Court Opinion

ID: 9538367
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-07 07:35:46.016458+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T14:57:48.551248
License: Public Domain

Williams, J.
(concurring) — I concur. Although I prefer the result reached by the dissenting opinion, I do not believe that under the law it can be obtained. This is unfortunate, since the majority's decision will have a severe impact on the prosecution's way of charging in those cases where probation might result following a conviction or plea of guilty.
A typical case occurs where a defendant has forged and cashed numerous checks over a short period of time and upon being apprehended indicates that he will plead guilty. The prosecuting attorney will frequently charge only one count in the information, with the understanding that the defendant will make restitution on all the other outstanding checks if probation is granted. Another example is *497present in this case, where only 7 out of a possible 87 counts of securities fraud were charged and proved. As the majority opinion correctly concludes, RCW 9.95.210(2) allows restitution as a condition of the probation order only as to the 7 individuals named in the 7 counts. In order to seek an order of restitution for all the victims, under the statute the prosecution would have to have charged 87 counts of securities fraud. The repetition and delay involved in drawing the information, serving the warrant, and arraigning the defendant, are too obvious to require detailed description.
I would hope the legislature would amend the probation statute, RCW 9.95.210(2), so as to avoid this cumbersome procedure and permit the court to order restitution to all the victims of a defendant's criminal acts.
Utter, C.J., concurs with Williams, J.