Opinion ID: 1829968
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 39

Heading: Reports

Text: Hansen charges the Circuit Court erred when it allowed the prosecuting attorney to use disciplinary reports from Hansen's Florida incarcerations in cross-examining Hansen's mitigation witnesses at the sentencing phase. What happened is this: at the sentencing phase, Hansen called three witnesses  Carol Kane, a prior romantic interest who visited Hansen often in prison; Joy Reichgott, an insurance clerk who became pen pals with Hansen while he was in Avon Correctional Facility; and prison counselor Fred Weist, mentioned in Part XXXII above. Through each of these individuals, Hansen's lawyer, on direct examination, elicited testimony that Hansen had adapted well to prison life and the like, all of which was couched to convince the jury that Hansen's future behavior as a prisoner, if his life be spared, would be such that he would pose no threat or danger to anyone. On cross-examination the prosecution sought to discredit this testimony. In the case of the three witnesses  Kane, Reichgott and Weist  the prosecuting attorney asked each if he or she were aware of Hansen's disciplinary record while incarcerated in Florida. We find in the record a series of disciplinary reports over the period April 4, 1982, through March 20, 1986. These reports do not appear to have been presented to the jury. Substantively, our law permits this sort of rebuttal evidence. It is true that the prosecution had no right to offer evidence of wrongs and bad acts to prove Hansen's character or to show he acted in conformity therewith, see Rule 404(b), Miss.R.Ev., but this was competent rebuttal evidence in the face of the showing Hansen made on direct examination of each of these witnesses. Simpson v. State, 497 So.2d 424, 428-29 (Miss. 1986); Winters v. State, 449 So.2d 766, 771 (Miss. 1984). Cole v. State, 525 So.2d 365, 370 (Miss. 1987), and Stringer v. State, 500 So.2d 928, 941 (Miss. 1986), held, when the defendant puts mitigating evidence before the jury during the penalty phase, the prosecution is allowed to counter-attack. Such rebuttal evidence, offered to negate testimony about specific mitigating factors, is admissible. Cole, 525 So.2d at 370. Such is the case today. Hansen had offered in mitigation that he had behaved well in prison. The prosecution merely rebutted this testimony by challenging and testing the knowledge from which the witnesses testified. See Lanier v. State, 533 So.2d 473, 487 (Miss. 1988). Rule 405(a), Miss.R.Ev., provides that, [i]n all cases in which evidence of character or a trait of character of a person is admissible, proof may be made by testimony as to reputation or by testimony in the form of an opinion. On cross-examination, inquiry is allowable into relevant specific instances of conduct. The comment to the rule provides: While 405(a) limits proof of character to reputation or opinion evidence on direct examination, it does provide that the witness may be cross-examined regarding specific acts of conduct. There are two sound reasons for permitting this type of cross-examination. If the witness on cross-examination professes no knowledge about specific acts, his qualifications to state opinion or reputation are impugned. If the witness admits knowledge of specific bad acts, then he has been impeached. Magee v. State, 198 Miss. 642, 22 So.2d 245 (1945). In the case sub judice Kane, Reichgott and Weist certainly implied opinions of Hansen's peacefulness and adaptability to prison life. All of this was on direct examination by the defense. The prosecutor asked, during cross-examination, about the basis upon which each witness was giving testimony that Hansen had done well while in prison. The questions went to test the witnesses' knowledge and qualifications to give the character evidence each had just given. We find no error here.