Opinion ID: 2009939
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 6

Heading: Material Witness Statutes.

Text: Material witness statutes are in widespread existence throughout this country. In re Francisco M., 86 Cal. App.4th 1061, 103 Cal.Rptr.2d 794, 802 (2001); State v. Lloyd, 22 Or.App. 254, 538 P.2d 1278, 1288 (1975). The majority of states have enacted such statutes, as well as the federal government. Francisco M., 103 Cal.Rptr.2d at 802; Carlson, 55 Iowa L.Rev. at 1 & n. 1; see 18 U.S.C. § 3144 (2000) (federal material witness statute). These statutes serve a vital and useful public purpose in the prosecution of felony offenses. People ex rel. Van Der Beek v. McCloskey, 18 A.D.2d 205, 238 N.Y.S.2d 676, 680 (N.Y.App.Div.1963). It is widely recognized that the giving of testimony to one's knowledge of a crime is a public duty imposed upon every individual properly summoned within the court's jurisdiction. Francisco M., 103 Cal.Rptr.2d at 797; Cochran v. Lincoln County, 203 Neb. 818, 280 N.W.2d 897, 900 (1979); State v. Hand, 101 N.J.Super. 43, 242 A.2d 888, 892 (1968); Van Der Beek, 238 N.Y.S.2d at 680. Although the personal sacrifice involved with the performance of this duty can be great, it is essential to the administration of justice and public welfare. Cochran, 280 N.W.2d at 900; Hand, 242 A.2d at 892; see Barry v. United States ex rel. Cunningham, 279 U.S. 597, 617-18, 49 S.Ct. 452, 456, 73 L.Ed. 867, 873 (1929) (exigencies of particular situation require detention of material witness where subpoena would not adequately secure witness' presence at trial). At common law, courts did not have the authority to confine an individual as a material witness. Hand, 242 A.2d at 892; Carlson, 55 Iowa L.Rev. at 6. The most restraint imposed by a court was to require a witness to come on his or her own recognizance, without providing surety. Id. Thus, the authority provided to courts today to confine material witnesses is largely statutory. Id.; see 97 C.J.S. Witnesses § 33, at 420 (1957). Today, the public duty to testify in felony cases is so vital to our system of justice that an innocent person may be detained as a material witness without bail. Francisco M., 103 Cal.Rptr.2d at 797; Van Der Beek, 238 N.Y.S.2d at 680. Furthermore, statutes providing for confinement of material witnesses are generally considered to be valid under the federal constitution. Barry, 279 U.S. at 618, 49 S.Ct. at 457, 73 L.Ed. at 874; Francisco M., 103 Cal.Rptr.2d at 802 (citing Hurtado v. United States, 410 U.S. 578, 588 & n. 9, 93 S.Ct. 1157, 1163-64 & n. 9, 35 L.Ed.2d 508, 518 & n. 9 (1973)). Iowa has had a material witness statute since 1851. See Iowa Code§§ 2876-2878 (1851); Carlson, 55 Iowa L.Rev. at 17 & n. 61. The statute was significantly revised in 1976. See 1976 Iowa Acts ch. 1245 (ch. 2), § 408 (codified at Iowa Code § 804.11 (1978)). It is currently found in Iowa Code section 804.11. The statute provides that a law enforcement officer may arrest an individual as a material witness, with or without an arrest warrant, if the officer has probable cause to believe that a person is a necessary and material witness to a felony and that such person might be unavailable for service of a subpoena. Iowa Code § 804.11. In addition to these guidelines, the statute requires the officer to inform the individual at the time of the arrest of the officer's identity and of the reason for the arrest. Id. Specifically, the officer must inform the arrestee that he or she is believed to be a material witness to an identified felony and that the person might be unavailable for service of the subpoena. Id. Additional guidelines exist under the statute to protect the individual interest of the arrestee and to safeguard the arrest procedure. Following the arrest, the officer must take the arrestee to the nearest or most accessible magistrate  without unnecessary delay  for an initial appearance. Id. § 804.23 (emphasis added). At the initial appearance, the officer must introduce a sworn affidavit demonstrating probable cause to believe the arrested individual is a necessary and material witness to a felony offense and that the individual might be unavailable for service of a subpoena. Id. The magistrate may then exercise his or her discretion to release the individual pursuant to section 811.2, or further confine the individual in accordance with the terms of an appearance bond. See id.