Opinion ID: 1196421
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 23

Heading: Boykin/Tahl

Text: When taking waivers from defendant prior to his 1975 guilty plea, the trial court stated, At the trial, also, you would have the right to take the witness stand and testify on your own defense if you wanted to, but you could not be compelled to do that, nobody could make you take the witness stand or give any testimony against yourself. So you could either elect not to testify or to testify, whichever you wish. If you elect not to testify, the jury would be instructed that the circumstances could not be held against you. [¶] Now, these are the rights you will enjoy if you proceed with the trial. If you do what you suggest you want to do, plead guilty to second degree murder, you will be giving up all of these rights, you will be waiving them, they will be gone, they will be lost, you won't have them; do you understand that? Defendant replied, Yes. (30a) He now complains these waivers were inadequate to inform him that by pleading guilty he was waiving his right against compelled self-incrimination. He cryptically states the court failed to inform [him] that the very plea of guilty itself was protected by the privilege as such plea constituted testimony. (31) Of course, a criminal defendant must be advised of the constitutional rights  including the right against compelled self-incrimination  he waives when he pleads guilty ( Boykin v. Alabama (1969) 395 U.S. 238 [23 L.Ed.2d 274, 89 S.Ct. 1709]; In re Tahl (1969) 1 Cal.3d 122 [81 Cal. Rptr. 577, 460 P.2d 449]), and he may move to strike a prior conviction on the ground that such advisements were not given in the prior proceeding. ( People v. Sumstine (1984) 36 Cal.3d 909 [206 Cal. Rptr. 707, 687 P.2d 904].) Numerous cases, however, establish that the advisement need not be in formalistic language so long as it effectively communicate[s] to the defendant the essential character of the constitutional privileges which he is waiving, provided that the message does not require resort to inference. ( People v. Lucky (1988) 45 Cal.3d 259, 285 [247 Cal. Rptr. 1, 753 P.2d 1052]; In re Ibarra (1983) 34 Cal.3d 277, 285 [193 Cal. Rptr. 538, 666 P.2d 980].) (30b) As is apparent, the advisement delivered by the trial court in the 1975 action adequately informed defendant of the nature of his right against compelled self-incrimination as well as the fact that he was giving up that right. The advisement was complete and in simple language. We thus reject defendant's complaint that it was objectionably abbreviated. Defendant also asserts the prior murder conviction must be set aside because the trial judge in that proceeding did not explain that he could be convicted of manslaughter if he went to trial. Neither Boykin v. Alabama, supra, 395 U.S. 238, nor In re Tahl, supra, 1 Cal.3d 122, requires such a detailed advisement. The law does not require that an express discussion of the elements of the offense be contained in the transcript [or] even an express statement that the elements have been discussed with counsel. ( People v. Dolliver (1986) 181 Cal. App.3d 49, 61 [225 Cal. Rptr. 920].) Rejecting an argument that an accused must be advised of the technical elements of the charges against him before he may enter a valid plea, we said, there is no compulsion which requires such explanation and we can discern no persuasive reason for burdening the court with such a requirement. ( In re Ronald E. (1977) 19 Cal.3d 315, 324-325 [137 Cal. Rptr. 781, 562 P.2d 684].) As in those cases, we see no need for a trial court taking a plea to engage in an in-depth discussion with a defendant regarding the possible outcomes should the accused proceed to trial. Defendant argues that because there was some evidence that could have supported a verdict less than murder, we should require the trial court to inform defendant of that fact. In support, however, he cites neither authority for such a rule of procedure nor any policy reasons why it would have a salutary effect on the operation of the criminal justice system. We thus decline to adopt such a rule.