People v. Manuel L.

865 P.2d 718, 7 Cal. 4th 229, 27 Cal. Rptr. 2d 2, 94 Cal. Daily Op. Serv. 751, 94 Daily Journal DAR 1238, 1994 Cal. LEXIS 10

• Court: California Supreme Court
• Decided: January 31, 1994
• Docket: S030597
• Status: Published

Opinions

Opinion

PANELLI, J.

Penal Code section 26 articulates a presumption that a minor under the age of 14 is incapable of committing a crime. (Pen. Code, §26, subd. One.)¹ To defeat, the presumption, the People must show by “clear proof” that at the time the minor committed the charged act, he or she knew of its wrongfulness. This provision applies to proceedings under Welfare and Institutions Code section 602.² (In re Gladys R., supra, 1 Cal.3d at p. 867.) Only those minors over the age of 14, who may be presumed to understand the wrongfulness of their acts, and those under 14 who—as demonstrated by their age, experience, conduct, and knowledge— clearly appreciate the wrongfulness of their conduct rightly may be made wards of the court in our juvenile justice system. (Ibid.)

This case requires us to determine whether the term “clear proof," as used in Penal Code section 26, refers to a burden of persuasion akin to clear and convincing evidence, as the People urge and the Courts of Appeal in this case and in In re Clyde H. (1979) 92 Cal.App.3d 338 [154 Cal.Rptr. 727] held, or whether it must be interpreted to mean proof beyond a reasonable doubt, as appellant Manuel L. argues and several other Courts of Appeal have held. (See In re Billie Y. (1990) 220 Cal.App.3d 127,131 [269 Cal.Rptr. 212]; In re Francisco N. (1986) 186 Cal.App.3d 175, 178 [230 Cal.Rptr. 475]; In re Richard T. (1985) 175 Cal.App.3d 248, 252-253 [220 Cal.Rptr. 573]; Shortridge v. Municipal Court (1984) 151 Cal.App.3d 611, 618 [198 Cal.Rptr. 749].) We conclude that the former standard governs. Hence, for a section 602 petition to be sustained, the People must prove by clear and convincing evidence that the minor appreciated the wrongfulness of the charged conduct at the time it was committed. Accordingly, we affirm.

Factual Background

On June 19, 1991, Linda Burrow discovered her bicycle was missing. After a neighbor told Ms. Burrow she had seen Manuel riding the bicycle, Ms. Burrow confronted Mm. He demed taking the bicycle, but admitted he had some of its parts and knew they were stolen. After waiving Ms Miranda rights,³ 11-year-old Manuel told a police officer that another minor had given Mm the parts. He also said he had bought Ms bicycle from Deon Watts, but Watts claimed Manuel was not telling the truth. Manuel was placed on informal supervision.

On October 29, 1991, Manuel approached some minors and, using a slingshot or rubber band, shot sharp pieces of glass at one of them. When questioned about the incident, Manuel denied shooting or throwing any glass.

After the glass incident, Manuel’s informal supervision was terminated. A section 602 petition was filed, alleging that Manuel had violated Penal Code sections 496 (receiving stolen property) and 245, subdivision (a)(1) (assault by means of force likely to produce great bodily injury). The parties agreed to submit the matter to the court based on the probation report and the juvenile contact reports, and stipulated that the offenses be reduced to misdemeanors. The trial court ordered a psychological evaluation of Manuel, asking the psycMatrist to determine whether Manuel understood the wrongfulness of Ms conduct. The psycMatrist reported that Manuel knew it was wrong to possess stolen bicycle parts and to throw broken glass at people.

The court found the allegations of the petition to be true and adjudged Manuel a ward of the court. Although the court did not tMnk it necessary to make a specific finding beyond a reasonable doubt, it found, based on the psycMatrist’s report, that Manuel understood the wrongfulness of Ms conduct.

Manuel appealed, contending the trial court erred in not requiring a finding beyond a reasonable doubt that Manuel knew the wrongfulness of Ms conduct. Manuel also urged there was insufficient evidence to support the finding that he knew Ms conduct was wrongful. The Court of Appeal rejected Ms contentions.

