Commonwealth v. Harrison

The defendant, George Harrison, challenges the revocation of his probation. His probation was revoked following a hearing at which he was not present because he was serving a 151-month sentence in Federal prison for bank robbery. We transferred the case to this court on our own motion. We vacate the revocation of his probation and conclude that a new hearing is required as a matter of Federal constitutional law.

In 1990, after a trial held in Middlesex Superior Court, the defendant was convicted of armed robbery. He was sentenced to from fifteen to twenty years, eight years to be served, the…