Court Opinion

ID: 9732702
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-26 16:32:02.194494+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:26:31.708836
License: Public Domain

Danhof, P. J.
(concurring in part, dissenting in part). I concur in Judge O’Hara’s opinion with the exception of his invalidation of the probation supervision condition discussed as defendant’s sixth issue and referred to as the "blanket search and seizure” provision. As to this part of the opinion I must dissent. There appears to be no authority in support of the conclusion reached by the majority; and, more importantly, the provision is a legitimate and necessary instrument to assist in the regulation of a probationer’s activities.
As the majority readily concedes, there is much authority contrary to the position they have taken. Diligent research has disclosed no reported cases in agreement, and the majority has cited none in their opinion. The only decision discussed by the *271majority, People v Carr, 370 Mich 251; 121 NW2d 449 (1963), is not in point.
Comparing one on probation or parole to one who is incarcerated to arrive at the conclusion that the rights of the former should be no less than those of the latter is to grossly misconceive the nature and purpose of the two forms of punishment. As recognized by the majority, probation is "rejectable”; that is, optional and essentially voluntary. Imprisonment is not. The probationer or parolee is given a choice. The prisoner is not. Thus, as the Supreme Court stated in People v Carr, supra, a person does not lose his civil rights while incarcerated because he has not given his consent. A probationer or parolee has given his consent in return for more lenient treatment.
The leading case in this area, mentioned in the footnote in the majority opinion, is People v Mason, 5 Cal 3d 759; 97 Cal Rptr 302; 488 P2d 630 (1971), cert den, 405 US 1016; 92 S Ct 1289; 31 L Ed 2d 478 (1972). In that case, the defendant had been placed on probation which included a term granting consent to warrantless searches almost identical to that involved in the present case. Acting pursuant to this waiver and without a warrant, police officers who had reasonable cause to believe that the defendant had participated in a burglary, entered defendant’s house, and conducted a search which uncovered evidence linking him to the crime. The trial court granted a motion to suppress this evidence, and the prosecution appealed. The Supreme Court of California reversed stating:
"We have heretofore suggested, however, that persons conditionally released to society, such as parolees, may have a reduced expectation of privacy, thereby rendering certain intrusions by governmental authorities 'rea*272sonable’ which otherwise would be invalid under traditional constitutional concepts, at least to the extent that such intrusions are necessitated by legitimate governmental demands. (Citations omitted.) Thus, a probationer who has been granted the privilege of probation on condition that he submit at any time to a warrant-less search may have no reasonable expectation of traditional Fourth Amendment protection.” 5 Cal 3d at 764-765; 488 P2d at 633.
As mentioned by the majority, consent to warrantless searches on the. part of probationers or parolees has been sustained in State v Mitchell, 22 NC App 663; 207 SE2d 263 (1974), and People v Santos, 31 AD2d 508; 298 NYS2d 526 (1969), cert den, 397 US 969; 90 S Ct 1010; 25 L Ed 2d 263 (1970). Other jurisdictions which have followed the reasoning of People v Mason, supra, include Nevada in Himmage v State, 88 Nev 296; 496 P2d 763 (1972), and North Dakota in State v Schlosser, 202 NW2d 136 (ND, 1972).
. Probation requires supervision and guidance to avoid the repetition of past mistakes. To be effective, the supervision cannot be restricted by the limitations on governmental scrutiny which the Constitution guarantees to law-abiding citizens. Therefore, I would not vacate that part of the probation order relating to warrantless searches.