Court Opinion

ID: 9851359
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-09-24 05:11:17.501796+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T09:20:54.505940
License: Public Domain

FELDMAN, Justice,
dissenting,
I concur with all aspects of the opinion except the discussion of the constitutionality of A.R.S. § 13-604.01 (recently renumbered 13-604.02). In my view, mandatory sentences are constitutional only when tailored to fit narrowly defined, specific offenses and offenders. However, A.R.S. § 13-604.01 covers so broad a range of offenses and offenders that it can be upheld only by ignoring the individualized facts of each case. Thus, for the reasons set out below, and in my special concurrence in State v. McNair, 141 Ariz. 475, 687 P.2d 1230 (1984) and dissent in State v. Garcia, 141 Ariz. 97, 685 P.2d 734 (1984), I believe that § 13-604.01 cannot be constitutionally applied to this case.
THE STATUTE NULLIFIES THE PROPORTIONALITY TEST OF SOLEM.
In my view, § 13-604.01 frustrates the very purpose of the proportionality test articulated by the United States Supreme Court in Solem v. Helm, 463 U.S. 277, 103 S.Ct. 3001, 77 L.Ed.2d 637 (1983). Proportion is defined as “the relation of one part to another with respect to magnitude, quantity or degree; ____” Webster’s Third New International Dictionary 1819 (1968). Accordingly, the Solem test envisions an individualized inquiry into the relation of the sentence imposed to the offense and the offender. In Solem, the court prefaced its analysis by stating that the question of cruel and unusual punishment cannot be considered in the abstract. 103 S.Ct. at 3008. Although courts should defer to the broad authority of legislatures in determining types and limits of punishments, “no penalty is per se constitutional. ” Id. at 3009 (emphasis added). A single day in prison may be unconstitutional in some circumstances. Id. at 3010.
The first part of the Solem test focuses on the gravity of the offense compared to the severity of the penalty. In comparing severity of punishment for different crimes, a court should examine the circumstances of a defendant’s crime in detail. Id. That focus must be on the defendant’s personal culpability. Enmund v. Florida, 458 U.S. 782, 102 S.Ct. 3368, 3377 (1982), cited in Solem, 103 S.Ct. at 3010. We should also. consider the harm caused or threatened to the victim or society. Solem, 103 S.Ct. at 3011.
The death caused by Cocio’s act is indeed a grave consequence. However, his act was reckless, not intentional. It is fundamental that causing harm intentionally must be punished more severely than causing the same harm unintentionally. Enmund, 102 S.Ct. at 3377; see Solem, 103 S.Ct. at 3011. Defendant’s sentence, however, treats him the same as a person con*289vieted and sentenced for the intentional act of first-degree murder. See A.R.S. § 13-703 (Supp.1984-85). The 25-year minimum penalty imposed under § 13-604.01 for a reckless act seems overly harsh when the same penalty may be imposed for murder. Cocio’s sentence, therefore, is not proportional to his individual offense.
The second part of the Solem analysis requires a comparison of defendant’s sentence with others imposed in Arizona. The fact that more serious crimes are subject to the same or lesser penalties is one indication that the punishment at issue may be constitutionally excessive. Solem, 103 S.Ct. at 3010. The majority’s analysis relies mainly on comparisons of defendants sentenced to life imprisonment under the very statute at issue. (At 283, 709 P.2d at 1342) This comparison is problematic, however, because of the conflict between the statute’s overly-broad reach and the individualized nature of the Solem inquiry. The analysis also defeats the concept of proportionality because there is no external reference for comparison. The statute is compared to itself. A more appropriate comparison would be made under Arizona’s repeat offender statute. See A.R.S. § 13-604 (Supp.1984-85). A defendant with a prior felony, convicted of manslaughter, would normally face a sentence of five to fifteen years with a presumptive sentence of seven and one-half years. Id. The presumptive sentence may also be rebutted by the trial judge’s consideration of mitigating factors in that particular case. Id. No such relief is available to defendants sentenced under § 13-604.01 which indiscriminately imposes a mandatory life sentence on all offenders who are caught in its web. Thus, this defendant, convicted for a nonintentional act committed at the end of his probation period, is treated more severely than a repeat second-degree murderer.1 A state is certainly justified in punishing recidivists more severely than first offenders, but the defendant’s status should not be considered in the abstract. Solem, 103 S.Ct. at 3013. The nature of defendant’s prior convictions is relevant to the sentencing decision. Id. at n. 21. Section 13-604.01 denies any such consideration. Under the statute, defendant’s status as a prior felony offender is viewed in the abstract. The type of prior conviction is not considered. This treatment defeats the very purpose of the Solem test which envisions an individualized approach to determining the proportionality of a sentence based on the circumstances of each case.
