NJ State Parole Bd. v. Cestari

540 A.2d 1334, 224 N.J. Super. 534
CourtNew Jersey Superior Court Appellate Division
DecidedApril 20, 1988
StatusPublished
Cited by47 cases

This text of 540 A.2d 1334 (NJ State Parole Bd. v. Cestari) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering New Jersey Superior Court Appellate Division primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
NJ State Parole Bd. v. Cestari, 540 A.2d 1334, 224 N.J. Super. 534 (N.J. Ct. App. 1988).

Opinion

224 N.J. Super. 534 (1988)
540 A.2d 1334

NEW JERSEY STATE PAROLE BOARD, PLAINTIFF-RESPONDENT,
v.
CARL CESTARI, DEFENDANT-APPELLANT.

Superior Court of New Jersey, Appellate Division.

Argued March 29, 1988.
Decided April 20, 1988.

*537 Before Judges PRESSLER, MUIR, Jr. and SKILLMAN.

Eric J. Marcy argued the cause for appellant (Wilentz, Goldman & Spitzer, attorneys; Eric J. Marcy, of counsel; Jeffrey L. Menkin and Eric J. Marcy on the brief).

*538 Stuart J. Lieberman, Deputy Attorney General, argued the cause for respondent (W. Cary Edwards, Attorney General, attorney; Michael R. Clancy, Deputy Attorney General, of counsel; Stuart J. Lieberman, on the brief).

The opinion of the court was delivered by SKILLMAN, J.A.D.

In 1982, appellant Carl Cestari, a 23 year old member of the Roselle police department, resigned to join the Army. At a farewell party given for him by his fellow officers, a bizarre incident occurred in which Cestari shot another police officer. As a result, Cestari was convicted of reckless manslaughter, in violation of N.J.S.A. 2C:11-4(b)(1), and sentenced to a custodial term of nine years, with a three year parole ineligibility term mandated by the Graves Act, N.J.S.A. 2C:43-6(c). Upon the expiration of the parole ineligibility term, Cestari became eligible for parole. Under N.J.S.A. 30:4-123.53, the Parole Board was required to grant him parole unless it found "by a preponderance of the evidence that there is a substantial likelihood that the inmate will commit a crime under the laws of this State if released." Despite the fact that Cestari had led a completely law abiding life except for the single incident resulting in his conviction and that three out of the four mental health professionals who evaluated him issued favorable reports, the Adult Panel of the Parole Board found there was a substantial likelihood he would commit another crime if released, and thus denied parole. We conclude that this finding was arbitrary and capricious, and therefore we reverse.

Cestari was convicted on November 4, 1982 and sentenced on December 6, 1982. However, he remained free on bail prior to trial and pending appeal. Consequently, he did not begin serving his sentence until May 21, 1984, after this court had affirmed his conviction in an unreported opinion, State v. Cestari, A-1450-82T4, and the Supreme Court had denied certification, *539 97 N.J. 600 (1984). Thus, his initial parole eligibility date was May 21, 1987.

Dr. Larry Seifer, a psychological consultant, submitted a report to the Parole Board on September 25, 1986, which stated that Cestari's "... mood, affect, insight, judgment and orientation were all appropriate." He also found that Cestari was not "clinically ill" and was not a "custodial risk." Dr. Seifer concluded that Cestari's "... offense was situational with little chance of reoccurrence" and therefore that his chances for success on parole were "good."

The preparole reports submitted to the Parole Board by the Department of Corrections were highly favorable to Cestari in all respects. These reports stated that he had not committed any institutional disciplinary infractions, that he had done exceptionally well in his work assignments, and that he got along well with staff and fellow inmates.

On November 7, 1986, Cestari was interviewed at an initial parole hearing by hearing officer John West of the Parole Board. Based upon the preparole reports and the interview, the hearing officer recommended that Cestari be paroled at the earliest possible date. He commented as follows:

... [Y]ou're recommended for parole, this case can be summed up in one word, "tragic." [F]or all involved — victim, victim's family, subject, and his family — there is and always will be sorrow and remorse. Subject stands convicted of killing accidentally his best friend. Subject had everything going for him and so did the victim. In one short instant, victim's life was ended and subject's world was shattered. Even a third police officer who was a witness to the incident has suffered terribly and has emotional problems today. Further incarceration beyond the punitive minimum will be totally pointless. Subject has paid his debt and has suffered greatly. Subject has served time and has been successful in making a bad situation into a positive one.
There is no prior record, no exposure to community service and supervision. Good parole plans, good institutional adjustment, good previous employment, good attitude. I believe subject will succeed. If he does not, I don't think anyone would ever feel safe in paroling another inmate. He represents no danger in any way.

In preparation for his release on parole, Cestari was transferred in January 1987 to "Pyramid House," a halfway house in *540 Essex County. While in this facility, he was employed through a work release program in a delicatessen where he worked as a clerk, deliveryman and cook.

Cestari was also sent to Catholic Community Services, Division of Mental Health, Mount Carmel Guild, located in Newark, for evaluations by a psychiatrist and a psychologist, both of whom issued favorable reports. Based on the evaluations contained in these reports, the Division of Mental Health of Catholic Community Services reported to Pyramid House on April 22, 1987 that Cestari had "... adjusted well and Mental Health Services will not be need at this time."

Around the same time as Cestari was being evaluated at Catholic Community Services, the Parole Board also had him evaluated by another psychologist, Frederic Rotgers, who reported in part as follows:

Mr. Cestari's MMPI profile was completely within normal limits, although elevated to almost clinical significance, with the exception of his score on the K scale, an indicator of openness and willingness to acknowledge weakness. Persons who score very high on this scale find it quite difficult to acknowledge any weakness or personal problems, rather tending to attempt to maintain an appearance of adequacy, control and effectiveness. These individuals tend to be quite impaired in their ability to become emotionally close to and empathize with others as they are terrified of revealing weakness. In addition, Mr. Cestari's performance on the Subtle-Obvious items, items which either are quite clearly on their face indicative of pathology as opposed to having little apparent, but a strong actual relationship to pathology, suggests that he purposely and consciously avoided answering these items in a pathological direction. Thus, while the average normal will answer 31 of 146 of these items in the pathological direction, Mr. Cestari answered only 7 of them in the pathological direction. This suggests conscious avoidance of admitting pathology.
Clinically, given Mr. Cestari's obvious attempt to deny problems on the MMPI his profile is a significant one. Although just below the level for clinical significance, the pattern of elevations of scales is consistent with a person who is quite hostile and angry, but maintains a facade of normalcy that is quite prone to deterioration under stress leaving the individual prone to inexplicable aggression. These individuals tend to be quite out of touch with their feelings until they become too strong to deny or until their controls are weakened by alcohol.

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540 A.2d 1334, 224 N.J. Super. 534, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/nj-state-parole-bd-v-cestari-njsuperctappdiv-1988.