Court Opinion

ID: 9752170
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-28 17:41:02.95031+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T07:27:08.797092
License: Public Domain

Webber, J.
(concurring). In the course of the State’s presentation of its main case on the issue of guilt or innocence, there were introduced into evidence over respondent’s objection damaging admissions made by him to the State’s alienist during an examination ordered by the court. While I concur in the result and in the opinion of the court, I consider the issue raised by respondent’s exception to the admission of this evidence of such importance as to require our determination.
*275The machinery for investigation of mental responsibility in criminal cases is provided by statute, 15 M.R.S.A., Sec. 101:
“When a finding of probable cause has been made, or an indictment has been returned against a person, or a person has taken an appeal to the Superior Court, a Justice of the Superior Court upon petition, if a plea of insanity is made in court or the justice is notified that it will be made upon arraignment, may order such person committed to the custody of the Commissioner of Mental Health and Corrections to be placed in an appropriate institution for the mentally ill or the mentally retarded, to be there detained and observed by the superintendent, or his delegate, and professional staff until further order of court, for the purpose of ascertaining the condition of the person." (Emphasis mine)
It is my view that the public, acting through the legislature, is as much concerned with relieving the mentally ill from criminal responsibility as the respondent may be to establish his defense. Legislative intention will be completely frustrated if the patient may not with safety fully and candidly communicate with the examining physician. The question is of novel impression in Maine and no doubt arises at this time largely because of the particular wording of the so-called Durham Rule statute, 15 M.R.S.A. Sec. 102. “An accused is not criminally responsible if his unlawful act was the product of mental disease or mental defect. * * (Emphasis mine). This direct causative relationship between the mental disease or defect and the specific unlawful acts of the respondent creates the necessity, at least in the mind of the alienist, of a full disclosure by the respondent as part of the examination. Without this narration of the criminal acts, no appraisal of the relationship between mental condition and unlawful act is possible. Dr. Saunders, the State psychiatrist, made this abundantly clear in his testimony:
*276“Q. If an individual, Doctor, were committed to you for examination by you with respect to sanity or insanity, or mental disease or mental defect, and such person exercised the privilege of not answering your questions, or not speaking to you, would you still perform such examination?
A. No, sir. We would report back to the Court the fact as you outlined it. We would report back to the Court that the person had said he did not wish to answer any questions.
Q. Then I ask you as the next question, Doctor, if a person were committed to you for the purpose of your examination with respect to sanity or insanity, or mental disease or mental defect, and if such person refused to answer questions, or make statements, solely with respect to an alleged crime, and only that, would you still conduct an examination?
A. Yes, whatever he would let us do, we would do it, and report back whatever we did do.
Q. Now, whether or not, on the basis of an examination of an individual who answers questions directed to him by you, excluding any questions with respect to an alleged crime, could you come up with a finding of sanity or insanity ?
A. Not in relation to the question which is asked of us. We are asked to state whether the alleged unlawful act was the product of a mental disease or mental defect. In order to answer the question about the product we have to inquire into the circumstances.” (Emphasis mine)
This necessity for disclosure virtually amounting to confession if the examination is to have any efficacy whatever creates an almost insoluble dilemma for counsel for a respondent. Does the law require him to make a choice between defending on the merits and defending by a showing of causative mental illness? I think not — and yet that is *277the practical result if it he decided that the admissions requisite to an effective examination can become as in the instant case the State’s most effective evidence of the guilt of the respondent. I would so construe Secs. 101 and 102 as to carry out what I believe reflects both legislative intent and the public interest.
The purpose, and in my view the only purpose, of the examination provided in Sec. 101 is clearly stated therein, i.e. “ascertaining the condition of the person.” The statutory examination is not provided as a device by which the State may bolster its case on the issue of guilt or innocence. Moreover, if we permit the examination to be used improperly for the latter purpose, it will lose its entire effectiveness as a means of accomplishing its primary function, ascertaining whether unlawful acts were produced by mental disease or defect. It is not unreasonable to require that the State be able to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt without resort to the use of admissions or confessions made as a part of a court ordered mental examination. Otherwise, the statutory examination becomes unavailable to the vigilant and a trap for the unwary.
