cash or by check and was given
copies of Pazden's paychecks, which were signed by David. Although David was still
residing in Japan, these checks were drawn on New Jersey banks.
On July 30, 2003, Pazden appealed the denial of his request for a
modification of the additional special conditions to the full Parole Board. On September
24, 2003, the State Parole Board affirmed the decision of the Adult Panel,
concurring with the conclusion that the conditions were appropriate in light of the
nature of the offenses for which Pazden was initially convicted and in light
of continuing questions about his employment. This appeal followed.
We turn first to an analysis of Pazden's statutory challenge to the additional
special conditions. On appeal, he asserts that these special conditions exceed the authority
of the Parole Act, N.J.S.A. 30:4-123.45 to -123.76, because they are unnecessarily restrictive
as they relate to employment and therefore interfere with Pazden's eventual re-entry into
society. We reject this argument because we do not agree with the assertion
that restrictions on employment, even broad restrictions on employment, fall outside of the
statutory scope of permissible conditions of parole.
The Parole Act of 1979 includes authority to impose special conditions where they
are "based on prior history of the parolee" and where they are "deemed
reasonable in order to reduce the likelihood of recurrence of criminal or delinquent
behavior." N.J.S.A. 30:4-123.59b; see N.J.A.C. 10A:71-6.4(e). In reviewing decisions relating to parole, our
Supreme Court has held that we must apply the same deferential standard as
applies more generally to agencies making decisions within their areas of expertise. See
Trantino v. N.J. State Parole Bd.,
154 N.J. 19, 25 (1998)(Trantino IV); cf.
State v. Lavelle,
54 N.J. 315, 325 (1969). Indeed, respecting the grant or
denial of release on parole itself, the Court has recently reiterated that such
decisions "should not be reversed by a court unless found to be arbitrary
. . . or an abuse of discretion." Trantino IV, supra, 154 N.J.
at 25.
In the only published decision of our Supreme Court addressing special conditions of
parole, the Court concluded that prior precedents addressing conditions of probation provide an
apt analogy. See In re Application of Thomas Trantino,
89 N.J. 347, 357-58
(1982)(Trantino II). There are a number of decisions to guide us respecting conditions
of probation, each of which rests on an analysis of whether the particular
conditions were reasonable. See, e.g., State v. Harris,
70 N.J. 586, 599 (1976)(holding
that reasonableness is a statutory standard); State v. Bausch,
171 N.J. Super. 314,
322 (App. Div. 1979)(analyzing whether particular condition was reasonable and just), affd as
modified,
83 N.J. 425 (1980). Applying these decisions as a part of its
analysis, in Trantino II the Court enforced a special condition of parole that
was reasonably related to the prisoner's eventual rehabilitation. See Trantino II, supra, 89
N.J. at 357.
Federal precedents addressing both probation and parole, likewise, focus on the relationship between
the prohibited activity and the individual's eventual rehabilitation. See, e.g., United States v.
Crandon,
173 F.3d 122, 127-28 (3d Cir.)(restriction on access to Internet was reasonably
related to prevention of recidivism after conviction for receiving child pornography), cert. denied,
528 U.S. 855,
120 S. Ct. 138,
145 L. Ed.2d 118 (1999);
United States v. Schiff,
876 F.2d 272, 275-76 (2d Cir. 1989)(restriction against association
with anti-tax groups was reasonably related to parole for tax fraud); United States
v. Beros,
833 F.2d 455, 467 (3d Cir. 1987)(restriction on holding union position
and receiving union funds was reasonably related to prevention of future crime based
on prior conviction for embezzlement and misuse of union funds); United States v.
