Court Opinion

ID: 9776784
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-29 19:44:37.184734+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T07:32:42.488826
License: Public Domain

John I. Purtle, Justice, concurring. I concur in the result only because we did state in Moore v. State, 273 Ark. 231, 617 S.W.2d 855 (1981) that the accused had the opportunity to raise ineffective assistance of counsel at the time of sentencing. This rule is entirely too strict and for numerous reasons should be modified. It takes no imagination to realize that most defendants are not learned in the law and would not know at the time of sentencing whether, for example, evidence had been seized in violation of the Fourth Amendment protection. In most instances the allegations of ineffective assistance of counsel are not known until much later. In any event a statement signed by an accused, in the presence of his attorney, that he is satisfied with the services of that attorney is at the very least suspect. Such a statement could even be executed prior to sentencing or trial. In the future I shall vote to hold such statements made at or before sentencing to be of little or no value in determining effectiveness of counsel. Under any circumstances the burden would be with the defendant to prove ineffective assistance. The signed statement should perhaps be allowed as evidence of effectiveness, but should not be conclusive in and of itself.