Opinion ID: 3033156
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Sufficiently Important Government Interests

Text: Grape first argues that the District Court erred because the Government did not satisfy factor one of the Sell test, which is a legal determination that we review de novo. As instructed by the Supreme Court, a reviewing court’s role regarding this first factor is to determine whether “important government interests are at stake,” while “consider[ing] the facts of the individual case in evaluating the [strength of the] Government’s interest.” Id. at 180. To evaluate the strength of the Government’s case, the Sell Court stated that “[t]he Government’s interest in bringing to trial an individual accused of a serious crime is important . . . [,] whether the offense is a serious crime against the person or a serious crime against property.” Id. Courts of appeals have split on which test to employ in determining seriousness of the crime. Some look to the maximum statutory penalty, while others calculate the defendant’s probable sentencing range under 19 the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines (“Guidelines”). See HernandezVasquez, 513 F.3d at 917-19. Whether Grape’s alleged crimes are serious is not in question. He faces statutory mandatory minimum sentences of fifteen years for his receipt offense and ten years for his possession offense, accounting for his prior conviction for attempted rape. 18 U.S.C. § 2252(b)(1), (b)(2). The District Court assessed Grape’s crimes in light of his criminal history category of III and found that, if guilty, his “best case scenario” punishment is likely 87 to 108 months’ imprisonment under the Guidelines, though he would still be subject to the statutory minimum sentences. Grape thus concedes that his offenses qualify as serious under either test, and we agree. Additionally, we “must consider the facts of the individual case in evaluating the Government’s interest in prosecution,” remembering that “[s]pecial circumstances may lessen the importance of that interest.” Sell, 539 U.S. at 180. One significant mitigating circumstance for Grape is the possibility of his civil confinement, upon which the Sell Court elaborates: “The defendant’s failure to take drugs voluntarily, for example, may mean lengthy confinement in an institution for the mentally ill – and that would diminish the risks that ordinarily attach to freeing without punishment one who has committed a serious crime.” Id. The long-term prognosis for Grape’s currently restored mental state is unclear, which affects the likelihood of his potential future civil confinement. We therefore presume that Grape would mentally deteriorate if not medicated, and proceed 20 under this assumption. Grape argues that under 18 U.S.C. § 4241(d), the statutory method of determining mental competency to stand trial, if he is not medicated and therefore not competent, he becomes subject to the provisions of 18 U.S.C. § 4246. Section 4246 provides the method for handling a defendant once he is determined incompetent. The District Court would first need to find[] by clear and convincing evidence that the person is presently suffering from a mental disease or defect as a result of which his release would create a substantial risk of bodily injury to another person or serious damage to property of another, [in which case] the court shall commit the person to the custody of the Attorney General. The Attorney General shall release the person to the appropriate official of the State in which the person is domiciled or was tried if such State will assume responsibility for his custody, care, and treatment. The Attorney General shall make all reasonable efforts to cause such a State to assume such responsibility. If, notwithstanding such efforts, neither such State will assume such responsibility, the Attorney General shall hospitalize the person for treatment in a suitable facility, until – (1) such a State will assume such responsibility; or 21 (2) the person’s mental condition is such that his release, or his conditional release under a prescribed regimen of medical, psychiatric, or psychological care or treatment would not create a substantial risk of bodily injury to another person or serious damage to property of another; whichever is earlier. 18 U.S.C. § 4246(d). Further, Pennsylvania has its own provisions for handling an incompetent inmate, if federal authorities were to release Grape into state custody. The relevant Pennsylvania statute states: Whenever a person is severely mentally ill and in need of immediate treatment, he may be made subject to involuntary emergency examination and treatment. A person is severely mentally disabled when, as a result of mental illness, his capacity to exercise self-control, judgment and discretion in the conduct of his affairs and social relations or to care for his own personal needs is so lessened that he poses a clear and present danger of harm to others or to himself. . . . If . . . the person has been found incompetent to be tried or has been acquitted by reason of lack of criminal responsibility on charges arising from conduct involving infliction of or attempt to inflict 22 substantial bodily harm on another, . . . clear and present danger to others may be shown by establishing that the conduct charged in the criminal proceeding did occur, and that there is a reasonable probability that such conduct will be repeated. [A] clear and present danger of harm to others may be demonstrated by proof that the person has made threats of harm and has committed acts in furtherance of the threat to commit harm. 70 Pa. Cons. Stat. § 7301. Prior to Grape’s forcible medication in Fall 2007, he most likely fell within the category of individuals to whom this rule would apply if he were released in Pennsylvania. In response to Grape’s arguments under these federal and state statutes, the District Court found that “[e]ven though a