People v. Piasecki

52 N.W.2d 626, 333 Mich. 122
CourtMichigan Supreme Court
DecidedApril 7, 1952
DocketCalendar 45,005
StatusPublished
Cited by46 cases

This text of 52 N.W.2d 626 (People v. Piasecki) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Michigan Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
People v. Piasecki, 52 N.W.2d 626, 333 Mich. 122 (Mich. 1952).

Opinion

Reid, J.

(dissenting). On leave granted, plaintiff appeals from an order entered on September 26, 1950 by a circuit judge acting as judge of the recorder’s court for the city of Detroit, which denied plaintiff’s motion to set aside the commitment (un *125 der PA 1939, No 165, as amended) of defendant as a criminal sexual psychopathic person, to set aside the judgment determining said defendant to be a criminal sexual psychopathic person, and to dismiss the petition of counsel for the defendant for the examination of said defendant by a psychiatrist and to proceed to sentence the defendant under the conviction by the jury on June 28,1950 for common-law rape.

Defendant was arraigned for examination before the recorder’s court on March 29, 1950 on a com-, plaint and warrant charging him with the offense of rape (ordinarily called common-law rape). He waived examination and was arraigned in trial court on the information on April 13, 1950, and pleaded not guilty. On June 15, 1950, a sanity hearing was held and defendant was found not to be insane and ordered to stand trial. Defendant was tided and convicted of rape by a jury which returned its verdict on June 28, 1950. On July 7, 1950, the attorney for defendant filed a- petition to have defendant examined by psychiatrists under the criminal sexual psychopath law, PA 1939, No 165, as amended by PA 1947, No 242 (CL 1948, §780.501 et seq. [Stat Ann 1949 Cum Supp § 28.967 (1) et seq.]), and further amended by PA 1950 (Ex Sess), No 25, which amendatory act was approved June 9, 1950, and ordered to take immediate effect. The petition was granted on July 10, 1950. On July 31, 1950, a hearing was held by the court without a jury and defendant was adjudged to be a criminal sexual psychopathic person and an order was- entered on the same day committing the defendant to the custody of the State hospital commission.

On August 13, 1950, the prosecuting attorney of Wayne county, plaintiff herein, filed the motion *126 above referred to. On' September 26, 1950, an order was entered denying the said motion.

Plaintiff’s statement of tbe question involved in this case is as follows: ■

“Where an act of the legislature makes it mandatory upon a court to institute * * * separate proceedings in reference to a defendant in a criminal case, after a conviction of said defendant, but before sentence, which said separate proceedings provide for á mandatory disposition of said defendant under the said act and prohibits the court from making a final disposition of the criminal case, is such act unconstitutional as an encroachment upon the judicial powers of the court by the legislative department of the government?”

■ Plaintiff contends that PA 1950 (Ex Sess), No 25, amending PA 1939, No 165, is unconstitutional insofar as its provisions make it mandatory upon the court, where the petition required by the act is filed by the prosecutor or attorney general or filed on behalf of the accused after the defendant has- been convicted for a crime and has not as yet been sentenced: (1) To accept a petition and appoint 3 psychiatrists to personally examine the defendant as an alleged criminal sexual psychopathic person; (2) to conduct a hearing with or without a jury to determine whether or not the defendant is a criminal sexual psychopathic person; (3) to commit the defendant if determined to be such criminal sexual psychopath, to the custody of the State hospital commission to be confined in an appropriate State institution.

The defendant in the criminal case, appellee herein, does not claim that he is a feeble-minded person, and claims the provisions of the act complained of by plaintiff are valid and constitutional.

In the case of People v. Frontczak, 286 Mich 51, we had under consideration the question of the constitutionality of PA 1937, No 196 (CL 1948, § 769.1 *127 et seq. [Stat Ann 1949 Cum Supp § 28.1072 et seg.]). In that case we determined (syllabi):

“Statute providing for examination of prisoner, serving sentence for an overt act, who appears ‘to be a sex degenerate’ and appears ‘to be suffering from a mental disorder characterized by marked sexual deviation, with tendencies dangerous to public safety’ by court having jurisdiction of place of confinement and for hospitalization or institutionalization, if a part of code of criminal procedure which it purports to amend, is void as subjecting him to 2 trials and convictions in different courts for a single statutory crime; if not for.a single offense then 1 trial is for a penalized overt act and the other for no statutory offense but triable by jury of another vicinage; if not under such code then the statute is. no amendment or addition to it and is a mere estray or nullity (PA 1937, No 196,.. § lb).

“Due process of law is not afforded in merely providing procedure for hospitalization with curative treatment, of sane persons who may be sex degenerates where no provision is made declaring them amenable to compulsory restraint because they are such persons (US Const, am 14; Mich Const 1908, art 2, § 16; PA 1937, No 196, § lb).

After the decision on October 5, 1938, of the Frontczak Case, supra, PA 1939, No 165,’ was enacted by the legislature.

On May 18, 1942, we decided the case of People v. Chapman, 301 Mich 584. On pages 601-603 in the Chapman Case, we refer to and quote with approval from the Frontcsak Case:

“In the case of People v. Frontczak, 286 Mich 51, the majority opinion held PA 1937, No 196, § lb (CL Supp 1937, § 17329-2, Stat Ann 1938 Cúm Supp § 28.1073 [1]), unconstitutional. Such statute re-lated to the confinement of sex deviators after con *128 vietion and sentence. The majority opinion by Mr. Justice Wiest stated, p 58:
“ ‘We must class it where we find it placed by its authors, and we find it in the mentioned criminal code chapter relating to judgments and sentences in criminal cases.
“ ‘The attorney general contends that it is a civil proceeding and analogous to statutory inquests relative to insane prisoners, which is civil in nature.
“ ‘It is obvious that in such instances the inquest bears no relation to the conviction; jurisdiction attaches because of insanity. In the instance at bar jurisdiction is not given until after conviction and the prisoner is averred to be sane and change in confinement under sentence is contemplated for, while undergoing hospitalization, he gets credit on his sentence.
“ ‘Hospitalization with curative treatment and measures may be desirable but, until the law makes a sane person amenable to compulsory restraint as a sex deviator, it falls short of due process in merely providing procedure.

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Bluebook (online)
52 N.W.2d 626, 333 Mich. 122, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/people-v-piasecki-mich-1952.