Opinion ID: 1456848
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Intrajurisdictional and Interjurisdictional Comparisons

Text: Comparison of Gonzalez's sentence with those imposed for other crimes in California and for the same crime in other states confirms our finding of gross disproportionality. See Helm, 463 U.S. at 298-300, 103 S.Ct. 3001. Gonzalez's indeterminate sentence of 28 years to life is substantially more severe than penalties California imposes for far more serious crimes. For example, second degree murder is punishable by 15 years to life, CAL. PENAL CODE §§ 189, 190(a); voluntary manslaughter is punishable by three, six, or eleven years, CAL. PENAL CODE §§ 192(a), 193(a); kidnaping is punishable by three, five, or eight years, CAL. PENAL CODE §§ 207, 208; first degree robbery is punishable by three, six, or nine years, CAL. PENAL CODE §§ 211, 213(a)(1)(A); and rape is punishable by three, six, or eight years, CAL. PENAL CODE §§ 261, 264(a). The gross disparity between Gonzalez's sentence and those for many serious violent crimes in California underscores that the Three Strikes sentence imposed on Gonzalez is arbitrarily harsh and undeniably cruel. An interjurisdictional comparison similarly militates against California's position. At least eleven states require a sex offender to renew registration within some statutorily fixed period after the initial registration but do not tie the registration requirement to the offender's birthday; Gonzalez's failure to update his sex offender registration within several days of his birthday thus would not have even qualified as a criminal offense in those states. See ARIZ. REV. STAT. ANN. § 13-3821(J); DEL. CODE tit. 11, § 4120(g); IDAHO CODE § 18-8307(5)(b); IOWA CODE § 692A.4; LA. REV. STAT. ANN. § 15:542.1; NEB. REV. STAT. § 29-4006(2); NEV. REV. STAT. § 179D.480; N.J. STAT. ANN. § 2C:7-2(e); N.Y. CORRECT. LAW § 168-f; PA. CONS. STAT. § 9796; WIS. STAT. § 301.45(3). In at least ten jurisdictions, a first registration offense is a misdemeanor. ALASKA STAT. § 11.56.840(b); D.C. CODE § 22-4015(a); IOWA CODE § 692A.7(1); ME. REV. STAT. ANN. tit. 34-A, § 11227; MD. CODE ANN., CRIM. PROC. § 11-721; MASS. GEN. LAWS ch. 6, § 178H(a)(1); MICH. COMP. LAWS §§ 28.725a(10), 28.729(2); OR. REV. STAT. § 181.599;S.C. CODE ANN. § 23-3-470(B)(1); W. VA. CODE § 15-12-8(b). In at least ten states, sex offender registration violations are subject to separate recidivist statutes but such statutes punish those who fail to comply with registration requirements only for terms of imprisonment ranging from one to ten years. ALASKA STAT. §§ 11.56.835(d), 12.55.125(e); COLO. REV. STAT. §§ 16-22-108(1)(b), 18-3-412.5(2)(A), 18-1.3-401(1)(a)(V)(A); 18-1.3-801(2); CONN. GEN. STAT. §§ 54-254, 53a-35a, 53a-40(c), (j); FLA. STAT. ANN. § 775.084(1)(b) & 4(b)(3); MASS. GEN. LAWS ch. 6, § 178H, § 178F, ch. 279, § 25; MISS. CODE ANN. §§ 45-33-33(2); MO. ANN. STAT. §§ 589.425(1), 558.016(3), 558.011(1)(3); N.M. STAT. §§ 29-11A-4(L), (N), 31-18-15(A)(9), 31-18-17(B), (C); N.D. CENT. CODE §§ 12.1-32-15(9), 12.1-32-09(2)(c); TENN. CODE ANN. §§ 40-35-112(c)(5), 40-35-106(c), 40-35-107(c), 40-39-204(c), 40-39-208(b). An even larger number of states appear not to subject violators of sex offender registration requirements to separate recidivist statutes at all. Several states authorize maximum recidivist sentences greater than ten years. See ALA. CODE §§ 13A-5-9(c), 15-20-24; GA. CODE ANN. §§ 17-10-7(c), 42-1-12(n); MONT. CODE ANN. §§ 46-23-507, 46-18-501-502; N.H. REV. STAT. ANN. § 651-B:9(II), 651:6(II)(A), (III)(a); OKLA. STAT. tit. 57, §§ 584(A)(5), 587, tit. 21, § 51.1(C); R.I. GEN. LAWS §§ 11-37.1-14, 11-37.1-10, 12-19-21(a); S.D. CODIFIED LAWS §§ 22-24B-2, 22-7-8, 22-6-1(C) (2007). However, Texas appears to be the only state besides California that would mandate a sentence of 25 years or longer for a third felony offense, including a violation of a sex offender registration law. See TEX. PENAL CODE ANN. § 12.42(d). See also Ramirez, 365 F.3d at 772 ([T]he [Three Strikes statute] is the most stringent in the nation.); Carmony, 26 Cal.Rptr.3d at 376-78 (compiling statistics and concluding that California is the only state that requires a life sentence with a mandatory prison term of 25 years prior to parole eligibility for a Three Strikes offender whose violation is noncompliance with the annual registration requirement. (emphasis omitted)). As we expect in our federal system, sex offender registration laws vary widely among the several states and are frequently changed. [12] We are thus hesitant to draw any conclusions from this survey; however, the fact that Gonzalez's sentence is at the margin of what the states have deemed an appropriate penalty for violation of sex offender registration laws supports our finding that Gonzalez's sentence is unusual. See Helm, 463 U.S. at 299, 103 S.Ct. 3001 (At the very least, therefore, it is clear that Helm could not have received such a severe sentence in 48 of the 50 States.).