I am convinced, moreover, that the use of such evidence by the State to prove the guilt of the respondent amounts to a lack of governmental fair play. This is not to say that such evidence might not become admissible for a proper purpose during the course of a trial in which the respondent proffers evidence that the alleged unlawful acts were the product of mental disease or defect. One can,' for example, readily envisage a situation in which the door might be opened by the nature of the cross-examination of a State psychiatrist by the respondent. It suffices to say that no such door was opened in this case.
There is little authority on the point. In Hall v. State, (1945) 209 Ark. 180, 189 S.W. (2nd) 917, the court permitted the confession obtained as part of the mental exam*278ination to be used against the respondent. The opinion noted that the confession to the examiner was “merely cumulative to his confession to many others.” Whether or to what extent the court was influenced by this fact is nowhere apparent. The opinion does not consider the policy underlying legislative provision for court ordered examination and in my view is not persuasive.
State v. Myers, (1951) 220 S.C. 309, 67 S.E. (2nd) 506, 508, although decided on another point, contained the following pertinent dictum: “We are not advised as to the methods used at the State Hospital in examining a person for sanity but may assume that such an examination is made in a manner consistent with the constitutional rights of the accused. We do not undertake now to define the limits of such rights except to say that the authorities of that institution will not be permitted, over the protest of the accused, to reveal any confession made by him in the course of such examination, or any declarations implicating him in the crime charged.” (Emphasis mine) I am satisfied that the “constitutional rights” which must not be abridged in such cases relate to due process of law and governmental fair play.
In People v. Ditson, (1962) 369 P. (2nd) (Cal.) 714, 732, the court recognized the dilemma facing a respondent under such circumstances but considered only whether there was an infringement of the right against self incrimination. The court noted that the respondent was not compelled to submit to examination and determined that he was not entitled to protection. The court gave no consideration to any public interest in having an effective examination made nor to any aspects of governmental fair play.
In Killough v. U. S., (1964) (U. S. App., D.C.) 336 F. (2nd) 929, 932, the respondent was in jail awaiting trial. He was examined by a so-called Classification Intern for *279the sole purpose of determining the proper classification and treatment of the prisoner during his detention. In the course of examination the respondent made a complete voluntary confession. The court found the purpose of the examination to be inherently confidential. Resting its decision entirely upon the concept of governmental fair play, the court reversed conviction because of admission of the confession thus obtained and ordered a new trial. At page 932 the court said:
“The rule of fundamental fairness required by the due process clause in our view does not permit use of the incriminating statements made to the Classification Intern in a criminal prosecution under the circumstances present here.
Indeed, in a somewhat comparable situation, that involving an examination pursuant to 18 U.S.C., Sec. 4244, into the sanity or mental competency of accused to stand trial, Congress has specifically provided that no statement made by the accused in the course of the examination ‘shall be admitted in evidence against the accused on the issue of guilt in any criminal proceeding.’ The wisdom of and need for such a rule in that situation are obvious, and the rule has been recognized even when a statute does not so provide. (Footnote citation of dictum in State v. Myers, supra). * * *
Incriminating statements obtained from the accused in the exercise of the classification function for purposes of proper treatment and care should not, we think, be admitted as evidence of his guilt, any more than such statements obtained in the course of a mental examination. Not only would it be grossly unfair in the constitutional sense to admit them, but the Jail authorities might well be handicapped in the future in seeking information needed for proper classification, treatment, and care of the inmates.” (Emphasis mine)
It is true that where, as in the instant case, the respondent is a child of twelve, the State has the burden of *280proving the capacity to commit a crime. But the State cannot justify its use of these admissions as necessitated by this requirement of proof. The capacity of such a respondent to commit a crime can be shown by competent and probative evidence entirely apart from highly prejudicial admissions obtained under the circumstances of the instant case. The admissions to the alienist come into play, if at all, only with relation to the causative link required by the so-called Durham Eule statute.
I conclude that the introduction of these admissions as a part of the State’s main case on the issue of guilt or innocence violated the purpose and intent of the examination statute, deprived the respondent of due process of law and constituted reversible error.
Williamson, C.J. and Marden, J. concur.