Tonry,
605 F.2d 144, 145-48 (5th Cir. 1979)(restriction on political activity was reasonably
related to conviction for election law violations). Other federal decisions, however, have rejected
special conditions of parole where those conditions could not be justified as related
to the rehabilitation of the parolee, the protection of society or the prevention
of recidivistic behavior. See, e.g., Sobell v. Reed,
327 F. Supp. 1294, 1303-06
(S.D.N.Y. 1971); Hyland v. Procunier,
311 F. Supp. 749, 750-51 (N.D. Cal. 1970).
In light of the dearth of precedents, we turn to the language of
the Parole Act itself. The Act specifically requires that there be a reasonable
relationship between the special condition and the prior criminal acts of the particular
parolee. See N.J.S.A. 30:4-123.59b. That reference necessarily guides our analysis here. For purposes
of our statutory analysis only, we interpret the additional special conditions to be
what the Parole Board argues that they are, namely, restrictions on certain types
and aspects of employment that mirror the activities in which Pazden previously was
engaged and which gave rise to his criminal conviction. We therefore deem the
statutory attack on the conditions perhaps more broadly than Pazden intends, but we
interpret it to be an assertion that general restrictions on employment, in the
face of a requirement for payment of restitution, are beyond the scope of
the Act. Plainly, that assertion must fail.
While it is true that part of Pazden's debt to society is represented
by the restitution that he must make to the victims of the Riverview
project, and while it is equally true that, absent steady employment, his ability
to make restitution is compromised, we cannot say that in general a restriction
on the type or kind of employment permitted as a condition of parole
is impermissible. To be sure, where the originating offense is employment-related, part of
the method of promoting rehabilitation and preventing recidivism may appropriately be defined in
terms of permissible employment. Therefore to the extent that Pazden asserts that the
Parole Act does not authorize a limitation on the type or kind of
employment permitted as a special condition of his parole, we find his argument
unpersuasive.
We turn then to Pazden's constitutional challenge to the additional special conditions of
his parole. We start with the observation that the asserted infirmity in the
special conditions imposed on Pazden lies not in the intention of the Parole
Board to preclude him from a return to the kind of venture which
gave rise to his original conviction, but in the manner in which it
has attempted to do so. Analysis of that issue requires that we address
the scope of constitutional limitations in general as well as their application to
conditions of parole. We consider this novel question at length.
Our Supreme Court has held that both the Federal and State Constitutions make
vague laws unenforceable. See State v. Cameron,
100 N.J. 586, 591 (1985)(citing U.S.
Const. amend. V; N.J. Const. art. I, ¶ 1). The Court has more recently
recognized that the vagueness challenge is based on the notion that a vague
statute effectively denies due process. See State v. Hoffman,
149 N.J. 564, 581
(1997). "A statute that is vague creates a denial of due process because
of a failure to provide notice and warning to an individual that his
or her conduct could subject that individual to criminal or quasi-criminal prosecution." Ibid.
The United States Supreme Court has defined the concept of void for vagueness
in terms of whether a statute or regulation gives a person of ordinary
intelligence fair warning of what conduct is prohibited, so that he or she
may comply with it, and whether it is specific enough to provide an
explicit standard to guide its enforcement. See Grayned v. City of Rockford,
408 U.S. 104, 108-09,
92 S. Ct. 2294, 2299,
33 L. Ed.2d 222,
227-28 (1972).
In addressing a challenge based on vagueness, however, the level of scrutiny to
be applied varies depending on the nature of the particular regulation being analyzed.
Criminal statutes, because of their potential penal consequences, are subjected to stricter scrutiny,
see State v. Maldonado,
137 N.J. 536, 562 (1994), than other statutes and
regulations, as, for example, zoning regulations. See Village of Hoffman Estates v. Flipside,
Hoffman Estates, Inc.,
455 U.S. 489, 498,
102 S. Ct. 1186, 1193,
71 L. Ed.2d 362, 371-72 (1982). Similarly, statutes or regulations that infringe on
other constitutional rights are generally subjected to a higher level of scrutiny when
challenged on vagueness grounds. See Cameron, supra, 100 N.J. at 594.
The vagueness challenge we address in this appeal, however, is further complicated by
virtue of the fact that the regulation imposed on Pazden is included as
a condition of his parole. Therefore, as the Parole Board points out, certain
of the protections that give rise to the greater level of scrutiny simply
do not apply. Many rights, including free speech and assembly, may permissibly be
restricted as a condition of parole. Challenges to restrictions on those very fundamental
rights have previously withstood constitutional challenges. See Morrissey v. Brewer,
408 U.S. 471,
477-83,
92 S. Ct. 2593, 2598-601,
33 L. Ed.2d 484, 492-95 (1972).
Moreover, in light of the fact that parole itself is inherently subjective and
in light of the fact that there is no right to parole, see
Greenholtz v. Inmates,
442 U.S. 1, 9-11,
99 S. Ct. 2100, 2105,
60 L. Ed.2d 668, 676-78 (1979); State v. Black,
153 N.J. 438, 447-48
(1998), the Parole Board urges us to apply a lesser standard of scrutiny
in determining whether these special conditions are constitutionally infirm.
