Opinion ID: 1427816
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Probation Revocation as part of Criminal Proceedings

Text: Without question, the sentencing court's granting of probation, supervision of the probationer's service of probation, and involvement in probation revocation proceedings are well within the judicial phase of the criminal process. Probation is defined as a sentence not involving confinement which imposes conditions and retains authority in the sentencing court to modify the conditions of the sentence or to resentence the offender if he violates the conditions. W.S. 7-13-401(a)(x) (emphasis added). To assist the sentencing judge in his consideration of whether to grant probation to an offender, the judge may direct the prosecuting attorney or the state probation and parole officer to investigate and report to him concerning factors which he may weigh. W.S. 7-13-303. The sentencing judge may place the offender on probation under such terms as the judge deems appropriate. W.S. 7-13-302, 304, 305. The sentencing judge has continuing jurisdiction over a probationer and inherent power to revoke probation granted. Knobel v. State [576 P.2d 941, 943 (Wyo. 1978)]; State v. Reisch ([491 P.2d 1254, 1255 (Wyo. 1971)])   . Smith v. State, 598 P.2d 1389, 1390 (Wyo. 1979). In Smith we recognized, a trial judge's sentencing duties in a particular case are not over and a criminal case wherein probation is granted not closed until a defendant has satisfactorily served his probation period or his probation revoked. Id. at 1391. We further observed that probation is a matter over which the sentencing judge takes a personal hand. His decision is one that he has made upon the basis of his own judgment of the defendant's potential. He has retained control over the defendant's conduct because of an intimate acquaintance with defendant as a person gained through his own observation in the courtroom and a special study of his background. No one is in a better position than the sentencing judge to accomplish the objects of probation and keep track of its progress. The supervision of probation, through his probation officers, is one of the most important duties performed by the trial judge. It is one of his functions in which he cannot be completely impersonal. So there are compelling reasons for the particular judge allowing probation to trace and retain an individual concern over each defendant in whom he has placed his confidence.       The probation revocation proceeding of February, 1979, was only a continuation of the guilty plea proceedings held in June, 1978   . Id. With respect to the institution of probation revocation proceedings, if either the state probation and parole officer or a county attorney determines that consideration should be given to retaking or reincarcerating a probationer who allegedly has violated a condition of probation, then that officer or county attorney shall notify the court. W.S. 7-13-408(a). Gronski v. State, 700 P.2d 777, 778 (Wyo. 1985); Minchew v. State, 685 P.2d 30, 31 (Wyo. 1984); Weisser v. State, 600 P.2d 1320, 1323 (Wyo. 1979); Smith, 598 P.2d at 1390; and Knobel v. State, 576 P.2d 941, 943 (Wyo. 1978). Either a probation officer or a county attorney may initiate the revocation proceedings: in both instances the request for revocation [is] directed to the judge and, based upon the showing in the petition, it [is] the judge who [decides] whether or not to issue a warrant for the apprehension of the defendant. Furthermore, in both instances, it [is] the court that [decides] the ultimate revocation issue. Weisser, 600 P.2d at 1323. Just as the granting of probation is addressed to the sound discretion of the sentencing judge, so is its revocation. Gronski, 700 P.2d at 778. Our statutory provisions and our case law provide the proper due process protections to which a probationer faced with possible probation revocation is entitled. Among the many safeguards which our law affords the probationer in that circumstance are rights to written notice of the nature and content of the allegations, a probable-cause hearing before a judge, an opportunity to consult with any persons whose assistance he reasonably desires, confront and examine any person who has made allegations against him, counsel, present evidence on his own behalf, and a decision on the merits by the sentencing judge who makes a conscientious judgment after hearing the facts. See W.S. 7-13-305, 408; W.S. 7-6-104; Gagnon v. Scarpelli, 411 U.S. 778, 93 S.Ct. 1756, 36 L.Ed.2d 656 (1973); Minchew, 685 P.2d at 31-32. Although the decision to revoke probation is not based upon a beyond a reasonable doubt standard of proof, the sentencing judge's revocation decision is reviewable under an abuse of discretion standard. Longwell v. State, 705 P.2d 336, 338 (Wyo. 1985); and Minchew, 685 P.2d at 32. In light of this review of the nature and substance of the imposition, supervision and revocation of probation under Wyoming law, we reject the Cooneys' arguments that Mr. Cooney's criminal case was closed and his criminal proceedings were at an end when deputy county attorney White performed his challenged activities. Although it is true that [a] probation revocation hearing is not a trial on a new criminal charge, we recognize it is an extension of the sentencing procedure resulting from conviction of the basic charge, coupled with the probationer's due process entitlements. Minchew, 685 P.2d at 31. As we have shown, from the granting of probation through the supervision of probation to the revocation of probation, the sentencing judge has continuing jurisdiction over the probationer during the sentencing stage of the criminal proceeding. Without a doubt, this sentencing stage is an integral part of the judicial phase of the criminal process. We emphasize and add to that said earlier: The supervision of probation, through his probation officers [and, we would add, the county attorney] is one of the most important duties performed by the trial judge. Smith, 598 P.2d at 1391.