Opinion ID: 2514450
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 9

Heading: Incriminating statements made by juveniles during waiver proceedings may be used against them in subsequent criminal proceedings

Text: Thus, under Anthony Lee R., NRS 62B.390(3)(b) appears to require the juvenile to make incriminating statements. In Marvin v. State, [20] however, this court held that because a juvenile's certification proceeding was not designed to determine guilt, the Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination was irrelevant with respect to evidence submitted therein. [21] In that case, Marvin, a 17-year-old juvenile arrested in Carson City for burglary and possession of burglary tools, made statements while in detention regarding his participation in several burglaries. [22] Based on the incriminating information derived from Marvin's statements, a second county, Washoe, filed additional burglary charges and the juvenile court waived its jurisdiction and transferred Marvin to adult criminal court. [23] On appeal, Marvin argued that the confessions on which the juvenile court based its jurisdiction waiver were admitted in violation of his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination. [24] This court rejected Marvin's Fifth Amendment claim, recognizing that while certification was a critically important action, it did not necessarily result in the juvenile's condemnation and thus did not implicate his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination. [25] By extension, Marvin suggests that evidence submitted during a certification proceeding cannot or will not be used in later guilt determination proceedings. But, as recognized by this court after Marvin, nothing prohibits the use of these statements against the juvenile in subsequent juvenile or adult criminal proceedings. [26] Should the juvenile meet his burden under NRS 62B.390(3)(b) and Anthony Lee R., the juvenile court may nonetheless certify the juvenile for criminal proceedings as an adult under the discretionary certification provision, NRS 62B.390(1). [27] In determining whether to waive its jurisdiction under the discretionary certification provision, the juvenile court may consider the incriminating statements made by the juvenile in attempting to rebut the presumptive certification provision. [28] Further, the juvenile's admission of the charged criminal conduct may ultimately be used against him in any adult criminal proceedings, if the statements are deemed to have been made voluntarily. [29] And, although this court has not specifically addressed whether such statements may be admitted at a subsequent juvenile delinquency hearing, we have suggested that they could be admitted if made voluntarily, and nothing in the statute prohibits their admission. [30] Accordingly, we take this opportunity to overrule Marvin, in part. Specifically, we renounce Marvin's conclusion that the Fifth Amendment is irrelevant during a certification proceeding simply because guilt is not being determined therein. Based on the Supreme Court's opinion in Gault, the type of proceeding is not determinative of whether the Fifth Amendment privilege applies. [31] Rather, the availability of the privilege turns on the nature of the statements and the exposure that the statements invite. [32] While the result of a certification hearing is not a final adjudication of guilt, the California Supreme Court has recognized that the certification of a juvenile offender to an adult court has been accurately characterized as `the worst punishment the juvenile system is empowered to inflict.' [33] We, too, have noted that [t]he juvenile court's decision to retain jurisdiction or certify for criminal proceedings is a much more momentous and life-changing event for a juvenile than is an adjudication of delinquency. [34] As a result, and because the statements arguably required under NRS 62B.390(3)(b) and Anthony Lee R. to rebut presumptive certification in juvenile proceedings are inculpatory in nature and invite exposure to commitment or imprisonment, since they may be used against the juveniles in subsequent delinquency and criminal proceedings that could directly result in a loss of liberty, the Fifth Amendment privilege against self-incrimination is available to juveniles in certification proceedings.