Opinion ID: 1318379
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: restitution as a penalty

Text: Rule 15(c), W.R.Cr.P., provides in pertinent part: Before accepting a plea of guilty or nolo contendere, the court must address the defendant personally in open court and inform him of, and determine that he understands,    [t]he nature of the charge to which the plea is offered, the mandatory minimum penalty provided by law, if any, and the maximum possible penalty provided by law. The purpose of the rule is to allow the judge to determine that the defendant entered the plea voluntarily and with an understanding of the consequences. Hoggatt v. State, Wyo., 606 P.2d 718 (1980); Cardenas v. Meacham, Wyo., 545 P.2d 632 (1976). The question here is whether the possibility of restitution is part of the maximum possible penalty. The State argues that restitution is not a penalty within the scope of Rule 15. Restitution may be imposed by the court as a part of a sentence pursuant to § 6-10-110, W.S. 1977, Cum.Supp. 1984. When construing statutes, we follow indications of legislative intent embodied in the words of the statute. McArtor v. State, Wyo., 699 P.2d 288 (1985); State, Dep't of Rev. & Tax., Motor Veh. Div. v. Andrews, Wyo., 671 P.2d 1239 (1983). The statute says that restitution may be imposed in addition to any other punishment prescribed by law. In the act creating § 6-10-110, the legislature expressly stated that it intended to authorize the courts to impose restitution in addition to other punishments. [1] We next look to ascertain if punishment is a penalty envisioned by Rule 15. The words used in a rule must be given their plain and ordinary meaning unless otherwise indicated. City of Evanston v. Robinson, Wyo., 702 P.2d 1283 (1985). We see no reason to depart from the ordinary meaning in this instance. Implicit in the definition of the word penalty is the idea of punishment. Black's Law Dictionary (5th ed. 1979); see also Webster's Third International Dictionary (1981); The American Heritage Dictionary (1982); Random House Dictionary (1966). From the viewpoint of a defendant in a criminal trial, payment of restitution is as much a penalty as payment of a fine. Both require the payment of money. Both are direct consequences of the plea. Both are punishments authorized by law. Restitution, therefore, is part of the maximum possible penalty provided by law for the purposes of Rule 15; and we hold that Rule 15(c) requires the trial judge to inform a defendant of the court's power to order restitution. The exact amount or upper limit of restitution need not be specified at the time of the plea since § 7-13-109, W.S. 1977, Cum.Supp. 1985, provides that the amount of restitution is to be determined at the time of sentencing.