People v. Gunderson

228 Cal. App. 3d 1292, 279 Cal. Rptr. 494, 91 Daily Journal DAR 3629, 91 Cal. Daily Op. Serv. 2253, 1991 Cal. App. LEXIS 294
CourtCalifornia Court of Appeal
DecidedMarch 27, 1991
DocketB043353
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 228 Cal. App. 3d 1292 (People v. Gunderson) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering California Court of Appeal primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
People v. Gunderson, 228 Cal. App. 3d 1292, 279 Cal. Rptr. 494, 91 Daily Journal DAR 3629, 91 Cal. Daily Op. Serv. 2253, 1991 Cal. App. LEXIS 294 (Cal. Ct. App. 1991).

Opinion

Opinion

GILBERT, J.

Here we hold that the time period for an extended commitment of a mentally disordered sex offender (MDSO) under Welfare and Institutions Code 1 section 6316.2 includes both inpatient and outpatient status.

Allan Roy Gunderson was committed as an MDSO in 1980 pursuant to section 6300 et seq. 2 He appeals an order revoking his outpatient status. We find his commitment has terminated, and reverse.

*1295 Facts

In November of 1979, pursuant to a negotiated plea, Gunderson pleaded guilty to a violation of Penal Code section 288 in Marin County Superior Court. In January of 1980 the court committed Gunderson to Atascadero State Hospital as an MDSO for a period not to exceed seven years, the maximum term for which he could have been committed to state prison. With 94 days custody credit, the original commitment would end on October 2, 1986.

On April 18, 1986, the People filed a petition in Marin County to extend the MDSO commitment for two years to October 2, 1988. (§ 6316.2.) The court granted the extension, but allowed Gunderson to be treated as an outpatient. Gunderson was placed on outpatient status in November of 1986 but was not actually released as an outpatient until December 11, 1986. In February of 1988, Gunderson stipulated to the extension of his outpatient status through October 2, 1988. The stipulation was in writing and Gunderson waived his right to be present in court as well as his right to a hearing.

On September 22, 1988, the prosecutor and Gunderson’s counsel stipulated “that defendant’s outpatient status may be extended for 1 yr., to 10/2/89.” The stipulation was made in the Marin Superior Court, Gunderson was not present and no waivers appear of record. Nor does there appear of record any petition to extend the MDSO commitment beyond October 2, 1988.

On March 20, 1989, San Luis Obispo County Mental Health Services requested by a letter to the superior court that Gunderson’s outpatient status be revoked so that he could receive inpatient treatment. (Pen. Code, § 1608.) A supplemental letter requested that the revocation hearing be held in San Luis Obispo County for the convenience of witnesses.

Gunderson filed a petition for a writ of habeas corpus in the San Luis Obispo Superior Court. At the hearing on the petition Gunderson contended that the court had no jurisdiction because his MDSO commitment had expired on October 2, 1988, and had not been extended by his stipulation of September 22 to continue as an outpatient. The court sent the matter to the Marin Superior Court to determine the question of jurisdiction. The Marin court determined it still had jurisdiction and ordered the matter back to San Luis Obispo for the outpatient revocation hearing.

At the hearing the evidence showed that on three occasions Gunderson violated his outpatient treatment agreement by having contact with minors *1296 without the supervision of another adult. Gunderson was given a warning letter after the first incident. A psychologist testified that Gunderson did not appreciate the significance of the unauthorized contact with the children and had a lackadaisical attitude toward relapse prevention.

The court found by a preponderance of the evidence that Gunderson is a danger to the health and safety of others and requires further inpatient treatment.

Discussion

I

Section 6316.1, subdivision (a) provides that a person committed as an MDSO “may not be kept in actual custody longer than the . . . longest term of imprisonment which could have been imposed for the offense or offenses of which the defendant was convicted” except as provided in section 6316.2.

Section 6316.2 provides a procedure for extending the commitment beyond the maximum term if the sex offense was a misdemeanor committed before July 1, 1977, or a felony, and if the patient is predisposed to commit sexual offenses such that he presents a substantial danger of bodily harm to others. (§ 6316.2, subd. (a).)

A petition for extending the commitment must be filed no later than 90 days prior to the expiration of the original commitment and must state reasons with accompanying affidavits specifying the factual basis. (§ 6316.2, subd. (b).) A petition for recommitment may be filed prior to the termination of the extended commitment. (§ 6316.2, subd. (h).) The commitment or recommitment is for two years from the date of the termination of the previous commitment. (§ 6316.2, subd. (f).)

The trial must be by jury unless waived by both the patient and the prosecuting attorney (§ 6316.2, subd. (d)) and “[t]he patient shall be entitled to the rights guaranteed under the Federal and State Constitutions for criminal proceedings.” (§ 6316.2, subd. (e).)

In response to Gunderson’s argument that his MDSO commitment was not extended beyond October 2, 1988, the People contend that it was not necessary to extend it. They cite In re Moye (1978) 22 Cal.3d 457, 464 [149 Cal.Rptr. 491, 584 P.2d 1097] for the proposition that the granting of outpatient status tolls the time of an MDSO commitment. The commitment was extended under section 6316.2 from October 2, 1986 to October 2, *1297 1988, but because Gunderson was released on outpatient status in December of 1986, he spent only two of the twenty-four months of his extended commitment in actual custody. The unstated conclusion the People would have us reach is that Gunderson remains committed without the necessity for further proceedings until he serves the remaining 22 months of his extended term in actual custody.

The People read Moye too broadly. There, the court stated only that, “. . . the term ‘actual custody’ in section 6316.1 does not include any periods of outpatient supervision in determining the maximum period of confinement.” (In re Moye, supra, 22 Cal.3d at p. 464.) Here, however, we are not concerned with determining the maximum period of confinement under section 6316.1; instead, the question is whether periods spent in outpatient supervision are included in calculating the two-year period of extended commitment under section 6316.2.

Unlike section 6316.1, there is no reference to “actual custody” in section 6316.2. Subdivision (f) of section 6316.2 provides in part, “[a] commitment or a recommitment under Section 6316.1 [szc] shall be for a period of two years from the date of termination of the previous commitment.” The reference to section 6316.1 in subdivision (f) is nonsensical, and we are convinced the Legislature intended to refer to commitment or recommitment under section 6316.2. We are also convinced that had the Legislature intended the two-year extended period of commitment under section 6316.2 to be determined only by the amount of time spent in actual custody, it would have said so.

Sections 6316.1 and 6316.2 are part of the legislative scheme.

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Bluebook (online)
228 Cal. App. 3d 1292, 279 Cal. Rptr. 494, 91 Daily Journal DAR 3629, 91 Cal. Daily Op. Serv. 2253, 1991 Cal. App. LEXIS 294, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/people-v-gunderson-calctapp-1991.