Court Opinion

ID: 9714277
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-26 05:34:25.032911+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:23:24.914450
License: Public Domain

SAYLOR, Justice,
dissenting.
I respectfully differ with the majority’s conclusion that a character witness cannot be cross-examined regarding a defendant’s specific instances of misconduct. Although character witnesses may not be questioned as to an arrest that did not lead to conviction, see Commonwealth v. Scott, 496 Pa. 188, 197, 436 A.2d 607, 612 (1981), in my view, this limitation stems *257from the credence that an arrest lends to an accusation of misconduct. This Court has held, however, that a character witness may be cross-examined on specific instances of conduct probative of the character trait at issue. See Commonwealth v. Gibson, 547 Pa. 71, 100-01, 688 A.2d 1152, 1167 (1997); Commonwealth v. Becker, 326 Pa. 105, 116, 191 A. 351, 353 (1937). Indeed, Rule 405(a) of the Pennsylvania Rules of Evidence reflects this precedent in providing:
On cross-examination of a reputation witness, inquiry is allowable into specific instances of conduct probative of the character trait in question, except that in criminal cases inquiry into arrests of the accused not resulting in convictions is not permissible.
See Pa.R.E. 405(a).1 Notably, a similar provision exists in Federal Rule of Evidence 405(a), which has been interpreted to permit cross-examination pertaining to specific instances of misconduct probative of the character trait placed in issue. See United States v. Glass, 709 F.2d 669, 673 (11th Cir.1983); United States v. Apfelbaum, 621 F.2d 62, 65 (3 rd Cir.1980).
I recognize the difficulty, discussed in the majority opinion, of distinguishing between allusion to prior wrongful conduct in order to directly rebut the evidence concerning the defendant’s good character, and reference to such conduct to test the accuracy of the character witness testimony and the standard by which the witness measures reputation. Nevertheless, I find our present system of vesting control over reference to prior misconduct within the discretion of the trial court, subject to appellate review for an abuse of such discretion, preferable to a per se rule of preclusion. In this regard, I note that the defendant has a degree of control over the extent to which his character is placed at issue in the first instance.
It may well be, as Appellant argues, that the proposed examination by the Commonwealth would have been improper *258due to the remoteness of the prior conduct. See generally Commonwealth v. Hammond, 308 Pa.Super. 139, 150, 454 A.2d 60, 65 (1982). However, because Appellant failed to make an offer of proof identifying the proposed character witnesses and describing their respective testimony (including the length of their association with Appellant), there is no basis in this record upon which to make such a determination.
Justice NEWMAN joins this Dissenting Opinion.

. In conducting such an examination, the prosecutor must have a reasonable basis for the questions asked. See Pa.R.E. 405 Comment (citing Commonwealth v. Adams, 426 Pa.Super. 332, 626 A.2d 1231 (1993)).