Court Opinion

ID: 9723551
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-26 10:19:57.694469+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:24:49.644042
License: Public Domain

SPENCER, P. J.
I respectfully dissent. While I agree with the majority that Penal Code section 1203.065 is constitutional on its face, I would affirm the trial court’s order on the ground section 1203.065 is unconstitutional as applied to defendant.1
As the majority observes at pages 740-741, ante, the statutory definition of pandering encompasses a broad range of behaviors and degrees of culpability. In its effort to combat pandering, the Legislature has provided no one convicted of the crime may be given probation, no matter which end of the spectrum his or her behavior falls into. (§ 1203.065, subd. (a).) Thus, in some instances, this penalty may violate the constitutional prohibition against cruel or unusual punishment. (Cal. Const., art. I, § 17.)
As noted in People v. Dillon (1983) 34 Cal.3d 441, 477-478 [194 Cal.Rptr. 390, 668 P.2d 697]: “The matter is governed by In re Lynch (1972) 8 Cal.3d 410 [105 Cal.Rptr. 217, 503 P.2d 921] ... , and its progeny. As in Lynch (at p. 414), ‘We approach this issue with full awareness of and respect for the distinct roles of the Legislature and the courts in such an undertaking. We recognize that in our tripartite system of government it is the function of the legislative branch to define crimes and prescribe punishments, and that such questions are in the first instance for the judgment of the Legislature alone. [Citations.] [H] Yet legislative authority remains ultimately circumscribed by the constitutional provision forbidding the infliction of cruel or unusual punishment, adopted by the people of this state as an integral part of our Declaration of Rights. It is the difficult but imperative task of the judicial branch, as coequal guardian of the Constitution, to condemn any violation of that prohibition. As we concluded in People v. Anderson (1972) 6 Cal.3d 628, 640 [100 Cal.Rptr. 152, 493 P.2d 880]..., “The Legislature is thus accorded the broadest discretion possible in enacting penal statutes and in specifying punishment for crime, but the final judgment as to whether the punishment it decrees exceeds constitutional limits is a judicial function.” ’ ”
Under Lynch, a punishment is cruel or unusual if “it is so disproportionate *751to the crime for which it is inflicted that it shocks the conscience and offends fundamental notions of human dignity.” (8 Cal.3d at p. 424.) “Whether a particular punishment is disproportionate to the offense is, of course, a question of degree. The choice of fitting and proper penalties is not an exact science, but a legislative skill involving an appraisal of the evils to be corrected, the weighing of practical alternatives, consideration of relevant policy factors, and responsiveness to the public will; in appropriate cases, some leeway for experimentation may also be permissible. The judiciary, accordingly, should not interfere in this process unless a statute prescribes a penalty ‘out of all proportion to the offense’____” {Id., at pp. 423-424.)
The Lynch court fashioned several tests to aid in determining proportionality, one of which is especially relevant when examining whether a particular punishment is unconstitutional as applied. (People v. Dillon, supra, 34 Cal.3d at p. 479.) This test focuses on the nature of the offense and/or offender, paying particular attention to the danger each poses to society. (In re Lynch, supra, 8 Cal.3d at p. 425.) In examining the nature of the offense, the court looks at the totality of the circumstances surrounding the crime, including the amount of gain involved, the violence or nonviolence of the crime and whether anyone was injured in its commission. (Ibid.; see In re Foss (1974) 10 Cal.3d 910, 919 [112 Cal.Rptr. 649, 519 P.2d 1073].) Inquiry into the nature of the offender focuses on “the defendant’s individual culpability as shown by such factors as his [or her] age, prior criminality, personal characteristics, and state of mind.” (People v. Dillon , supra, 34 Cal.3d at p. 479.)
The crime here involved no financial gain, no threats, coercion or violence, and no injury. Defendant sought out Isgro, who agreed to meet with defendant out of curiosity; defendant described her life as a call girl and offered to set Isgro up in the same line of work. Only when Isgro expressed further interest did defendant begin to arrange for Isgro’s “date” with Harry. Clearly, defendant’s acts fell at the lowest end of the spectrum of culpability under section 266i.
Additionally, as the trial court observed, this crime did not involve the type of public activity, e.g., solicitation on Hollywood Boulevard, which carries the greatest potential for public offense. (See Jennings, The Victimas Criminal: A Consideration of California’s Prostitution Law (1976) 64 Cal.L.Rev. 1235, 1248.) The arrangements were made privately and discreetly.
In considering defendant’s personal characteristics, the trial court emphasized her age and lack of prior criminal convictions. It also relied upon the recommendations of the probation department and Department of Corrections that defendant was a good candidate for probation.
*752I agree with the majority defendant’s age cannot be considered a factor in her favor under Dillon. (At page 747, ante.) However, factors in defendant’s favor are her lack of a prior criminal record or history of violence or antisocial behavior. Her criminal activity as a prostitute was of recent origin and followed a period of stable employment and living arrangements. These factors influenced the recommendation that defendant be given probation. Additionally, it was the Department of Corrections’s view defendant would desist from criminal activity; while she might return to prostitution following probation, she was not likely to repeat any pandering activity.
The trial court took these factors into consideration in placing defendant on probation. It informed defendant she was “out of the prostitution business at this point,” and required her to obey “all laws, orders, rules and regulations of the probation department and of the court.” This requirement of probation, plus the requirement she obtain approved education or employment, serve to assist in defendant’s rehabilitation and distance her from her recent criminal activity. Her failure to follow through with these requirements will result in the revocation of her probation and imprisonment.
In addition, the Department of Corrections’s report stressed defendant’s need to obtain psychological counseling. The trial court’s order, which required defendant to obtain such counseling, was designed to meet defendant’s needs and lead to her rehabilitation.
The nature of defendant’s offense, her low level of culpability, her lack of a prior criminal record and amenability to probation support the trial court’s conclusion. A mandatory term of imprisonment in state prison for at least three years (§ 266i) is “ ‘out of all proportion’ ” to defendant’s offense (In re Lynch, supra, 8 Cal.3d at pp. 423-424). Therefore, I would hold section 1203.065, as applied to defendant, is cruel or unusual punishment in violation of article I, section 17 of the California Constitution.
A petition for a rehearing was denied April 13, 1987. Spencer, P. J., was of the opinion that the petition should be granted. Respondent’s petition for review by the Supreme Court was denied June 25,1987. Mosk, J., Broussard, J., and Kaufman, J., were of the opinion that the petition should be granted.

People v. Freeman (1987) 188 Cal.App.3d 618 [233 Cal.Rptr. 510], decided by Division Four of this district, reaches the same conclusion, holding section 1203.065 is constitutional on its face but, as applied, was cruel or unusual punishment.