Johnson v. South Carolina Department of Probation, Parole, & Pardon Services

Chief Justice TOAL:

In this case, the trial court held that the absence of a favorable recommendation from a probation officer did not deprive the court of subject matter jurisdiction to grant early termination of a person’s probation. Relying on technical defects in the appeal, the court of appeals affirmed. This Court granted the South Carolina Department of Probation, Parole, & Pardon Services’ (“the Department’s”) petition for a writ of certiorari, and we now affirm.

Factual/Procedural Background

This case arises out of Dwayne Elliott Johnson’s (“Johnson’s”) successful pro se motion to have…