Discussion

Our first task is to determine the proper standard of proof applicable to findings under Penal Code section 26. As will appear, we conclude the Court of Appeal correctly held that the prosecution must present clear and convincing evidence that the minor knows the wrongfulness of his conduct in order to sustain a finding that he is a person falling within section 602. We will then consider whether due process demands application, instead, of the more rigorous standard of proof beyond a reasonable doubt that governs determinations of guilt in criminal cases generally. (See In re Winship (1970) 397 U.S. 358 [25 L.Ed.2d 368, 90 S.Ct. 1068].) We hold that the clear and convincing evidence standard satisfies constitutional due process requirements in this context.

Our aim in construing a statute has often been articulated: We attempt to ascertain the intent of the Legislature, looking first to the statutory language itself. (Adoption of Kelsey S. (1992) 1 Cal.4th 816, 826 [4 Cal.Rptr.2d 615, 823 P.2d 1216].) With that goal in mind, we turn to the statute.

In 1872, at the time of the adoption of Penal Code section 26, the term “clear proof” meant something other than beyond a reasonable doubt. When the Legislature intended to invoke the latter standard, it did so explicitly. The same year, the Legislature also adopted Penal Code section 1096, which provided that “[a] defendant in a criminal action is presumed to be innocent until the contrary is proved, and in case of a reasonable doubt whether his guilt is satisfactorily shown, he is entitled to an acquittal.” Contemporaneously, in adopting former Penal Code section 262 the Legislature applied the reasonable doubt standard to a fact not ordinarily an element of the crime, applicable to boys under 14: “No conviction for rape can be had against one who was under the age of fourteen years at the time of the act alleged, unless his physical ability to accomplish penetration is proved as an independent fact, and beyond a reasonable doubt.” (Pen. Code, former § 262, repealed by Stats. 1978, ch. 29, § 1, p. 115.) That the Legislature could and did prescribe differing burdens of persuasion for cases involving minors under 14 is especially significant here, suggesting as it does that had the Legislature intended the more stringent standard to govern determinations of juvenile capacity, it would have said so with clarity.

What, then, does “clear proof” mean? The term has been interpreted to mean “clear and convincing evidence.” In People v. Terry (1960) 180 Cal.App.2d 48, 59 [4 Cal.Rptr. 597], the court considered whether the evidence was sufficient to support a conviction of violating Penal Code section 286, in part because the 11-year-old witness allegedly was an accomplice whose testimony was uncorroborated. The court determined that clear and convincing evidence demonstrated the witness was capable of committing the crime by virtue of his knowledge of the wrongfulness of the act. (180 Cal.App.2d 59.) Similarly, the Court of Appeal in In re Michael B. (1983) 149 Cal.App.3d 1073 [197 Cal.Rptr. 379] equated “clear proof” with clear and convincing evidence. (Id. at p. 1087 [noting, at fn. 6, that “[a] persuasive constitutional and statutory argument” could be made that the “clear proof” standard of Pen. Code, § 26, subd. One, requires proof beyond a reasonable doubt].)

Manuel argues, however, that section 701, read together with section 602 and Penal Code section 26, demands application of the reasonable doubt standard. In 1961, when separate procedures were adopted for juvenile cases, section 701 provided in pertinent part as follows: “At the hearing, the court shall first consider only the question whether the minor is a person described by [section] . . . 602, and for this purpose, any matter or information relevant and material to the circumstances or acts which are alleged to bring him within the jurisdiction of the juvenile court is admissible and may be received in evidence; however, a preponderance of the evidence, legally admissible in the trial of criminal cases, must be adduced to support a finding that the minor is a person described by [s]ection 602 . . . .” (Stats. 1961, ch. 1616, § 2, p. 3482, italics added.) Then, following the United States Supreme Court’s decision in In re Winship, supra, 397 U.S. at pages 364-368 [25 L.Ed.2d at pages 375-378], that due process requires proof of guilt beyond a reasonable doubt in juvenile proceedings, the Legislature in 1971 amended section 701. The statute now provides: “[P]roof beyond a reasonable doubt supported by evidence, legally admissible in the trial of criminal cases, must be adduced to support a finding that the minor is a person described by Section 602 . . . .” (§ 701, as amended by Stats. 1971, ch. 934, § 1, p. 1833.)

