Watkins v. Missouri Department of Corrections

Aaron Watkins appeals from the trial court’s dismissal of his Petition for Declaratory Judgment and Request for Summary Judgment. On appeal, he claims the Department of Corrections (“DOC”) and the Board of Probation and Parole (“Board”) improperly treated his unclassified rape conviction as a class A felony for purposes of calculating his parole eligibility. We affirm.

Factual and Procedural Background

On May 12, 1992, Aaron Watkins committed the offense of rape. On February 10, 1995, Watkins entered a guilty plea to that offense and was sentenced to life imprisonment as a prior and persistent…