Opinion ID: 2561809
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: The First Sell Factor: Important Governmental Interest

Text: ś 39 The initial inquiry under the Sell analysis is whether important governmental interests are at stake. Sell v. United States, 539 U.S. 166, 180, 123 S.Ct. 2174, 156 L.Ed.2d 197 (2003). When involuntary medication is at issue, the governmental interest will be in bringing the accused to trial. Id. (citing Riggins, 504 U.S. at 135-36, 112 S.Ct. 1810 (1992) (Power to bring an accused to trial is fundamental to a scheme of `ordered liberty' and prerequisite to social justice and peace. (citations and internal quotation marks omitted))). In order to do so, the defendant must be charged with a serious crime and special circumstances, such as lengthy civil commitment, must not diminish the government's interest in bringing the defendant to trial. Id. This standard recognizes the State's interest in protecting the basic human need for security undeterred by lost evidence or faded memories that can inhibit effective prosecution when a defendant regains competence after years of commitment. Id. ś 40 In Ms. Barzee's case, she is charged with six first degree felony offenses, each potentially punishable by life sentences, and one second degree felony, punishable by up to fifteen years in prison. In United States v. Gomes, the Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit recognized that `evident from the substantial sentence' a defendant faces if convicted is the `seriousness of the crime and [the] perceived dangerousness to society.' 387 F.3d 157, 160 (2d Cir.2004) (quoting United States v. Gomes, 289 F.3d 71, 86 (2d Cir.2002)). Other jurisdictions have concluded that a maximum statutory term of imprisonment of ten years is sufficiently serious to create an important government interest in bringing an accused to trial. See, e.g., United States v. Evans, 404 F.3d 227, 238 (4th Cir.2005); United States v. Archuleta, 2006 WL 2476070, at , 2006 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 63526, at  (D.Utah 2006), aff'd 218 F. App'x 754 (10th Cir.2007). We are convinced that Ms. Barzee is charged with crimes sufficiently serious to evidence an important state interest in prosecution. ś 41 Furthermore, we conclude that special circumstances do not diminish this interest. It is unclear whether civil commitment is an option for Ms. Barzee. As long as she is confined in the state hospital, the parties agree that she is not a danger to herself or others. We presume the State would argue that, outside of that environment, she does pose a danger, but there is no certainty that she will be subjected to lengthy confinement through a civil proceeding. We cannot conclude that potential and speculative civil commitment undermines the State's interest in bringing Ms. Barzee to trial for such serious offenses. Nor can we conclude that the limited time Ms. Barzee has already spent confined at the state hospital in any way undermines the State's interest. Even if the time already spent in confinement were credited to a future sentence, it would constitute only a fraction of the potential sentence she faces if convicted. See, e.g., United States v. Bradley, 417 F.3d 1107, 1117 (10th Cir.2005) (recognizing that nine months of confinement pales in comparison to the fifty years [of] imprisonment [defendant] faces); United States v. Rivera-Guerrero, 426 F.3d 1130, 1143 (9th Cir.2005) (stating that a three-year credit toward a possible two-year sentence undermined the government's interest in prosecution). Thus, Ms. Barzee is charged with serious crimes creating an important State interest in timely prosecution that is not undermined by her past or potential future confinement in the state hospital.