People v. Norris

88 Cal. App. Supp. 3d 32, 152 Cal. Rptr. 134, 1978 Cal. App. LEXIS 2267
CourtAppellate Division of the Superior Court of California
DecidedDecember 11, 1978
DocketCrim. A. No. 16090
StatusPublished
Cited by11 cases

This text of 88 Cal. App. Supp. 3d 32 (People v. Norris) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Appellate Division of the Superior Court of California primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
People v. Norris, 88 Cal. App. Supp. 3d 32, 152 Cal. Rptr. 134, 1978 Cal. App. LEXIS 2267 (Cal. Ct. App. 1978).

Opinion

Opinion

BIGELOW, J.

Defendant appeals his conviction, following a jury trial, of soliciting an act of prostitution, in violation of Penal Code section 647, subdivision (b).

Among defendant’s contentions are that the trial court erred in denying defendant’s requests:

(1) to instruct on specific intent;
(2) to give accomplice instructions; and
(3) to give a special entrapment instruction. He further complains of the definition of prostitution given to the jury as well as contending that two conditions of probation are unconstitutionally overbroad and that the imposition of a $5 penalty was illegal.

While we find errors, they do not require reversal of the conviction, which we affirm. We reverse, with directions, that part of the sentence [Supp. 36]*Supp. 36dealing with two conditions of probation-and the imposition of the $5 penalty.

Facts

Officer Devenney of the Los Angeles Police Department, in an undercover role, was patrolling the Hollywood area for vice activities at approximately 2 a.m., September 30, 1977. He saw defendant standing on a street comer putting his thumb out to hitchhike a ride, only when a lone male motorist would drive by him. As the officer drove his unmarked police vehicle toward defendant’s location, defendant waved at the officer to stop, which he did, alongside the defendant. Defendant asked the officer for a ride, the officer assented and the defendant got in the car. Here we quote the testimony of the police officer as to the conversation that followed:

“Defendant: What are you doing?
“Officer: Just driving around.
“Defendant: Are you looking for a good time? I could use some money.
“Officer: What do you mean by a ‘good time’?
“Defendant: I could . . . [orally copulate you] for $15.00.
“Officer: O.K., but are you old enough? You look tender.
“Defendant: Don’t woriy, I’m 18 alright.”

After cross-examination of this sole witness for the People, the People rested. Defendant’s motion for entry of judgment of acquittal for insufficiency of the evidence under Penal Code section 1118.1 was denied. The defendant then, testified that he was only hitchhiking a ride, that he did have a conversation in the car with the undercover officer, but that it was the officer that solicited the defendant to perform such an act on the officer, with the offer that the officer would pay defendant $10 for doing so. Defendant denied having solicited the officer.

[Supp. 37]*Supp. 37Solicitation of Act of Prostitution Is a Specific Intent Crime

For an authoritative statement of the distinction between a general intent crime and a specific intent crime, we quote from People v. Hood (1969) 1 Cal.3d 444, 456-457 [82 Cal.Rptr. 618, 462 P.2d 370]; “When the definition of a crime consists of only the description of a particular act, without reference to intent to do a further act or achieve a future consequence, we ask whether the defendant intended to do the proscribed act. This intention is deemed to be a general criminal intent. When the definition refers to defendant’s intent to do some further act or achieve some additional consequence, the crime is deemed to be one of specific intent.” Our research has failed to turn up any reported cases in California dealing with the exact question of whether solicitation of an act of prostitution (Pen. Code, § 647, subd. (b)) is a general or specific intent crime. The completed crime of engaging in an act of prostitution in violation of Penal Code section 647, subdivision (b) is easily perceived of as a general intent crime with both participants being principals in the crime and also accomplices of one another, requiring corroborating testimony to convict, if one testifies as a witness against the other. (See Pen. Code, § 1111; People v. Brocklehurst (1971) 14 Cal.App.3d 473 [92 Cal.Rptr. 340].)

However, solicitation to commit a crime is quite different from participation in the completed crime itself. “Mere intention to commit an act constituting a particular crime is not punishable, . . .” (Fricke & Alarcon, Cal. Criminal Law (11th ed.) Attempts, p. 50.) The same authority defines “soliciting commission of crime” as follows at pages 116-117; referring to Penal Code section 653f (soliciting commission of certain offenses) it states: “The gist of the offense is the solicitation of the commission of one or more of the offenses listed in the statute [citation] and the law is violated whether the person solicited responds favorably or unfavorably or not at all, whether or not the crime the commission of which was solicited was committed or attempted. [Citations.] ... It is essential to this crime that two or more persons must be involved and at least one person must be the solicitor and another person be the person solicited. . . .” Solicitations to commit one or more of the offenses listed in Penal Code section 653f have been held to constitute specific intent crimes. The same decisions have also held that such specific intent is a serious request to engage in the crime solicited. (See Laurel v. Superior Court (1967) 255 Cal.App.2d 292 [63 Cal.Rptr. 114]; People v. Shapiro (1959) 170 Cal.App.2d 468 [338 P.2d 963]; and People v. Phillips (1945) 70 Cal.App.2d 449 [160 P.2d 872].)

[Supp. 38]*Supp. 38From the foregoing authorities and statements of law and by analogy, we hold that solicitation of an act of prostitution in violation of Penal Code section 647, subdivision (b) is a specific intent crime and that the specific intent involved is “to engage in prostitution.” Happily we note that the authors of California Juiy Instructions, Criminal—Misdemeanors (1st ed. 1976 pocket pt.) agree with this conclusion in its appendix A, page 53, as does the California Superior Court Criminal Trial Judges’ Benchbook, Hayden & Keene (1973 ed.) page 436.

Jury Instructions

The trial court refused to give CALJIC No. 3.31 (concurrence of act and specific intent) as requested by defendant and instead gave the misdemeanor version of CALJIC No. 3.30 (concurrence of act and general criminal intent) (actually CALJIC, Misdemeanor, No. 16.000, XI, general intent). This was error since it is the trial court’s duty to instruct as to the particular specific intent which is an essential element of the crime being prosecuted. (People v. Ford (1964) 60 Cal.2d 772, 792-793 [36 Cal.Rptr. 620, 388 P.2d 892]; People v. Turner (1971) 22 Cal.App.3d 174, 184 [99 Cal.Rptr. 186].) The trial court also refused to give CALJIC No. 2.02 (sufficiency of circumstantial evidence to prove specific intent) as requested by defendant and instead gave CALJIC No. 2.01 (sufficiency of circumstantial evidence—generally.). Better practice would be to have given CALJIC No.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
88 Cal. App. Supp. 3d 32, 152 Cal. Rptr. 134, 1978 Cal. App. LEXIS 2267, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/people-v-norris-calappdeptsuper-1978.