RBS v. Capri

384 So. 2d 692
CourtDistrict Court of Appeal of Florida
DecidedMay 27, 1980
Docket80-817
StatusPublished
Cited by12 cases

This text of 384 So. 2d 692 (RBS v. Capri) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court of Appeal of Florida primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
RBS v. Capri, 384 So. 2d 692 (Fla. Ct. App. 1980).

Opinion

384 So.2d 692 (1980)

R.B.S., a Juvenile, Petitioner,
v.
Doris CAPRI, Director of Dade County Juvenile Detention Center, Respondent.

No. 80-817

District Court of Appeal of Florida, Third District.

May 27, 1980.

*693 Bennett H. Brummer, Public Defender and Alan R. Dakan, Asst. Public Defender, Miami, for petitioner.

Janet Reno, State's Atty. and Diane Kuker, Asst. State's Atty., Miami, and Bruce H. Lehr, Legal Intern, for respondent.

Before HUBBART, SCHWARTZ and DANIEL S. PEARSON, JJ.

DANIEL S. PEARSON, Judge.

On April 24, 1980, this court, upon hearing argument on the juvenile's petition for writ of habeas corpus and the State's response, granted the writ and directed the respondent to forthwith release the petitioner from custody.[1] The petitioner's release has already been effected by the granting of the writ of habeas corpus and no further can be accomplished for him by our memorializing the reasons for our action. We are, however, sufficiently disturbed by the trial court's disregard of the plain dictates of the Florida Juvenile Justice Act[2] and sufficiently convinced that this disregard is capable of repetition that we deem this opinion necessary.[3]

The petitioner (hereinafter the child) was charged with manslaughter and taken into custody at 2:40 p.m. on Monday, March 24, 1980. Two days later, on March 26, 1980, the State filed a petition for delinquency, *694 and the child was, for the first time, brought before the court. At the conclusion of this hearing, the family division judge entered a written order that the child "shall remain detained as previously ordered." There was, however, no previous court order respecting detention.[4]

Presumably, one of the purposes of convening on March 26 was to conduct the detention hearing mandated by Section 39.032(2), Florida Statutes (1979):

"... A child who is charged with a violation of law and is detained under this subsection shall be given a detention hearing within 48 hours of his being taken into custody, excluding Sundays and legal holidays, to determine the need for continued detention. The circuit court ... shall hold the detention hearing... ." (emphasis supplied).

The requirements of the statute are not satisfied, however, by the mere holding of a hearing. Section 39.032(5)(a) provides:

"No child shall be held in detention or shelter care longer than 48 hours, excluding Sundays or legal holidays, unless an order is entered by the court after a detention hearing finding that detention care or a crisis home is required based on the criteria in subsection (2). The order shall state the reasons for such findings of the court. The order shall be reviewable by appeal pursuant to s. 39.14 and the Florida Appellate Rules."

The criteria referred to in the above-quoted section are:

"Unless ordered by the court, a child taken into custody shall not be placed or retained in detention care prior to the court's disposition unless detention or a crisis home is required:
"(a) To protect the person or property of others or of the child;
"(b) Because the child has no parent, guardian, responsible adult relative, or other adult approved by the court able to provide supervision and care for him. If a child is to be detained pursuant to this paragraph alone, a crisis home only may be used;
"(c) To secure his presence at the next hearing;
"(d) Because the child has been twice previously adjudicated to have committed a delinquent act and has been charged with a third subsequent delinquent act which would constitute a felony if the child were an adult; or
"(e) To hold for another jurisdiction a delinquent child escapee or an absconder from probation, a community control program, or parole supervision of a child who is wanted by another jurisdiction for an offense which, if committed by an adult, would be a violation of law".

[§ 39.032(2), Fla. Stat. (1979)].

As of 2:40 p.m. on March 26, 1980, no order in compliance with Section 39.032(5)(a) having been entered, the child was entitled to be released from custody. His counsel, however, sought no review and his right to release remained inchoate.

On the morning of April 9, the child's next appearance in court, the State's request that the court waive juvenile jurisdiction was denied. That same afternoon, after sixteen days of detention, appointed *695 counsel moved for the child's release from detention.[5] It is apparent from the transcript of this hearing that all concerned overlooked that as of the time of this hearing the child had already been illegally detained for fourteen days.[6] But since he was still detained, and since the proscription contained in Section 39.032(5)(a) is not self-executing, the court would have been acting within its authority on April 9 to enter a valid detention order complying with Section 39.032(5)(a) and thereby render moot, for habeas corpus purposes, the prior illegal detention. This the court did not do. Instead the court continued the child's detention, ordering that he be further held in "non-secure."[7] The following colloquy contains the only reason given by the court for its ruling:

"MR. RYAN [prosecutor]: We have no objection to the straight release to the parent. Decision was made not to bind him over by Judge Perry.
"THE COURT: It is a serious charge.
"MS. COHEN [public defender]: Serious charge, Your Honor, but this is a really exceptional young man.
"THE COURT: Exceptional young man charged with manslaughter.
"MS. COHEN: I don't —
"THE COURT: Somebody died because of this."

On the following day, April 10, the public defender once again moved for the release of the child.[8] The court's response was the same:

"THE COURT: I think you should make this motion again on Monday when the 21 days are over. I am not going to release at this time. This is a very serious case. Somebody was killed in this situation. I am just not going to release him until the 21 days are over. At that time if you want to make a motion then you make your motion. I cannot release him at this time — I will not."

The court's reference to 21 days was a reference to Section 39.032(5)(c), Florida Statutes (1979), which provides:

"No child shall be held in detention care ... under a special detention order for more than 21 days unless an adjudicatory hearing for the case has been commenced by the court."

Of course, the right to hold a child in detention for 21 days presupposes a valid detention order ab initio. None existed.

On April 14, 1980, "the 21 days were over"; however, the illegal detention of the child was not. On that date the State moved for a continuance of the adjudicatory hearing and for the continued detention of the child.[9] The litany was repeated:

"... the only thing I know is that the State has come up here and told me that he killed somebody. That is what I know at this time, and they are charging him with that, and you are asking me to release him at this time. It is a very serious charge, it is a manslaughter case, and I don't think he should be out, to tell you the truth, on a manslaughter case."

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Bluebook (online)
384 So. 2d 692, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/rbs-v-capri-fladistctapp-1980.