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<regulation prefix="Regulation" num=".31" citation="COMAR 12.03.01.31" title_num="12" subtitle_num="03" chapter_num="01" heading="Disciplinary Proceeding Procedures — Post Disciplinary Proceedings Phase — Managing Official’s Review.">
  <paragraph num="A.">
    <text>Review by the Managing Official.</text>
    <paragraph num="(1)">
      <text>The managing official, or a designee, shall conduct a review of the defendant’s disciplinary proceeding.</text>
    </paragraph>
    <paragraph num="(2)">
      <text>The managing official may assign a designee to conduct the required review.</text>
    </paragraph>
    <paragraph num="(3)">
      <text>The managing official, or designee, shall review a defendant’s disciplinary proceeding before the hearing officer even if the ultimate disposition is an informal resolution.</text>
    </paragraph>
    <paragraph num="(4)">
      <text>The informal resolution offered by staff and accepted by the defendant are not required to be reviewed.</text>
    </paragraph>
    <paragraph num="(5)">
      <text>A managing official’s, or a designee’s, review is a review on the record and not a de novo or new hearing.</text>
    </paragraph>
    <paragraph num="(6)">
      <text>The managing official may not:</text>
      <paragraph num="(a)">
        <text>Reconsider the evidence in the record of the disciplinary proceeding;</text>
      </paragraph>
      <paragraph num="(b)">
        <text>Substitute the managing official’s, or a designee’s, judgment for that of the hearing officer’s or make de novo or new fact findings as to the inmate rule violation charged; and</text>
      </paragraph>
      <paragraph num="(c)">
        <text>Render a de novo or new decision in lieu of the decision by the hearing officer.</text>
      </paragraph>
    </paragraph>
    <paragraph num="(7)">
      <text>The managing official, or a designee, shall document the review in the written record of the disciplinary proceeding.</text>
    </paragraph>
    <paragraph num="(8)">
      <text>The managing official, or a designee, shall complete the review of the hearing officer’s decision and sanction, if imposed, regarding the inmate rule violation charged within 30 calendar days of the date the defendant received the hearing officer’s decision, but after the 15 calendar day time period for the filing of an appeal by the defendant has elapsed.</text>
    </paragraph>
    <paragraph num="(9)">
      <text>The managing official, or a designee, may conduct an immediate review of the hearing officer’s decision without waiting for the expiration of the defendant’s appeal period:</text>
      <paragraph num="(a)">
        <text>When the disposition of one or more of the inmate rule violations is:</text>
        <paragraph num="(i)">
          <text>A dismissal;</text>
        </paragraph>
        <paragraph num="(ii)">
          <text>A Not Guilty finding;</text>
        </paragraph>
        <paragraph num="(iii)">
          <text>A finding that the defendant is or was Not Competent; or</text>
        </paragraph>
        <paragraph num="(iv)">
          <text>An informal resolution accepted by the defendant; or</text>
        </paragraph>
      </paragraph>
      <paragraph num="(b)">
        <text>The managing official, or a designee, reduces a sanction imposed by the hearing officer.</text>
      </paragraph>
    </paragraph>
    <paragraph num="(10)">
      <text>The managing official, or a designee, may remand the hearing officer’s decision to the hearing officer for written clarification by the hearing officer of the decision or sanction regarding the:</text>
      <paragraph num="(a)">
        <text>Disciplinary proceeding procedures;</text>
      </paragraph>
      <paragraph num="(b)">
        <text>Evidence weighed and considered;</text>
      </paragraph>
      <paragraph num="(c)">
        <text>Findings of fact;</text>
      </paragraph>
      <paragraph num="(d)">
        <text>Decision as to the inmate rule violation charged; and</text>
      </paragraph>
      <paragraph num="(e)">
        <text>Sanction, if imposed.</text>
      </paragraph>
    </paragraph>
    <paragraph num="(11)">
      <text>The time and procedure requirements for the managing official’s review:</text>
      <paragraph num="(a)">
        <text>Shall be suspended pending the managing official’s, or a designee’s, remand; and</text>
      </paragraph>
      <paragraph num="(b)">
        <text>May not resume until the managing official, or a designee, receives the hearing officer’s written response.</text>
      </paragraph>
    </paragraph>
  </paragraph>
  <paragraph num="B.">
    <text>Authority and Action of the Managing Official.</text>
    <paragraph num="(1)">
      <text>A managing official, or a designee, conducting the review of the hearing officer’s decision shall:</text>
      <paragraph num="(a)">
        <text>Review the record of the disciplinary proceeding and determine from that record if a reasonable individual could have reached the decision rendered by the hearing officer based on the evidence presented at the disciplinary proceeding;</text>
      </paragraph>
      <paragraph num="(b)">
        <text>Consider an alleged time or procedural violation under this chapter, when raised in an appeal by the defendant, facility representative or facility staff; and</text>
      </paragraph>
      <paragraph num="(c)">