The third prong of the Solem test—comparing punishments in other jurisdictions— must be satisfied by analogy because of the unique character of § 13-604.01. The majority relies (At 283-284, 709 P.2d at 1342-1343) on repeat offender statutes in other jurisdictions. The comparison, however, does not support the majority’s result. The penalties may be considerably less under the cited statutes because they vest the sentencing judge with discretion not available under our § 13-604.01. For example, a prior felon convicted of manslaughter under Alabama’s repeat offender statute would be sentenced under the next higher felony classification. This could result in a sentence from ten to twenty years, with no parole for the time imposed. See Ala. Code §§ 13A-5-6 and 15-22-36(e)(l)(c) (1975 and Supp. 1984). In Texas, a similarly situated defendant would also be sentenced under the next higher classification and could get up to twenty years with parole in a minimum of six and two-thirds years. See Tex. *290Penal Code Ann. § 12.42 (Vernon 1974) and Tex. Crim. Proc. Code Ann. § 42.12 at § 15(b) (Vernon 1979).
Theoretically, in the jurisdictions cited by the majority as proportional to § 13-604.01, prior felons convicted of manslaughter could, in the discretion of the sentencing judge and parole board, be released in six and two-thirds to ten years. Arizona’s statute removes all discretion from the trial judge and eliminates any chance of parole for at least twenty-five years. The penalty imposed by it is not proportional to other jurisdictions and the cited statutes do not support the majority’s result.
I would therefore hold that the statute fails to meet the Solem test for two reasons. First, because its indiscriminate, broad application allows disproportional sentencing in violation of the eighth amendment. Second, because it does not permit the trial judge to determine the specific sentence by ascertaining and weighing the facts about the crime or the criminal and does not, therefore, permit the necessary proportionality inquiry. The legislature, seeking uniformity of sentencing, has removed individual consideration of the crime or criminal as part of the sentencing process. Howe, Thoughts on Mandatory Sentencing, Ariz. Bar J., June-July 1985, at 24, 25.
THE DISPROPORTIONALITY PERMITTED BY THE STATUTE IS EVIDENCED BY THE FACTS OF THIS CASE
At the trial stage, the jury found Cocio guilty of manslaughter, a felony involving the “use of a dangerous instrumentality” (the car) which in part triggers the application of § 13-604.01. During the sentencing phase, the court instructed the jury that all they had to determine was whether Cocio was on probation or parole from a felony conviction at the time of the offense. The jury found for the state. The statute then required the judge to impose a life sentence without considering any of the individual circumstances. The facts show this to be an unconstitutional application under Solem.
Cocio’s previous conviction was for first-degree conspiracy. He had received a suspended sentence, was placed on probation for five years and had satisfactorily completed four years and five months of that period when the accident giving rise to the charges occurred. His current conviction was for an unintentional act. These factors, combined with the long interim of what appears to be lawful conduct, tell us something about the nature of the offender and might well militate in favor of a sentence less draconian than life imprisonment with a twenty-five year minimum. However, the statute precluded the trial court from weighing the facts that might have enabled the court to tailor the punishment to the criminal.