Manuel notes that when it amended section 701 in 1971, the Legislature presumably was aware of our opinion in In re Gladys R., supra, 1 Cal.3d at page 867, in which we conditioned wardship under section 602 on meeting the capacity test articulated in Penal Code section 26. (See In re Michael G. (1988) 44 Cal.3d 283, 293 [243 Cal.Rptr. 224, 747 P.2d 1152] [Legislature is presumed to be aware of preexisting law.].) Consequently, according to Manuel, when it enacted the reasonable doubt standard in 701, the Legislature implicitly repealed the “clear proof” standard of Penal Code section 26.

In assessing Manuel’s argument, we bear in mind that repeals by implication are disfavored, being recognized only if two apparently conflicting laws cannot be harmonized. (Roberts v. City of Palmdale (1993) 5 Cal.4th 363, 379 [20 Cal.Rptr.2d 330, 853 P.2d 496]; Kennedy Wholesale, Inc. v. State Bd. of Equalization (1991) 53 Cal.3d 245, 249 [279 Cal.Rptr. 325, 806 ].) We are bound to maintain the integrity of both statutory provisions if the two can stand together. (In re Gladys R., supra, 1 Cal.3d at p. 863.)

We believe the statutes can be harmonized. While it is true that in In re Gladys R., supra, 1 Cal.3d 855, we held Penal Code section 26 applicable to proceedings under section 602, so that a finding under Penal Code section 26 is a prerequisite to an adjudication of wardship under section 602, we did not convert capacity, as defined in section 26, into an element of the offense. The issue of the juvenile’s capacity remains, as historically it has been, subject to a distinct standard of proof. Penal Code section 26, subdivision One, continues to define the prosecution’s burden of proving the juvenile’s capacity in section 602 proceedings. Section 701 establishes its burden with respect to all elements of the offense necessary to a finding that the minor violated any law defining a crime.

Manuel argues further that, in light of the United States Supreme Court’s decision in In re Winship, supra, 397 U.S. 358, the due process clauses of the federal and state Constitutions require the People to rebut the presumption of a juvenile’s incapacity beyond a reasonable doubt. (U.S. Const., Amend. XIV; Cal. Const., art. I, § 7.) The high court there held that “the Due Process Clause protects the accused against conviction except upon proof beyond a reasonable doubt of every fact necessary to constitute the crime with which he is charged." (In re Winship, supra, 397 U.S. at p. 364 [25 L.Ed.2d at p. 375].) The right to proof beyond a reasonable doubt, the court held, applies equally to juvenile proceedings. (Id. at p. 368 [25 L.Ed.2d at pp. 377-378].)

In subsequent decisions the high court elaborated on the due process implications of the allocation of burdens of proof in criminal cases. In Mullaney v. Wilbur (1975) 421 U.S. 684 [44 L.Ed.2d 508, 95 S.Ct. 1881], the court invalidated a Maine statute that created a presumption of malice in murder cases and required the defendant to disprove malice by showing that he or she acted in a heat of passion on sudden provocation. (Id. at pp. 697-704 [44 L.Ed.2d at pp. 518-522].) But in Patterson v. New York (1977) 432 U.S. 197 [53 L.Ed.2d 281, 97 S.Ct. 2319] the high court rejected the claim that whenever a state in some manner links the severity of punishment to the presence or absence of an identified fact the state must prove that fact beyond a reasonable doubt. (Id. at pp. 207, 214-215 [53 L.Ed.2d at pp. 294-295].) Patterson upheld against a due process challenge New York’s law imposing on defendants charged with murder the burden of proving the affirmative defense of extreme emotional disturbance. The court there stressed that in determining what facts must be proved beyond a reasonable doubt the state legislature’s definition of the elements of the offense is usually dispositive. (Patterson v. New York, supra, 432 U.S. at pp. 201-202 [53 L.Ed.2d at pp. 286-287].)

The high court later upheld a Pennsylvania sentencing statute that enhanced the punishment of a defendant who was found by a preponderance of the evidence to have “visibly possessed a firearm” during the commission of the offense. (McMillan v. Pennsylvania (1986) 477 U.S. 79, 84-91 [91 L.Ed.2d 67, 75-79, 106 S.Ct. 2411].) Pennsylvania was free, under the high court’s analysis, to treat “visible possession of a firearm” as a sentencing consideration rather than an element of the offense (id. at p. 91 [91 L.Ed.2d at pp. 79-80]), and so, consistently with due process, could require something less of the prosecution than proof beyond a reasonable doubt in order to sustain the enhancement allegation. The court recognized that in some circumstances due process may demand application of the reasonable doubt standard to facts not formally identified as elements of the offense charged. (Id. at p. 86 [91 L.Ed.2d at p. 76].) The court did not undertake to define every such circumstance, but recognized that a state may not restructure existing crimes to evade the commands of In re Winship. (Id. at pp. 86-87, 89 [91 L.Ed.2d at pp. 76-77, 78].)

