Court Opinion

ID: 9641066
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-22 17:22:09.449282+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T09:05:19.418048
License: Public Domain

Conley Byrd, Justice, dissenting. Rule 9.6 as interpreted by the majority permits the State to punish an accused who is subsequently charged with another offense without the necessity of presenting witnesses against him on either charge without a jury trial and without benefit of counsel. The Arkansas Constitution Art. 2, § 10 provides: “In all criminal prosecutions the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial by impartial jury of the county in which the crime shall have been committed; . . . and to be confronted with the witnesses against him; to have compulsory process for obtaining witness in his favor, and to be heard by himself and his counsel.” Under the majority’s view, an accused person free on bail can be incarcerated upon the mere showing that some other court has found probable cause to believe that accused has committed a felony while on bail. The majority take this view even though the accused was without benefit of counsel at the preliminary hearing before the other court. Under this view the majority ignore the constitutional right of the. accused to be confronted with the witnesses against him upon either charge before being punished, not to say anything about his constitutional guarantee to jury trial and to counsel. After all, the revocation of existing bail and the requirement of additional bail usually amounts to a substantial fine in itself — the standard fee for professional bonds where I practiced law was 10% of the bond amount and where the accused is unable to make the new bond authorized by the majority, it forces him to remain in jail. For the reasons stated, I respectfully dissent. Hickman, J., joins in this dissent.