People v. Waite

146 Cal. App. 3d 585, 194 Cal. Rptr. 245, 1983 Cal. App. LEXIS 2099
CourtCalifornia Court of Appeal
DecidedAugust 25, 1983
DocketCrim. 15036
StatusPublished
Cited by20 cases

This text of 146 Cal. App. 3d 585 (People v. Waite) 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. Waite, 146 Cal. App. 3d 585, 194 Cal. Rptr. 245, 1983 Cal. App. LEXIS 2099 (Cal. Ct. App. 1983).

Opinion

Opinion

WORK, J.

Dale Matthew Waite appeals a judgment of conviction after entering bargained pleas of guilty to multiple separate forcible sex felonies requiring full consecutive sentences pursuant to Penal Code section 667.6, subdivision (d), 1 and admitting he personally used a knife during one, and inflicted great bodily injury during another. Waite also pleaded guilty to one count of assault with the intent to commit rape (§ 220, a crime not subject to sentencing under § 667.6), a full term for which was imposed pursuant to the general determinate sentencing statute, section 1170. Relying upon the mandate in section 667.6, subdivision (d), the trial court imposed each forcible sex crime sentence consecutive to the others and consecutive to the full term given for the assault.

Waite claims the sentencing court reversibly erred by imposing the full consecutive four-year term for the assault with intent to commit rape instead of the one-third midterm designated by section 1170.1, subdivision (a) for “subordinate” terms, and in failing to consider referring him to the California Youth Authority (CYA) even though he was 19 years of age and eligible. For the following reasons, we conclude once a prison term is imposed for a forcible sex crime under the specific consecutive sentencing *589 provisions of section 667.6, subdivisions (c) and (d), it may not serve also as a “principal” term to which sentences imposed for other crimes under the general determinate sentencing scheme (§§ 1170 and 1170.1) may be deemed “subordinate” pursuant to section 1170.1. We also find the trial court must be presumed to have properly considered and rejected referring him to CYA.

Waite concedes the sentencing court was required to impose full consecutive terms for each forcible sex crime conviction because each involved a separate victim on a separate occasion (§ 667.6, subd. (d)). He contends, however, because his assault conviction must be sentenced under section 1170.1, and carries a lesser term than any of the forcible sex crime convictions, it must be deemed a “subordinate” term as defined in that section and imposed at one-third the middle term rather than as a full term. The sentencing court specifically stated it was relying on the sentencing scheme outlined in dictum in People v. Ottombrino (1982) 127 Cal.App.3d 574, 588, footnote 4 [179 Cal.Rptr. 676]. 2 Under this method of computation, all terms imposed under section 667.6, subdivisions (c) and (d) are segregated and totaled, and all terms imposed under section 1170.1 are separately and independently totaled and the sums imposed consecutively to each other. Where several convictions are to be imposed consecutively within the non-section 667.6 category, the “principal” term is selected by comparing length of terms imposed only for those convictions within that category. This will always result in one full sentence for a “principal” term being selected from the nonsection 667.6 category, which then becomes part of the aggregate term under section 1170.1 to which each full term from the section 667.6 category is consecutively served. Where, as here, assault is the only conviction not punishable under section 667.6, subdivision (d), and constitutes the entire term within the nonsection 667.6 category, the court had no discretion to treat it as a “subordinate” offense as defined in section 1170.1.

Our analysis of sections 667.6 and 1170.1 establishes the terms imposed under section 667.6, subdivisions (c) and (d), are independent and separate from those terms computed under section 1170 or 1170.1. Thus, the trial court here correctly sentenced Waite to the sum of the respective totals of the separate computations.

The essence of Waite’s claim is that sections 1170.1 and 667.6 when read together are replete with ambiguities which must be construed in a manner *590 favorable to him, not unfavorably as was done in Ottombrino. (See People v. Davis (1981) 29 Cal.3d 814, 828 [176 Cal.Rptr. 521, 633 P.2d 186].) When a penal provision is part of a general legislative scheme, it “should be construed with reference to the entire statutory system of which it forms a part in such a way that harmony may be achieved among the parts . . . .” (People ex rel. Younger v. Superior Court (1976) 16 Cal.3d 30, 40 [127 Cal.Rptr. 122, 544 P.2d 1322].) Here, since each statutory provision was either added or amended by the identical legislation in a single document (Stats. 1979, ch. 944, p. 3252), we presume the Legislature intended both sections to be fully effective. Guided by the foregoing, we conclude the language of the provisions when read in harmony is not ambiguous.

As background, we summarize the relevant statutory scheme. Section 669 is a general authorizing and procedural statute regarding sentencing for multiple convictions. Section 1170 sets forth the legislative findings and the basic provisions of the determinate sentencing law regarding imposition of terms for specific offenses. Section 1170.1 is the general computational statute providing a method or scheme for calculating respective lengths of consecutive terms for multiple convictions. (See People v. Lawson (1980) 107 Cal.App.3d 748, 751-752, 754 [165 Cal.Rptr. 764].) On the other hand, subdivisions (c) and (d) of section 667.6 are specific computational statutory provisions applying only to the imposition of full, separate and consecutive terms for certain multiple forcible sex crimes. Where a defendant is convicted of certain multiple sex offenses against separate victims, or against the same victim on separate occasions, a full, separate and consecutive term for each must be imposed pursuant to subdivision (d). Where the defendant is convicted of multiple violent sex offenses against the same victim on the same occasion, the court has discretion to impose a full, separate and consecutive term for each under subdivision (c), in lieu of using the formula contained in section 1170.1.

Waite claims there is confusion regarding the joint application of section 667.6, subdivisions (c) and (d), 3 and section 1170.1, subdivision *591 (a)* ** 4 suggesting there is an apparent conflict, or at least ambiguous overlapping language, between the language of the two statutes. We address each claim.

1. Waite asserts section 1170.1 subdivision (a)’s reference to sections 12022.3 and 12022.8, enhancements which can be imposed only upon conviction of one of the substantive offenses which, under proper circumstances, may be punished under section 667.6, implies sections 667.6 and 1170.1, subdivision (a) are not necessarily separate and distinct because the former is included within the latter.

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Bluebook (online)
146 Cal. App. 3d 585, 194 Cal. Rptr. 245, 1983 Cal. App. LEXIS 2099, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/people-v-waite-calctapp-1983.