State of Tennessee v. Amy Denise Sutton

Summary

The Tennessee Supreme Court affirmed the conviction and sentence of Amy Denise Sutton for theft of property valued between $1,000 and $10,000. The court held that her split-confinement sentence—one year of confinement followed by two years of community corrections—was legal even though the confinement period exceeded her 10.8-month release eligibility date, because release eligibility confers no right to release for sentences longer than two years, parole being a privilege rather than a right; only inmates serving felony sentences of two years or less have a statutory right to suspension of the remainder of their sentence upon reaching the release eligibility date. The court also held the evidence sufficient, observing that much of it was direct rather than purely circumstantial. No separate opinions were filed.