        <text>Determine if the sanctions imposed were in compliance with the requirements of this chapter.</text>
      </paragraph>
    </paragraph>
    <paragraph num="(2)">
      <text>The managing official, or a designee, when conducting the review of the hearing officer’s decision regarding an inmate rule violation resulting in a guilty finding and, if imposed, the sanction, may, without explanation:</text>
      <paragraph num="(a)">
        <text>Affirm the hearing officer’s decision and, if imposed the sanction;</text>
      </paragraph>
      <paragraph num="(b)">
        <text>Vacate the guilty finding and the sanction imposed regardless of the category of the inmate rule violation charged or procedural requirement of this chapter, and enter an incident report in the defendant’s case record as the disposition for the inmate rule violation charged;</text>
      </paragraph>
      <paragraph num="(c)">
        <text>Vacate the guilty finding and the sanction imposed and enter a Not Guilty disposition in the defendant’s case record for the inmate rule violation charged;</text>
      </paragraph>
      <paragraph num="(d)">
        <text>Vacate the guilty finding and the sanction imposed and enter a Not Competent disposition in the defendant’s case record for the inmate rule violation charged; or</text>
      </paragraph>
      <paragraph num="(e)">
        <text>Affirm the hearing officer’s decision, but elect to modify the sanction imposed for the inmate rule violation resulting in a guilty finding by:</text>
        <paragraph num="(i)">
          <text>Reducing the sanction period imposed by the hearing officer regardless of whether the reduced sanction is in compliance with or below the minimum sanction or sanction period required by a regulation of this chapter; or</text>
        </paragraph>
        <paragraph num="(ii)">
          <text>Reducing an informal disposition with sanction to an incident report with no sanction.</text>
        </paragraph>
      </paragraph>
    </paragraph>
    <paragraph num="(3)">
      <text>The managing official, or a designee, may not increase the sanctions imposed by the hearing officer.</text>
    </paragraph>
    <paragraph num="(4)">
      <text>The managing official, or a designee, may appeal the hearing officer’s decision to the Secretary, or a designee, and request the Secretary, or a designee, to reverse the hearing officer’s decision and remand the inmate rule violation charged for a de novo or a new disciplinary proceeding when the managing official, or a designee, concludes the hearing officer’s decision was erroneous due to one or more of the following circumstances:</text>
      <paragraph num="(a)">
        <text>An arbitrary or capricious decision;</text>
      </paragraph>
      <paragraph num="(b)">
        <text>A clearly erroneous decision;</text>
      </paragraph>
      <paragraph num="(c)">
        <text>An erroneous interpretation of a policy, time requirement, or procedure;</text>
      </paragraph>
      <paragraph num="(d)">
        <text>The decision relied on evidence alleged or found to be fraudulent or a misrepresented;</text>
      </paragraph>
      <paragraph num="(e)">
        <text>The decision was rendered without consideration of evidence that was either presented or not presented at the defendant’s disciplinary hearing;</text>
      </paragraph>
      <paragraph num="(f)">
        <text>The sanction was not in compliance with minimum requirements of regulations in this chapter; or</text>
      </paragraph>
      <paragraph num="(g)">
        <text>A disposition of Not Competent was entered and there is new evidence that the defendant is competent to participate in the disciplinary proceeding or was competent at the time of the offense.</text>
      </paragraph>
    </paragraph>
    <paragraph num="(5)">
      <text>The managing official’s, or a designee’s, recommendation for reversal and new disciplinary proceeding shall include the reason for the appeal.</text>
    </paragraph>
    <paragraph num="(6)">
      <text>The time period and procedure requirements for the managing official’s, or a designee’s, review under this regulation shall:</text>
      <paragraph num="(a)">
        <text>Be suspended pending the managing official’s, or a designee’s, appeal to the Secretary, or a designee; and</text>
      </paragraph>
      <paragraph num="(b)">
        <text>Resume on the date the Secretary’s, or a designee’s, written decision regarding the managing official’s, or a designee’s, appeal is received by the managing official, or a designee.</text>
      </paragraph>
    </paragraph>
  </paragraph>
  <paragraph num="C.">
    <text>Notification of the Managing Official’s Review.</text>
    <paragraph num="(1)">
      <text>Staff shall serve the documentation of a completed managing official’s, or a designee’s, review on the defendant within 30 calendar days of the date the defendant was previously served the hearing officer’s decision.</text>
    </paragraph>
    <paragraph num="(2)">
      <text>If the defendant does not receive the managing official’s, or a designee’s, review under the 30 calendar day time requirement the:</text>
      <paragraph num="(a)">
        <text>Review process is considered to be complete; and</text>
      </paragraph>
      <paragraph num="(b)">
        <text>Hearing officer’s decision and sanction, if imposed, is affirmed.</text>
      </paragraph>
    </paragraph>
  </paragraph>
</regulation>