While Pazden certainly had no right to be released on parole and while
parole decisions are highly individualized and discretionary, see Trantino v. N.J. State Parole
Bd.,
166 N.J. 113, 173 (2001)(Trantino VI), we think it appropriate to apply
the strictest level of scrutiny to the special conditions imposed on him after
his release. The potential consequence to the parolee of violating a special condition
of parole is critical to our analysis. First, as with laws that carry
penal enforcement, Pazden's failure to comply carries with it the very real threat
of incarceration. Second, as with laws of that significance, enforcement should not be
left open to broad interpretation nor to the personal view of any particular
parole officer. To be sure, the full panoply of due process rights does
not apply to persons on parole or to persons charged with violations of
parole. See Morrissey, supra, 408 U.S. at 480, 92 S. Ct. at 2599,
33 L. Ed.
2d at 494; Black, supra, 153 N.J. at 448-49. Nonetheless,
we think it plain that a special condition of parole that cannot pass
constitutional muster in the same strict sense that we demand of other statutes
with penal consequences must fail.
In general, in order to survive a vagueness challenge, a statute "must enable
a person of 'common intelligence, in light of ordinary experience' to understand whether
contemplated conduct is lawful." Cameron, supra, 100 N.J. at 591 (quoting State v.
Lashinsky,
81 N.J. 1, 18 (1979)); see State v. Malik,
365 N.J. Super. 267, 281-82 (App. Div. 2003) certif. denied,
180 N.J. 354 (2004); State v.
Golin,
363 N.J. Super. 474, 482-83 (App. Div. 2003)(citing Kolender v. Lawson,
461 U.S. 352, 357,
103 S. Ct. 1855, 1858,
75 L. Ed.2d 903,
909 (1983)). Thus, "[a] law is void as a matter of due process
if it is so vague that persons 'of common intelligence must necessarily guess
at its meaning and differ as to its application.'" Town Tobacconist v. Kimmelman,
94 N.J. 85, 118 (1983)(quoting Connally v. Gen. Constr. Co.,
269 U.S. 385,
391,
46 S. Ct. 126, 127,
70 L. Ed. 322, 328 (1926)); Lashinsky,
supra, 81 N.J. at 17; see also Papachristou v. City of Jacksonville,
405 U.S. 156, 162,
92 S. Ct. 839, 843,
31 L. Ed. 2d 110,
115 (1972).
Nor is it sufficient, in our view, to suggest that these special conditions
of parole are constitutionally valid because Pazden can inquire of his parole officer
concerning an interpretation should a question arise. The United States Court of Appeals
for the Third Circuit has rejected a similar argument respecting conditions of probation.
See United States v. Loy,
237 F.3d 251, 266 (3d Cir. 2001). That
court commented that a condition with no clear core meaning cannot be cured
by relying on the right to seek an interpretation from a probation officer.
Ibid. The court noted that to do so would impermissibly grant "the probation
officer an unfettered power of interpretation, as this would create one of the
very problems against which the vagueness doctrine is meant to protect, i.e., the
delegation of 'basic policy matters [. . .] for resolution on an ad
hoc and subjective basis.'" Ibid. (citing Grayned, supra, 408 U.S. at 109, 92
S. Ct. at 2299, 33 L. Ed.
2d at 228).
We agree with the Third Circuit's approach. Moreover, we conclude that its analysis
is applicable as well in the context of a challenge to conditions of
parole. To the extent that the condition is one that the person of
ordinary intelligence cannot understand, that constitutional defect cannot be cured by allowing an
individual parole officer to interpret it. Permitting individualized interpretation in place of a
condition that passes constitutional muster would instead leave the parolee to the mercy
of one whose decision, while it might be entirely fair, might just as
easily be otherwise. Such a system might also expose the parolee to changes
in interpretation each time a new officer is assigned, itself an unworkable solution.