Recently, the high court adhered to the reasoning of Patterson in rejecting a due process challenge to a California statute placing on a defendant the burden of proving his incompetence to stand trial. (Medina v. California (1992) 505 U.S. _, _ [120 L.Ed.2d 353, 359-365, 112 S.Ct. 2572, 2574-2579].) In reaching its conclusion that the presumption of competence did not violate due process, the court reasoned: “ ‘[I]t is normally “within the power of the State to regulate procedures under which its laws are carried out, including the burden of producing evidence and the burden of persuasion,” and its decision in this regard is not subject to proscription under the Due Process Clause unless “it offends some principle of justice so rooted in the traditions and conscience of our people as to be ranked as fundamental.” [Citation.]”’ (Id. at p. _ [120 L.Ed.2d at p. 363, 112 S.Ct. at p. 2577], quoting Patterson v. New York, supra, 432 U.S. at pp. 201-202 [53 L.Ed.2d at pp. 286-287].) The court noted that in determining what facts must be proved beyond a reasonable doubt, historical practice is probative of whether a procedural rule can be characterized as fundamental. (Ibid.)

Although the presumption of incapacity of minors under 14 predates Penal Code section 26, for more than a century after the enactment of that statute it was well accepted that “clear proof,” rather than proof beyond a reasonable doubt, sufficed to rebut it. Historical usage thus supports the result in this case.

We conclude that criminal capacity is not an element of the offense and thus is not the type of fact of which In re Winship requires proof beyond a reasonable doubt. Rather, it is akin to the question of sanity, which due process does not require the prosecution to prove beyond a reasonable doubt. (Leland. v. Oregon (1951) 343 U.S. 790, 793-799 [96 L.Ed. 1302,1306-1309, 72 S.Ct. 1002]; see Patterson v. New York, supra, 432 U.S. at p. 205 [53 L.Ed.2d at pp. 288-289].) In Leland v. Oregon, supra, 343 U.S. 790, the United States Supreme Court recognized that “the basic decisions between guilt and innocence and between criminal responsibility and legal insanity” are different in kind (id. at p. 800 [96 L.Ed. at p. 1309]), holding that to place the burden on the defendant to prove his insanity at time of the offense does not relieve the prosecution of proving “all the necessary elements of guilt.” (Id. at p. 795 [96 L.Ed.2d at p. 1307].)⁴ By parity of reasoning, due process is satisfied by Penal Code section 26’s requirement that the presumption of a minor’s incapacity be rebutted by clear and convincing evidence.

In cases relating to criminal capacity, California courts similarly have concluded that due process does not require the prosecution to prove beyond a reasonable doubt facts not material to guilt. In People v. Boyes (1983) 149 Cal.App.3d 812, 817-821 [197 Cal.Rptr. 105], the Court of Appeal considered whether the rebuttable presumption of consciousness impermissibly lightened the prosecution’s burden of proving every fact necessary to establish guilt. Unconsciousness, like the fact of being a minor under age 14, is a fact that negates criminal capacity. (Pen. Code, § 26, subd. Four.) Since consciousness was not defined as an element of the crime charged, the court concluded that “the presumption of consciousness, historically recognized under California law, does not contravene due process.” (People v. Boyes, supra, 149 Cal.App.3d at p. 821; see also People v. Drew (1978) 22 Cal.3d 333, 348-349 [149 Cal.Rptr. 275, 583 P.2d 1318] [rejecting due process challenge to requirement that defendant prove insanity by preponderance of evidence; superseded on other grounds by Pen. Code, § 25, subd. (b)]; People v. Marquez (1992) 1 Cal.4th 553, 581 [3 Cal.Rptr.2d 710, 822 P.2d 418] [rejecting due process challenge to presumption, contained in Pen. Code, § 190.5, that capital defendant has attained age 18: “A capital defendant’s age is like mental competence to stand trial, in that it is a prerequisite to a valid judgment and sentence. [Citation.] It is not, however, an element of the offense . . . .”].)

