CRONE, J.
In 2003, Haley received a twenty-four-year sentence for a class A felony dealing in cocaine conviction. While in prison, he completed the life skills program “Thinking for a Change.” He also earned a bachelor’s degree from Ball State University. He requested educational credit time for completing the life skills program from DOC but was denied. On April 3, 2009, Haley filed a motion for six months’ educational credit time in the Newton Superior Court under his criminal cause number. DOC was not served with this motion.
On June 2, 2009, a hearing on Haley’s motion was held. The Newton County Special Prosecutor appeared for the State. DOC did not appear. At the hearing, the trial court asked the special prosecutor whether DOC was a necessary party. Tr. at 9. The special prosecutor replied,
I would think so, but I guess we’re the State.
And we don’t normally represent DOC. We do represent the Bureau of Motor Vehicles fairly often but I have never been called in as a prosecutor or deputy prosecutor, either one, to represent the Department of Corrections. I don’t know of any language authorizing that. I think that’s the Attorney General’s purview, not ours. My other question is that the Defendant’s evidence has lacked showing us what credit time that he has earned. …. How are we to know without the DOC here with us how many credits he has received?
Id. at 9-10. At the conclusion of the hearing, the trial court took the matter under advisement.
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As previously noted, Haley first sought educational credit time from DOC. DOC is the state body that administers the statutes governing educational credit time for inmates. See Watkins v. State, 869 N.E.2d 497, 500 (Ind. Ct. App. 2007) (“[I]t is the DOC which administers the sentence and consequently the DOC which maintains the responsibility to deny or restore credit time.”); see also Samuels v. State, 849 N.E.2d 689, 692 (Ind. Ct. App. 2006), trans. denied; Members v. State, 851 N.E.2d 979, 983 (Ind. Ct. App. 2006), trans. denied. The action brought by Haley in the Newton Superior Court seeking educational credit time was based on DOC’s denial of his request for educational credit. In other words, the basis of Haley’s action is a dispute between an inmate and DOC. In essence, it is an action against the DOC. [Footnote omitted.] A dispute as to whether an inmate is entitled to credit time is not a criminal manner, and Haley’s action against DOC is not a criminal action. Indiana Code Sections 4-6-1-6 and 4-6-2-1 confer to the attorney general the authority to represent the DOC is such an action. The prosecuting attorney is not authorized by statute to represent the DOC in such an action. [Footnote omitted.] See Ind. Code § 33-39-1-5.
BAKER, C.J., and DARDEN, J., concur.