People v. Williams

OPINION OF THE COURT

Memorandum.

The order of the Appellate Division should be affirmed.

*631Defendant argues that his 1973 reformatory sentence could not serve as a predicate for a persistent felony offender sentence because Penal Law § 70.10 (1) (b) (i) defines a previous felony conviction as one for which "a sentence to a term of imprisonment in excess of one year * * * was imposed”, and Penal Law former § 75.00 (2) (which was not repealed until 1974) defined a reformatory sentence as "a sentence to imprisonment for a period of unspecified duration”. He points to the Staff Notes of the Temporary…