Court Opinion

ID: 9536404
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-07 06:59:25.962634+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T14:54:25.524757
License: Public Domain

STEVENS, Chief Judge
(dissenting in part).
I concur in affirming the conviction in relation to the offense of joy riding, a misdemeanor committed on or about the 8th day of December, 1963. I regret that I am not able to agree with the rationale of the Arizona Supreme Court in the case of State v. Parsons, however, it is the law of this State. Being the law of this State, I must agree with the majority that there was prejudicial error in the receipt of the evidence of an arrest grand theft, auto, in relation to the attempt to prove the prior conviction of joy riding.
I am not in accord with the majority in relation to its decision on the question of the burden of proof in establishing a prior conviction. I recognize that there is a division of authority. I see no purpose in extended discussion of my views. I agree with a portion of the headnote statement found in Section 7 of the annotation in 11 A.L.R.2d at page 884, stating:
“One line of authorities holds that identity of name of the defendant and the person previously convicted is prima facie evidence of identity of person, and, in the absence of rebutting testi*77mony, supports a finding of such identity.”
This concept applies to the rules of evidence in relation to civil cases as distinguished from the rules of evidence in relation to proof of guilt beyond a reasonable doubt in criminal cases. The difference in the burden of proof is one, and but one, of the vital reasons why it is essential to present the evidence as to proof of guilt of the charge at a separate stage of the proceedings, than that stage of the proceedings wherein the jury considers the evidence as to prior convictions. The evidence as to prior convictions does not go to the question of guilt or innocence of the offense, it goes only to the matter of permissible punishment. The majority comments upon the fact that the offense of joy riding without a prior conviction is a misdemeanor and is, therefore, punishable by a maximum of 6 months in jail or $300 fine or both, whereas with a prior conviction it is a felony with a maximum sentence of five years at the Arizona State Prison. Under § 13-1649, a felony with a ten year maximum can carry a life sentence if there is a prior conviction of a felony, so that the differential in punishment arising out of the fact of a prior conviction is not as great as it might otherwise seem, except for converting the permissible punishment from one for a misdemeanor to one for a felony.
Where no prior conviction is alleged in the .information the sentencing judge may nevertheless consider the fact of prior convictions in determining that area of the statutory authorization of sentence which will be used. In this connection, the sentencing judge considers pure hearsay as reflected in the FBI information sheets and these sheets are the source of other valuable information to the sentencing judge. Unsworn hearsay statements both favorable to the defendant and unfavorable to the defendant, are considered by a sentencing judge in relation to the exercise of his discretion. Even the inquiry into mitigating or aggravating circumstances under Criminal Rule 336 does not require that the same be conducted under the rules in relation to determining guilt or innocence. I see no violation of any constitutional right of a person who has been found guilty by a jury in applying the Civil Rule quoted in the headnote to A.L.R., and while I firmly believe in the principle that a defendant’s failure to take the stand in connection with the trial in chief is no evidence or indication of guilt and may not be discussed by the County Attorney or considered by the jury in determining the guilt or innocence, the same reasoning does not apply in relation to the matter of prior conviction.
While I concur in the end result, I must dissent in relation to the guide lines set forth as to the burden of proof in relation to prior convictions.