The remedy for unconstitutional vagueness cannot be found in a system of individualized
question and answer with one's parole officer, however well-intentioned.
Turning to the particular special conditions imposed on this parolee, we conclude that
they cannot stand. Indeed, we would reach that conclusion regardless of the level
of scrutiny to which we subjected them. The language used is on its
face too wide-ranging, too all-encompassing, and too confusing in its description of what
Pazden is prohibited from doing to be sustained.
We need not recite in detail all of the ways in which the
conditions would prohibit entirely innocent activities, but instead provide a few examples to
illustrate the failings of the conditions. Read on their face, they would prohibit
Pazden from all but the most menial sorts of employment. They prohibit him
from handling money, a restriction that would even prevent him for working as
a grocery store cashier. More to the point, the language is so broad
and imprecise that it would prevent him from entering into an entirely personal
contract to lease a photocopying machine. Neither of these prohibitions is in any
way reasonably related to his parole or his eventual rehabilitation.
On appeal, the Parole Board urges us to find that the special conditions
are obviously intended to preclude Pazden only from activity similar to the Riverview
condominium scheme and that they are clearly so written. The Parole Board urges
us to agree that the conditions are "sufficiently determinate that a person of
common intelligence would understand them." Simply put, they are not. Nor is it
enough, as the Parole Board urges, to argue that the parole officer assigned
to Pazden will be able to interpret the conditions in a fashion that
will be related to ensuring that he avoids employment that mirrors his prior
criminal behavior. We conclude that the additional special conditions fail the constitutional test
for vagueness, a defect that cannot be remedied by an ad hoc system
of interpretation.
Without question, parole may be subject to limitations. It may be subject to
special conditions designed to limit the likelihood that a particular parolee will return
to activities for which he or she has previously been convicted. In Pazden's
case, it is entirely appropriate to impose limitations on his activities to the
extent that they mirror the scheme for which he was convicted and in
which so many innocent persons were hurt financially. Nevertheless, the Parole Board has
an obligation to do so in a manner consistent with our constitutional concepts
and in a way that gives notice to a person of common intelligence
what is allowed and what is not.
Our Supreme Court long ago described the dangers presented by laws and regulations
that are vague, when it set forth the "important values" that such laws
"offend" as follows:
First, because we assume that man is free to steer between lawful and
unlawful conduct, we insist that laws give a person of ordinary intelligence a
reasonable opportunity to know what is prohibited, so that he may act accordingly.
Vague laws may trap the innocent by not providing fair warning. Second, if
arbitrary and discriminatory enforcement is to be prevented, laws must provide explicit standards
for those who apply them. A vague law impermissibly delegates basic policy matters
to policemen, judges, and juries for resolution on an ad hoc and subjective
basis, with the attendant dangers of arbitrary and discriminatory application.
[Cameron, supra, 100 N.J. at 591 (quoting Grayned, supra, 408 U.S. at 108-09,
92 S. Ct. at 2298-99, 33 L. Ed.
2d at 227-28).]
Because we find that the special conditions imposed on Pazden are not ones
that can be understood by a person of common intelligence and ordinary experience,
because one must, of necessity, guess at the particular meaning of the conditions,
and because their breadth of language gives rise to a very real possibility
that their application will be arbitrary, we conclude that they are void for
vagueness. We therefore strike them as written from the conditions of Pazden's parole
and we remand this matter in order to give the Parole Board the
opportunity to redraft them in an appropriately constitutional form.
Reversed and remanded. We do not retain jurisdiction.
Footnote: 1
While the record does not include an amended Judgment of Conviction reflecting
proceedings following that remand, the parties agree that Pazden's actual aggregate sentence was
sixteen years with a three-year parole disqualifer. He thereafter filed a petition for
post-conviction relief which was withdrawn. In addition, Pazden filed a petition for a
writ of habeas corpus in the United States District Court, see 28 U.S.C.
§ 2254, which was denied in September 2003. We were advised that he filed
an appeal of that decision and that at the time of briefing, he
was awaiting a certificate of appealability from the United States Court of Appeals
for the Third Circuit. See
28 U.S.C.
§2253. We have not been further
advised of the outcome, if any, of these federal proceedings.