Court Opinion

ID: 9631328
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-22 10:34:36.227795+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:07:52.066363
License: Public Domain

BISTLINE, Justice,
specially concurring.
I am completely in agreement that Carrasco should have been allowed to withdraw the guilty pleas, which had been entered two months after he had learned what he might have understood, yet might not have sufficiently comprehended, at his initial arraignment. First of all, he was being advised of “rights” which not even all Caucasians bom and raised in the United States are aware of or understand. Secondly he is not such a Caucasian, but is from Mexico. Mexico’s system of jurisprudence bears little similarity to ours. The fact that an interpreter was involved does not necessarily mean that Carrasco was receiving the message of the translation which was being made for him. Much can be lost in translation, and crossing the language border does not necessarily mean the cultural border has been crossed. A person from Mexico, or from any part of Latin America, who understands little or no English, and who is caught up in a situation such as Carrasco appears to have been brought into with certain inducements, is ordinarily going to say “yes” when he is told something and asked if he understands. There are English speaking persons here in these United States of America who will answer “yes, I understand” rather than be thought not able to comprehend. With the people to the south of our border, it has been observed that it is part of their culture to give officialdom the sort of an answer which they believe the officialdom wants.
Other than for Justice Boyle’s opinion rejecting as having no basis in law the argument that the two months elapse of time did not require that Carrasco again be *302fully advised as to the consequences of entering a guilty plea, I would fully concur in his opinion. It seems inappropriate to me that in this case the Court, absent any citation of authority, can utter the bold pronunciado that the law has not, does not, and will not countenance the requirement of revisiting with a disadvantaged person, such as Gorgonio Carrasco, the many safeguards extended to those accused in this country when into the toils of the law they chance to come — especially when encouraged.