Shepard v. Bowe

442 P.2d 238, 250 Or. 288, 1968 Ore. LEXIS 547
CourtOregon Supreme Court
DecidedJune 14, 1968
StatusPublished
Cited by62 cases

This text of 442 P.2d 238 (Shepard v. Bowe) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Oregon Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Shepard v. Bowe, 442 P.2d 238, 250 Or. 288, 1968 Ore. LEXIS 547 (Or. 1968).

Opinion

DENECKE, J.

The issue is the extent of the pretrial psychiatric *289 examination that a trial court can require of á'defendant who has pleaded, not guilty by reason of insanity. The criminal charge was failing to stop at the scene of an accident resulting in an injury.

The District Attorney moved for an order requiring the defendant to be examined, by a psychiatrist selected by the court or the state. The court so ordered. In response to a motion for clarification of the court’s order the court further ordered:

“IT IS THEREFORE ORDERED:
“1. That Defendant answer questions concerning his accident or conduct at or immediately near the time of the commission of the alleged crime;
“2. Counsel for the Defendant is ordered not to advise the Defendant to refuse to answer questions concerning his accident or conduct at or immediately near the time of the commission of the alleged crime;
“3. Counsel is ordered not to interfere by advising Defendant not to answer questions the answer to which might tend to incriminate him; and,

In response to defendant’s petition, this court, exercising original jurisdiction, issued an alternative writ of mandamus, ordering the defendant trial court to show cause why it should not vacate its order. The trial judge demurred and answered, admitting all the facts alleged in the alternative writ.

In State v. Phillips, 245 Or 466, 422 P2d 670 (1967), we held that the state has a right to have a mental examination of a defendant who pleads not guilty by reason of insanity. We reasoned that this did not violate the fedéral and' state constitutional prohibition of compulsory self-incrimination because it did not involve testimonial compulsion. In. State v. Phillips, *290 supra (245 Or 466), the trial court’s order provided that the defendant could not be questioned concerning his acts or conduct at or immediately near the scene of the crime and required that his attorney be permitted to be present. These restrictions were not in issue on the appeal and we did not decide whether they were necessary.

In State v. Smith, 248 Or 56, 426 P2d 463 (1967), we expressly did not decide whether State v. Phillips, supra (245 Or 466), requires that counsel be present when the psychiatric examination is made.

The issue is now squarely presented to us: Does the court have the authority to require that the defendant, at a pretrial mental examination, answer questions concerning his conduct relating to the offense charged, and can the court order defendant’s counsel not to advise his client to refuse to answer questions upon the ground that they might incriminate him?

It is apparent that the defendant’s answers to the psychiatrist’s questions might be incriminating upon any of the issues in the trial, including the issue whether the defendant committed .the act charged.

Other jurisdictions have solved this problem in varying ways.

In State v. Whitlow, 45 NJ 3, 210 A2d 763 (1965), the trial court ordered the defendant to answer all questions put to him by the psychiatrist in an examination ordered by the court upon the motion of the state. It further denied defendant’s attorney’s request to be present at the examination and forbade disclosure of the report of the examination until further order of the court. The Supreme Court- of New Jersey af *291 firmed and stated a-detailed procedure to be-followed. If the defendant refuses to cooperate in the examination, the court can send him to a state institution.for observation without any questioning. If the defendant cooperates with the psychiatrist who. examined him on his own behalf, the court will refuse to let such psychiatrist testify to any history or other matter communicated to the psychiatrist by the defendant unless he cooperates to the same extent with the state’s psychiatrist; or, such refusal can be conditioned upon the defendant undergoing a cooperative examination at a recess of the' trial, i.é., either the defendant submits to a cooperative examination by a psychiatrist engaged on behalf of the state or his expert will be limited in his testimony. The jury will be instructed that any inculpatory statement made by the defendant to the psychiatrist cannot be considered in deciding the issue of guilt, as distinguished from the issue of insanity. The defense attorney may not be present at the examination; however, the defendant’s own psychiatrist may be. •

Most recently in State v. Raskin, 34 Wis2d 607, 150 NW2d 318 (1967), the Wisconsin court offered a bifurcated trial as the solution, with the first trial on the issue of guilt, and if a guilty verdict were returned, a trial by the same jury upon the issue of insanity. No incriminating statements made by the defendant to the psychiatrist could be introduced in the guilt trial. The psychiatrist would be permitted to question the defendant at the examination and defense counsel would be excluded at such examination.

A majority of the courts which have squarely considered the problem, however, have held that the defendant upon a pretrial mental examination cannot be required to answer questions.

*292 The decision in State v. Whitlow, supra (45 NJ 3), was criticized in State v. Olson, 274 Minn 225, 143 NW2d 69 (1966), particularly that portion providing for an instruction to the jury that they must disregard any inculpatory statement when they are considering the issue of guilt. The court in State v. Olson, supra (274 Minn 225), reversed an order for a pretrial mental examination. The court assumed that an examination would necessarily involve questions and answers. The opinion suggests that if the defendant put on expert testimony supporting his defense of insanity, the state would be entitled to some kind of examination during the course of trial.

In French v. District Court, Division 9, 153 Colo 10, 384 P2d 268 (1963), the court reversed a lower court ruling striking the defendant’s plea of insanity upon the-ground that the defendant refused to cooperate in a court-ordered mental examination. The court inferred thát if there were two trials, one on the issue of guilt and the other on the issue of insanity, the court could order the defendant to cooperate with the psychiatrist.

In State v. Hathaway, 161 Me 255, 211 A2d 558 (1965), a majority of the court held it was reversible error to permit a psychiatrist, who examined defendant on behalf of the state, to testify to damaging admissions on the issue of guilt made by the defendant to him in the course of his mental examination.

In an Illinois proceeding to have defendant declared sexually dangerous, a civil proceeding, the trial court held the defendant in contempt because he refused to. answer.

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Bluebook (online)
442 P.2d 238, 250 Or. 288, 1968 Ore. LEXIS 547, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/shepard-v-bowe-or-1968.