Lynce v. Mathis

In 1983 and thereafter the Florida Legislature enacted a series of statutes authorizing the department of corrections to award early release credits to prison inmates when the population of the state prison system exceeded predetermined levels. The question presented by this case is whether a 1992 statute canceling such credits for certain classes of offenders after they had been awarded — indeed, after they had resulted in the prisoners’ release from custody — violates the Ex Post Facto Clause of the Federal Constitution.

I

In 1986 petitioner pleaded nolo contendere to a charge of attempted…