Court Opinion

ID: 9734237
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-26 17:29:20.313432+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:26:47.163729
License: Public Domain

SPAETH, Judge,
concurring:
I agree that the judgment of sentence should be affirmed, but I am unable to join the majority’s opinion, for I regard it as inconsistent with Commonwealth v. Young, 272 Pa.Super. 82, 414 A.2d 679 (1979).
Commonwealth v. Riggins, 474 Pa. 115, 133, 377 A.2d 140, 149 (1977), held that the sentencing judge must state the reasons for the sentence, and that if he did not, the sentence would be vacated and the case remanded for resentencing. The question then arose whether Riggins could be satisfied by stating the reasons for the sentence in an opinion filed some time after the sentence had been imposed. Young held no-that the only way the sentencing judge could satisfy Riggins was to state the reasons for the sentence when the sentence was imposed.
Young applies to this case, because this case was on direct appeal when Young was decided. Cf. Commonwealth v. *519Mitchell, 487 Pa. 569, 410 A.2d 758 (1980) (Riggins applies to all cases on direct appeal when Riggins was decided); Commonwealth v. Jefferson, 484 Pa. 115, 398 A.2d 971 (1979) (semble). Accordingly, if appellant had argued to the sentencing judge, either at the time of sentencing or later, by petition for reconsideration of the sentence, that the judge had erred in failing to state the reasons for the sentence when the sentence was imposed, we should have been obliged to vacate the sentence and remand the case for resentencing. In fact, however, appellant did not so argue to the sentencing judge. Since he did not, he has waived his right so to argue to us. Commonwealth v. Clair, 458 Pa. 418, 326 A.2d 272 (1974).
This said, our discussion of the case should end. The majority’s discussion however, continues. Specifically, the majority goes on to consider whether the sentence was excessive, and decides that it was not. The majority satisfies itself that the sentence was not excessive by considering the reasons for the sentence as stated in the opinion filed after the sentence was imposed. Thus the majority confers legitimacy on the opinion: it regards the opinion as entitled to consideration. Under Young, however, the opinion, as a belated statement of reasons, is not entitled to consideration; it should therefore have been ignored.