(HC) Fields v. California Department of Corrections

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE EASTERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA 10 CARLTON DWAYNE FIELDS, Case No. 1:18-cv-01545-DAD-JDP Petitioner, FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS TO

DENY PETITION FOR WRIT OF HABEAS

v. CORPUS, DECLINE TO GRANT A

CERTIFICATE OF APPEALABILITY, AND

CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF DENY MOTION TO REDUCE

CORRECTIONS AND RESTITUTION

REHABILITATION, ECF No. 1 Respondent. 17 Petitioner Carlton Dwayne Fields, a state prisoner without counsel, seeks a writ of habeas corpus under 28 U.S.C. § 2254. ECF No. 1. Petitioner claims that: (1) his trial counsel was ineffective when he failed to develop and present a drug-induced psychosis theory;1 (2) his trial counsel coerced him into pleading no contest; and (3) the trial court abused its discretion in sentencing. See id. Petitioner also seeks a reduction in his court-ordered restitution. See id. The respondent argues that the Court of Appeal’s rejection of petitioner’s ineffective assistance of counsel claims was…