Case Name: PEOPLE v. CLARDY
Court: Michigan Court of Appeals
Jurisdiction: Michigan
Decision Date: 1988-11-07
Citations: 172 Mich. App. 666
Docket Number: Docket No. 100593
Parties: PEOPLE v CLARDY
Judges: Before: Danhof, C.J., and Kelly and Beasley, JJ.
Reporter: Michigan appeals reports; cases decided in the Michigan Court of Appeals.
Volume: 172
Pages: 666–669

Head Matter:
PEOPLE v CLARDY
Docket No. 100593.
Submitted September 7, 1988, at Lansing.
Decided November 7,1988.
Terry Lee Clardy pled guilty in Genesee Circuit Court to a charge of breaking and entering with intent to commit larceny and was sentenced to six to ten years in prison, Valdemar L. Washington, J. The sentence recommended by the sentencing guidelines is twelve to thirty months. Defendant appealed, claiming that the court erred in departing from the sentencing guidelines and that the sentence imposed should shock the judicial conscience.
The Court of Appeals held:
The trial court properly stated on the record which criteria it considered and its reasons for departing from the guidelines when imposing defendant’s sentence, and the conscience of the Court of Appeals is not shocked by the sentence. The sentence is appropriate.
Affirmed.
Kelly, J., dissented. He would remand for resentencing, at which the court would be directed to specifically state on the record what aspects of the case persuaded the court to depart so significantly from the guidelines. He states that the sentence imposed seemingly constitutes an unwarranted departure from the guidelines.
1. Criminal Law — Sentencing.
The proper criteria for determining an appropriate sentence include the disciplining of the wrongdoer, the protection of society, the potential for reformation of the offender and the deterring of others from committing like offenses; the sentencing court must state on the record which criteria were considered and what reasons support the court’s decision regarding the length and nature of punishment imposed.
References
Am Jur 2d, Criminal Law §§ 525 et seq.
Comment Note. — Length of sentence as violation of constitutional provisions prohibiting cruel and unusual punishment. 33 ALR3d 335.
2. Criminal Law — Sentencing — Departure prom Guidelines.
Departure from the sentencing guidelines is permitted, but the sentencing court must give specific explanations for departure where there are special characteristics of the offense or offender necessitating a departure or where the court believes the recommended ranges are inappropriate.
3. Criminal Law — Sentencing — Appeal.
The Court of Appeals, when reviewing a trial court’s exercise of discretion in sentencing, will afford relief to a defendant only if it finds that the trial court abused its discretion to the extent that the sentence imposed shocks the conscience of the Court.
Frank J. Kelley, Attorney General, Louis J. Caruso, Solicitor General, Robert E. Weiss, Prosecuting Attorney, and Donald A. Kuebler, Assistant Prosecuting Attorney, for the people.
Shelley R. Spivack, for defendant on appeal.
Before: Danhof, C.J., and Kelly and Beasley, JJ.

Opinion:
Danhof, C.J.
Defendant pled guilty to breaking and entering with intent to commit larceny, MCL 750.110; MSA 28.305. He was sentenced to six to ten years in prison. Defendant appeals his sentence as of right, claiming that the lower court erred by departing from the sentencing guidelines and that his sentence should shock our conscience. We affirm.
The proper criteria for determining an appropriate sentence include the disciplining of the wrongdoer, the protection of society, the potential for reformation of the offender, and the deterring of others from committing like offenses. The sentencing court must state on the record which criteria were considered and what reasons support the court's decision regarding the length and nature of punishment imposed. People v Coles, 417 Mich 523, 550; 339 NW2d 440 (1983). Departure from the sentencing guidelines is permitted. The sentencing court must give specific explanations for departure where there are special characteristics of the offense or offender necessitating a departure or where the court believes the recommended ranges are inappropriate. People v Fleming, 428 Mich 408, 426; 410 NW2d 266 (1987).
At sentencing, the lower court stated that it was troubled by defendant's continuing drug use and apparent unwillingness to take advantage of an opportunity to help himself. The court indicated that it imposed defendant's sentence to punish and rehabilitate him and to protect society. The lower court properly stated on the record which criteria it considered and its reasons for departing from the guidelines when imposing defendant's sentence. Fleming, supra, p 426; Coles, supra, p 550.
When reviewing a trial court's exercise of discretion in sentencing, we will afford relief to a defendant only if we find that the trial court abused its discretion to the extent that it shocks our conscience. Coles, supra, p 550. Defendant's sentence is appropriate. Our conscience is not shocked.
Affirmed.
Beasley, J., concurred.