Court Opinion

ID: 9663218
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-23 23:32:03.796183+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:14:46.839998
License: Public Domain

V. J. Brennan,. J.
(dissenting). I. respectfully dissent.
The prosecution contends that the juvenile court did not conduct a "full investigation” because it did not permit the prosecution to present its additional witnesses. In my opinion the juvenile court conducted a full investigation in compliance with JCR 1969, 11.1(B) (as set forth in the majority’s opinion).
The juvenile court heard the crucial testimony of the people’s first witness, a psychologist. At that point, the court determined that it would not waive jurisdiction of the defendant. The prosecution objected because it had additional witnesses to present. Apparently the court believed that the testimony of the additional witnesses would not affect its decision to deny the waiver.
The decision of whether to waive juvenile court jurisdiction is discretionary. When a waiver is granted, JCR 1969, 11.1(B) requires not only a full investigation but also detailed findings in the designated criteria set forth in the court rule. People v Allen, 90 Mich App 128; 282 NW2d 255 (1979), *124People v Schumacher, 75 Mich App 505; 256 NW2d 39 (1977). However, these findings are not required when a waiver is denied. Therefore, it is my opinion that when a waiver is denied, our review is limited to determining whether the juvenile court conducted a full investigation. It is also my opinion that, in the exercise of its discretion, the juvenile court can terminate a hearing on a motion to waive jurisdiction over the juvenile. If the court terminates the hearing before the prosecution has presented all of its witnesses, this does not mean that the court did not conduct a "full investigation” as required by the court rule. A full investigation should not be construed to mean that the juvenile court is bound to hear every witness the prosecution intends to present. Where, as here, the court determines that waiver is not appropriate, nothing would be gained by requiring the juvenile court to permit the prosecution to present witnesses whose testimony would be extraneous or cumulative. It is not the volume of testimony that is important. Rather, it is important that the court conduct a full investigation and consider the five enumerated factors in the court rule. If after one witness the court determines that waiver is not appropriate, its decision should not be overturned absent a clear abuse of discretion.
I do not find a clear abuse of discretion in this case because the record discloses that the court reviewed the factors set forth in JCR 1969, 11.1(B) in deciding to deny the waiver and conducted a full investigation. It is not apparent that the testimony proffered by the prosecutor would have had any impact whatsoever on the court’s decision. Therefore, I find no reason to remand this case.
Furthermore, I disagree with the majority’s finding that "the juvenile court may not, without the *125prosecutor’s concurrence, accept a plea in confession to a lesser included offense to the offense charged in the petititon”. The Genesee Prosecutor decisions, relied upon by the majority, pertained to adversary criminal proceedings in "adult court” and, as such, are not applicable to juvenile proceedings. In juvenile court there is more leeway and discretion vested in the court in dispositions of this nature. Proceedings in the juvenile court cannot be compared to proceedings in "adult court”, and decisions pertaining to adversary criminal proceedings should not be adhereed to.
I would caution appellate courts in their rush to monitor each and every procedure of the juvenile disposition. In that attempt, the courts could hinder the atmosphere of, and the theory behind, the juvenile court system which is necessary to the resolution of adolescent problems. The juvenile court’s plea acceptance in the instant case solved the problem on hand. The court’s decision to accept the plea should not be overridden or thwarted by an overzealous prosecutor.
I find that the juvenile court conducted a full investigation on the waiver issue and I would affirm the court’s acceptance of the plea.