Opinion ID: 1350421
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: Language of Section 667.8

Text: The language of section 667.8, as it read at the time the crimes in this case were committed, did not of itself require that violation of the section be pled and proven before its additional term could be imposed. The section at that time simply provided: Any person convicted of a felony violation of Section 261, 264.1, 286, 288, 288a or 289 who, for the purpose of committing such sexual offense, kidnapped the victim in violation of Section 207, shall be punished by an additional term of three years. (Stats. 1983, ch. 950, § 1, pp. 3418-3419.) Section 1170.1, subdivision (f), which requires that numerous enhancements be pled and proven, did not list section 667.8 among those enhancements. (Stats. 1982, ch. 1551, § 1.5, p. 6049.) By the same token, however, section 667.8 did not make it clear that, in contrast to the numerous other sentence enhancements specifically required to be pled and proven, the Legislature intended that this enhancement would not have to be pled and found true by the trier of fact; and it is not unknown for an omission of the normal pleading and proof requirement to be inadvertent. (See, e.g., People v. Jackson (1985) 37 Cal.3d 826, 835, fn. 12 [210 Cal. Rptr. 623, 694 P.2d 736]; People v. Najera (1972) 8 Cal.3d 504, 509-510 [105 Cal. Rptr. 345, 503 P.2d 1353].) The statute's failure to address the pleading and proof question distinguishes section 667.8 in an important way from the statute in McMillan v. Pennsylvania (1986) 477 U.S. 79 [91 L.Ed.2d 67, 106 S.Ct. 2411], relied on in this case by the Court of Appeal and the People. McMillan involved a Pennsylvania statute that provided anyone convicted of certain enumerated felonies was subject to a mandatory minimum sentence of five years' imprisonment if the sentencing judge found that the person visibly possessed a firearm during the commission of the offense. ( McMillan, supra, 477 U.S. at p. 81 [91 L.Ed.2d at p. 73].) The statute explicitly stated: `Provisions of this section shall not be an element of the crime and notice thereof to the defendant shall not be required prior to conviction, but reasonable notice of the Commonwealth's intention to proceed under this section shall be provided after conviction and before sentencing. The applicability of this section shall be determined at sentencing....' ( Id. at p. 81, fn. 1 [91 L.Ed.2d at p. 73].) (2) Section 667.8's failure to mention a pleading-and-proof requirement or to specifically structure a procedure for notice and hearing on the new factor as was done in McMillan creates an ambiguity inviting inquiry into the Legislature's intent in enacting this statute. (See Sand v. Superior Court (1983) 34 Cal.3d 567, 570 [194 Cal. Rptr. 480, 668 P.2d 787].)