Manuel urges that our opinion in In re Arthur N. (1976) 16 Cal.3d 226 [127 Cal.Rptr. 641, 545 P.2d 1345] stands for the proposition that proof beyond a reasonable doubt is required in juvenile cases as to all factual matters even though they are not strictly defined as elements of a crime. Manuel reads too much into that decision. There we held that the prosecution must prove beyond a reasonable doubt facts supporting a supplemental petition under section 777. We reasoned that there is no basis to distinguish between original and supplementary proceedings; when a supplemental petition charges acts of misconduct or crimes that may lead to substantially more restrictive punishment or custody, the juvenile has the same constitutional and statutory rights as he or she is accorded with respect to the original petition. (16 Cal.3d at p. 240.) Contrary to Manuel’s argument, the holding in In re Arthur N., supra, 16 Cal.3d 226, does not require proof beyond a reasonable doubt of all factual matters relevant to a section 602 proceeding.

For the foregoing reasons, we conclude that the standard of proof applicable to findings under Penal Code section 26, subdivision One, is that of clear and convincing evidence, and that this standard comports fully with the due process requirements of the state and federal Constitutions.⁵

Disposition

The judgment of the Court of Appeal is affirmed.

Lucas, C. J., Arabian, J., Baxter, J., and George, J., concurred.

1 Penal Code section 26 provides in relevant part as follows: “All persons are capable of committing crimes except those belonging to the following classes: [J] One—Children under the age of 14, in the absence of clear proof that at the time of committing the act charged against them, they knew its wrongfulness.”

Penal Code section 26 “accords with the historical treatment of juveniles, deriving from the early common law that children under the age of seven could not be held responsible for criminal conduct. [Citation.] Between the ages of seven and fourteen the common law rebuttably presumed children incapable of criminal acts, unless the particular child possessed the requisite age and experience to understand the wrongfulness of his act. [Citation.] California likewise rebuttably presumes all minors under the age of 14 incapable of committing a crime, but does not totally exclude any child from criminal responsibility. Section 26 embodies a venerable truth, which is no less true for its extreme age, that a young child cannot be held to the same standard of criminal responsibility as his more experienced elders.” (In re Gladys R. (1970) 1 Cal.3d 855, 863-864 [83 Cal.Rptr. 671, 464 P.2d 127], fn. omitted.)

2 Welfare and Institutions Code section 602 provides as follows: “Any person who is under the age of 18 years when he violates any law of this state or of the United States or any ordinance of any city or county of this state defining crime other than an ordinance establishing a curfew based solely on age, is within the jurisdiction of the juvenile court, which may adjudge such person to be a ward of the court.” Further unlabelled statutory references are to the Welfare and Institutions Code unless the context otherwise requires.

3 Miranda v. Arizona (1966) 384 U.S. 436 [16 L.Ed.2d 694, 86 S.Ct. 1602 [10 A.L.R.3d 974],

4 In Rivera v. Delaware (1976) 429 U.S. 877 [50 L.Ed.2d 160, 97 S.Ct. 225], the United States Supreme Court was asked to decide whether Leland. v. Oregon could be reconciled with Ln re Winship. That case was summarily dismissed for want of a substantial federal question. Later, in Patterson v. New York, supra, 432 U.S. at page 205 [53 L.Ed.2d at pages 288-289], the court explained that the summary dismissal of Rivera v. Delaware “confirmed that it remainfs] constitutional to burden the defendant with proving his insanity defense . . . .” (Cf. Hicks v. Miranda (1975) 422 U.S. 332, 344 [45 L.Ed.2d 223, 236, 95 S.Ct. 2281].)

5 In re Billie Y., supra, 220 Cal.App.3d 127, In re Francisco N., supra, 186 Cal.App.3d 175, In re Richard T., supra, 175 Cal.App.3d 248, and Shortridge v. Municipal Court, supra, 151 Cal.App.3d 611, are disapproved to the extent they are inconsistent with our decision in this case.

At oral argument, counsel for respondent stated that the “clear proof” formulation of Penal Code section 26, subdivision One, is unique among the statutes of this state. Our research confirms that representation. It might be well for the Legislature to consider conforming this statute to the more prevalent clear and convincing evidence standard. (See Evid. Code, § 115.)