The mandatory sentence also precluded the court from obeying Solem’s teaching to consider the individualized circumstances surrounding the crime committed. True, defendant was convicted of manslaughter, but the culpability of the reckless conduct which is the basis for this conviction (At 280, 709 P.2d at 1339-1340) may vary greatly from case to case. Here too, considerable mitigating evidence existed. The facts shown at trial indicate that both defendant and the other driver, Rodriguez, were legally intoxicated at the time of the accident. It is evident that of the two, Rodriguez was the more culpable in terms of both conduct and causation. The posted speed limit at the scene of the accident was thirty-five miles per hour. Reconstruction experts for both the defendant and the state determined that Rodriguez was driving at least twenty miles per hour over that limit and perhaps even faster. The experts also testified that defendant, evidently driving within the speed limit, attempted a left hand turn at a speed of approximately twenty to twenty-two miles per hour and in making that turn put himself in the path of the approaching Rodriguez vehicle. Even a sober driver might have underestimated his distance from a *291speeding vehicle which showed only a single headlight as it approached at night around a curve. Even a sober driver might have misjudged the distance and commenced his left turn, believing it to be safe.
Other evidence also indicated that Rodriguez, not defendant, was quite likely the more culpable of the drivers. Two impartial witnesses testified they saw Rodriguez shortly before the accident, driving well over sixty miles per hour and weaving back and forth on the road. They stated that he almost hit their car as he passed them. All these facts might well prompt a trial judge to find that defendant was less culpable in terms of causation or conduct than the other driver. Under Solem, such facts are given substantial consideration in determining the proportionality of a sentence.2 103 S.Ct. at 3010. However, all this too becomes irrelevant in face of the mandatory sentence. There are, of course, two sides to the coin. Cocio is not a sterling example of American youth. However, the statute prevents factual inquiry and thus forbids proportion.
The facts of this case illustrate clearly that in a predictable number of cases mandatory sentencing covering a broad range of crimes is simply a form of mandatory injustice. The “use of a dangerous instrumentality” and the “committed while on probation or parole” language of § 13-604.-01 sweep very broadly. Such a statute defies any meaningful proportionality inquiry because it requires the judge to ignore the facts of the infinite number of situations which may be charged under a single criminal statute. It requires him to treat each case and individual defendant alike, insuring that some sentences will fit neither the crime nor the criminal. The legislature may define what is criminal and prescribe the limits of a punishment for particular types of criminal conduct. The legislature may no doubt require mandatory sentencing for very narrow types of criminal violations, such as first-degree murder. But when the majority allows the legislature to usurp the functions of trial judges and to dictate a uniform sentence to be imposed for a wide range of offenses and offenders, no matter what the nature of the act and of the actor, the court surrenders its judicial prerogative and abandons its constitutional duty. I dissent.

. Although § 13-604.01 concerns repeat offenders on probation or parole at the time of the convicted offense, this is an arbitrary basis for imposing a harsher penalty than might be imposed under § 13-604. Under the present scheme, a person previously convicted for second-degree murder who serves the presumptive term and, after his release, is convicted for the same crime, could serve less time than a person previously convicted for forging a $5 check and then convicted, while on probation, for first-degree burglary involving no injury. A person who commits a more serious crime the day after his parole ends has not necessarily earned a less severe penalty than a person who commits a less serious crime on his last day of probation.

. The question of comparative culpability provides an interesting and frightening sidelight to the workings of mandatory sentencing laws. Rodriguez, the more culpable of the two actors, made a plea bargain with the state. As part of that agreement, he entered a guilty plea to both manslaughter and DUI. As its part of the bargain, the state dismissed the allegation of "dangerous nature” on the manslaughter charge. Rodriguez was given one years probation on that charge and time served (two days) and a fine on the DUI charge. Cocio claims that the punishment imposed upon Rodriguez, when compared to the life sentence given him, illustrates the lack of proportionality caused by application of the statute. The state rebuts this argument by pointing out that the prosecutor made a similar plea agreement offer to Cocio, who rejected it. In my view, the serious disproportionality in the sentences imposed upon Rodriguez and Cocio is not mitigated by the fact that Cocio chose to make the state prove a very close case at trial. Because this defendant chose to exercise his constitutional right to trial, he faces twenty-four years and three hundred and sixty-three days longer in prison than the more culpable actor. This, too, is a result of the mandatory sentence law. On this subject see generally Gerst, Guilt or Innocence Not the Issue, Maricopa Lawyer, Oct. 1985 at 4; Howe, supra.