Robinson v. Rhay

479 P.2d 109, 4 Wash. App. 1, 1971 Wash. App. LEXIS 1279
CourtCourt of Appeals of Washington
DecidedJanuary 4, 1971
DocketNo. 256-40918-2
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 479 P.2d 109 (Robinson v. Rhay) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Washington primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Robinson v. Rhay, 479 P.2d 109, 4 Wash. App. 1, 1971 Wash. App. LEXIS 1279 (Wash. Ct. App. 1971).

Opinion

Armstrong, C. J.

— This is an appeal from a denial of a writ of habeas corpus. The petitioner, Charles Lee Robinson, was committed to Western State Hospital as a psychopathic delinquent, pursuant to RCW 71.06 on August 8, 1956. At that time, he was 17 years of age and already had a history of several car thefts and detention at Green Hill School. After several escapes from the Western State Hospital, he was transferred to Eastern State Hospital on April 8,1957 for security reasons.

During the summer of 1958, the petitioner was allowed to visit his parents in Tacoma for 60 days. While in Tacoma, he and two other young persons were charged with the crime of robbery. At that time petitioner was 19 years of age. At the arraignment, while represented by his court-appointed counsel, the petitioner pleaded guilty to the robbery charge. The court sentenced the petitioner to a penal institution.

In February, 1967 the petitioner, while incarcerated in the state prison at Walla Walla, filed a petition for writ of habeas corpus with the Superior Court for Walla Walla County. The petitioner alleged that at the time of his arraignment for the robbery in Pierce County, he was legally incompetent to enter a plea of guilty, due to his prior commitment as a psychopathic delinquent. Since this fact was known to the court, the petitioner contends the trial court should have held a competency hearing on its own motion. The failure to do so was contended to be a denial of due process.

During the proceedings before the Superior Court for Walla Walla County, it was discovered that the court reporter’s notes of the arraignment had been lost. As a result, [3]*3venue was changed to Pierce County for the convenience of witnesses who were to testify at the habeas corpus hearing.

After 3 days of hearings, the Superior Court for Pierce County denied the petition for the writ of habeas corpus. The findings of fact and conclusions of law which are challenged by the petitioner are set forth in the margin.1

Plaintiff makes a 3-pronged attack on the judgment denying his writ of habeas corpus. He contends: (1) that [4]*4because of his commitment as a psychopathic delinquent the court, at the arraignment, was required, of its own motion, to accord him a competency hearing; (2) that because of his commitment as a psychopathic delinquent he was mentally incompetent and the court was required to appoint a guardian ad litem to represent him; and (3) that it was impossible to retroactively determine his mental competency at the time of arraignment because of the loss of the court reporter’s notes and the lapse of 10 years.

An analysis of these contentions requires that we first consider the statutes defining “psychopathic delinquent” and “mentally ill person.”

RCW 71.06.010 provides in part:

“Psychopathic personality” means the existence in any person of such hereditary, congenital or acquired condition affecting the emotional or volitional rather than the intellectual field and manifested by anomalies of such character as to render satisfactory social adjustment of such person difficult or impossible.

". . .

“Psychopathic delinquent” means any minor who is psychopathic, and who is a habitual delinquent, if his delinquency is such as to constitute him a menace to the health, person, or property of himself or others, and the minor is not a proper subject for commitment to a state correctional school, a penal institution, to a state school [5]*5for the mentally deficient as a mentally deficient person, or to a state hospital as a mentally ill person.

RCW 71.02.010 states in part:

“Mentally ill person” shall mean any person found to be suffering from psychosis or other disease impairing his mental health, and the symptoms of such disease are of a suicidal, homicidal, or incendiary nature, or of such nature which would render such person dangerous to his own life or to the lives or property of others.

(Italics ours.)

Counsel for petitioner has made the helpful suggestion that the court “look at any medical definitions of psychopathy.” The following definitions are contained in Abnormal Psychology and Modern Life (3d ed. 1964) by James C. Coleman, Professor of Psychology and Director of the Psychology Clinic School, The University of California at Los Angeles:

Psychopathic personality. Older term used to refer to a variety of immature and pathological personality types now included under the general heading of Character and Behavior Disorders in the Army classification. See also Antisocial personality.

Page 668.

Antisocial (psychopathic) personality. A type of personality disorder characterized by such traits as impulsivity, inability to profit from experience, and unethical behavior.

Page 656.

Psychosis. Severe personality disorder involving loss of contact with reality and usually characterized by delusions and hallucinations. Hospitalization is ordinarily required.

It will be observed from the statutory definitions and the text authority that a psychopathic delinquent is one who has behavioral or personality problems which result in antisocial or criminal activity. A psychopath is not necessarily a psychotic person who has a loss of contact with reality. While it is conceivable that one who is committed as a [6]*6psychopathic delinquent may have intervals of psychotic reactions, the mere fact of commitment as a psychopathic delinquent does not imply that one is psychotic, mentally ill, or incompetent to stand trial.

Petitioner first contends that because of his commitment as a psychopathic delinquent the court, at the time of arraignment, was required to accord him a hearing to determine whether he was competent to assist in his defense, even though neither petitioner nor his attorney requested such a hearing. In this respect the petitioner relies heavily on Pate v. Robinson, 383 U.S. 375, 15 L. Ed. 2d 815, 86 S. Ct. 836 (1966) and State v. Tate, 74 Wn.2d 261, 444 P.2d 150 (1968).

In Pate the United States Supreme Court held that the judge must conduct a sanity hearing where the evidence raises a bona fide doubt as to the defendant’s competency to stand trial. In that case, however, there was substantial evidence to indicate that Pate was psychotic. When he was a child, a brick fell on his head from a third floor height. He thought he heard voices telling him to do things. Before the murder in question, he had served a term in prison for murdering his infant son. Numerous witnesses testified to deranged and irrational acts. Four witnesses expressed the opinion that he was insane. The record clearly demonstrated that his sanity at the time of trial was very much in issue. There was a serious question raised as to his competency to stand trial and assist in his defense.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
479 P.2d 109, 4 Wash. App. 1, 1971 Wash. App. LEXIS 1279, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/robinson-v-rhay-washctapp-1971.