section 4246 hearing has not been held, there is no serious dispute that the likelihood of Mr. Grape reentering society unmedicated is extremely low.” Likewise, we believe it is safe to assume that Grape would likely reenter this category if his paranoid schizophrenia returned. The District Court further found that “there is no . . . reading of the Medical Center’s Harper hearing conclusion other than, but for his confinement, Mr. Grape would be a danger.” In fact, we now know that, despite his confinement, Grape when not medicated already posed a danger. Grape argues that his apparently indefinite future civil confinement decreases the need for his forcible medication to the point of it becoming negligible. It is impossible for us to predict how likely it is that Grape will relapse and again exhibit the same 23 dangerous symptoms that would bring him within the scope of these civil confinement statutes. Grape’s currently restored mental state weakens his argument. Yet, despite these recent developments in Grape’s health, it is not difficult to agree with the District Court’s assessment that “the likelihood of civil commitment here does diminish the government’s interest in this case.” But we must balance Grape’s strong argument against the Government’s interests. In that vein, the Sell Court states: We do not mean to suggest that civil commitment is a substitute for a criminal trial. The Government has a substantial interest in timely prosecution. And it may be difficult or impossible to try a defendant who regains competence after years of commitment during which memories may fade and evidence may be lost. The potential for future confinement affects, but does not totally undermine, the strength of the need for prosecution. The same is true of the possibility that the defendant has already been confined for a significant amount of time (for which he would receive credit toward any sentence ultimately imposed, see 18 U.S.C. § 3585(b)). Moreover, the Government has a concomitant, constitutionally essential interest in assuring that the defendant’s trial is a fair one. 539 U.S. at 180. 24 In the instant case, the Government argues that a number of factors increase its interest in prosecuting Grape. First, we have recognized the seriousness of child pornography charges. See United States v. Goff, 501 F.3d 250, 258-60 (3d Cir. 2007) (highlighting the seriousness of and harm associated with the use of child pornography). Also, Grape allegedly committed child sex offenses within months of his discharge from prison for his attempted rape, making him a repeat offender and indicating a pattern of pedophilia. Further, the Government asserts that the sheer strength of its interest in prosecuting Grape decreases the ability of Grape’s special circumstances to overcome those Government interests. The Government has a strong case on the basis of these arguments. The Government also argues that it has a strong interest in prosecuting Grape sooner, while the evidence is fresh, but we do not find this convincing alone. Grape states, importantly, that his computer is the source of the evidence against him, which would be available whenever he is prosecuted. However, the Government argues regarding Grape’s sentence that if he were never convicted and served a period of time in civil confinement instead, he would not face the potential of a portion of his punishment through supervised release. This would allow the Government to continue to track him after his stay in prison. Finally, at oral argument, the Government also expressed an interest in trying Grape earlier because one of its goals is to involve crime victims in the prosecution process. We review this first Sell factor de novo. Other courts of appeals in analyzing this factor have relied almost entirely on an assessment of the seriousness of the defendant’s crime. See, 25 e.g., United States v. Green, 532 F.3d 538, 545-51 (6th Cir. 2008). Also, Grape has been confined on his current charges for approximately three-and-a-half years. In light of the mandatory minimum sentences of ten and fifteen years he faces, Grape would still need to serve a majority of his sentence if convicted. The Government has demonstrated the strength of its interest in speedy prosecution with support from its additional enumerated important interests. We recognize that “[t]he forcible injection of medication into a nonconsenting person’s body represents a substantial interference with that person’s liberty.” Harper, 494 U.S. at 229. The fact that Grape has already been involuntarily medicated and has been restored to competency diminishes his countervailing interest. Of course, there is a strong possibility that he will again relapse to incompetency due to his paranoid schizophrenia. Grape argues that as more time lapses from the time he stopped taking his medication, he will move closer to incompetency and to his previous degree and symptoms of mental disease. But, due to the volatility of Grape’s mental state, we cannot be certain of Grape’s current mental health, or the likelihood and timeline under which he would again become incompetent. Therefore, we are not in a position to agree wholeheartedly with Grape’s statement that we “need not override [his] constitutionally protected liberty interest in refusing medical treatment when the end result of forcible medication will be the same as allowing the individual to continue to refuse treatment.” It is no longer clear that Grape’s punishment – incarceration, whether in prison or a medical 26 facility – would be the same whether or not he were involuntary medicated. Regardless, the District Court stated that it had “no trouble concluding that important government interests are at stake here.” We agree, and find that Grape’s arguments do not outweigh the Government’s.10 Therefore, the Government’s interest is sufficiently strong to outweigh Grape’s liberty interest and to meet this factor of the Sell test.