Title: State v. Crawford
Citation: 257 So. 2d 898
Docket Number: 41043
State: Florida
Issuer: Florida Supreme Court
Date: January 26, 1972

257 So. 2d 898 (1972)
STATE of Florida, Petitioner,
v.
Willie James CRAWFORD, Respondent.
No. 41043.

Supreme Court of Florida.
January 26, 1972.
*899 Robert L. Shevin, Atty. Gen., and Raymond L. Marky, Asst. Atty. Gen., for petitioner.
Louis O. Frost, Jr., Public Defender and Bartley K. Vickers, Asst. Public Defender, for respondent.
ADKINS, Justice.
By petition for certiorari, we have for review a decision of the District Court of Appeal, First District (State v. Crawford, Fla.App., 245 So.2d 893), which allegedly conflicts with a prior decision of this Court (Anderson v. State, Fla., 241 So.2d 390), and a prior decision of the District Court of Appeal, Second District (State v. Gillespie, Fla.App., 227 So.2d 550), on the same point of law. Fla. Const. art. V, § 4, F.S.A.
The respondent's request for oral argument is denied. See Florida Appellate Rule 3.10(e), 32 F.S.A.
Respondent, defendant below, charged with the crime of murder in the first degree, filed a "Motion for Statement of Particulars, Production of Confessions or Statements and to Compel the Disclosure of All Evidence to the Defendant." Among other things, he requested
and
The trial court granted these portions of the motion. On petition for rehearing, the State alleged that it did not have in its possession the material mentioned or referred to and contended that it would be unreasonable to impose upon the State the duty to obtain and produce such records for the defendant. The petition for rehearing was denied.
Pursuant to Fla. Stat. § 924.07(8), F.S.A., the State filed a notice of appeal seeking a review of this order. Upon appeal the order of the trial judge was affirmed and this petition for writ of certiorari resulted.
In State v. Gillespie, supra, the Court said:
Further, in Anderson v. State, supra, this Court said:
There is conflict and we have jurisdiction.
The Connecticut court in State v. Bowden, 29 Conn.Sup. 86, 272 A.2d 141 (1970) held that a defendant charged with possession of narcotic drugs was entitled to any record the State might have of prior felony convictions of any prosecution witnesses or criminal charges pending against them. We recognize that evidence of the prior conviction of a witness may be relevant and material evidence for the purpose of impeachment. The prosecution loses little, if anything, by making the witness' conviction record available to defense counsel in advance of trial if there is any chance that the witness has not revealed a particular conviction.
On the other hand, the prosecuting attorney should not be required to actively assist defendant's attorney in the investigation of the case. Discovery in criminal cases has tended to be heavily weighed in favor of the defendant, and it would be contrary to the general principle of advocacy, as well as fairness itself, to require the prosecuting attorney to perform any duties on behalf of the defendant in the preparation of the case.
If on pretrial depositions or at trial, a witness denies having been convicted of a crime and the prosecuting attorney knows this is not true, the prosecuting attorney has an obligation to provide defense counsel with information regarding the witness' prior convictions. But neither a *901 criminal record nor an F.B.I. rap sheet is admissible evidence for that purpose. The information therefrom that would lead defense counsel to admissible evidence should be divulged, but not the actual criminal record or rap sheet with its many irrelevant notations.
We therefore hold that the prosecuting attorney may be required to disclose to defense counsel any record of prior criminal convictions of defendant or of persons whom the prosecuting attorney intends to call as witnesses at the hearing or trial, if such material and information is within his possession. If not in his possession, the prosecuting attorney should not be required to secure this information for defense counsel.
The decision of the District Court of Appeal is quashed and the cause is remanded with instructions to further remand the cause to the trial court for the entering of an order in accordance with the views expressed herein.
It is so ordered.
ROBERTS, C.J., and CARLTON and McCAIN, JJ., concur.
ERVIN, J., dissents with Opinion.
ERVIN, Justice (dissenting).
I believe the extent to which the discovery rules should be complied with by the prosecutor at the behest of the defendant is best left within the sound discretion of the trial judge, subject, of course, to District Court appellate review in case of abuse. Here the trial judge with the District Court's approval granted the defendant's motion for discovery to the extent determined requisite. I do not believe we should interfere with these determinations and would discharge the writ since no decisional conflict appears nor for that matter any abuse of discretion.