State v. Henry Don S.

790 P.2d 1058, 109 N.M. 777
CourtNew Mexico Court of Appeals
DecidedMarch 13, 1990
DocketNo. 11340
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 790 P.2d 1058 (State v. Henry Don S.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering New Mexico Court of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
State v. Henry Don S., 790 P.2d 1058, 109 N.M. 777 (N.M. Ct. App. 1990).

Opinion

OPINION

ALARID, Judge.

The child appeals from the order of the children’s court committing him to the New Mexico Boys’ School after revocation of his probation. Three issues are properly before this court: (1) whether the original sentence placing the child on probation with incarceration was illegal and void, and thus the children’s court was without jurisdiction to revoke the child’s probation; (2) whether revoking the child’s probation for truancy violates the prohibition against double jeopardy; and (3) whether the children’s court was without jurisdiction to revoke the child’s probation because the time limits had expired for both an adjudicatory hearing and the child’s original probationary period. The child also seeks to amend his docketing statement to add two new issues: (4) whether the child’s commitment to the Boys’ School must be vacated because the child has already served time in custody under the probation order, so that any further prosecution violates the prohibition against double jeopardy; and (5) whether the child was denied effective assistance of counsel. We affirm.

We deny the child’s motion to amend to add issues 4 and 5. Both issues rely on facts that were not brought to the attention of the children’s court, and therefore are not part of the record on appeal. See State v. Romero, 87 N.M. 279, 532 P.2d 208 (Ct.App.1975) (this court cannot review matters not of record); State v. Paul, 82 N.M. 619, 485 P.2d 375 (Ct.App.1971) (this court cannot consider facts never brought to the attention of the trial court). Also, issue 5 is so without merit as to not be viable. See State v. Rael, 100 N.M. 193, 668 P.2d 309 (Ct.App.1983); see also State v. Sanchez, 98 N.M. 781, 652 P.2d 1232 (Ct.App.1982) (failure to file non-meritorious motions not ineffective assistance).

FACTS

A delinquency petition was filed against the child in March 1986, alleging the child had committed the crime of shoplifting. In October 1986, a disposition order was filed disposing of the March 1986 petition. This order placed the child on probation for a period not to exceed two years. The order also provided:

THAT said child attend school regularly; for every hour the child is truant from school, he shall spend two hours in the Chaves County Juvenile Detention Center; for every day the child is suspended from school, he shall spend that school day in the Chaves County Juvenile Detention Center.

On May 12, 1988, a petition to revoke the child’s probation was filed based on alleged truancy. A dispositional hearing was held on July 18, 1988. Following a commitment of the child to the Youth Diagnostic and Development Center for a diagnostic evaluation, a disposition order was filed in December 1988. The children’s court found the child admitted the allegations in the petition to revoke probation, there was a factual basis for the findings, the child was in need of care and rehabilitation, and the child was a delinquent child. The order also committed the child to the New Mexico Boys’ School for an indeterminate period not to exceed two years. The child appeals from the December 1988 disposition order.

VALIDITY OF INITIAL PROBATION ORDER

The child challenges the validity of the initial probation order under which his probation was revoked by challenging certain probationary conditions. The children’s court may only impose penalties which the legislature has authorized. State v. Michael V., 107 N.M. 305, 756 P.2d 585 (Ct.App.1988). The child contends the probation order was not valid because the children’s court was not authorized, under NMSA 1978, Section 32-1-34(E) (Repl. Pamp.1989), to impose incarceration as a condition of probation. He also contends the incarceration provision set out above is invalid because it is self-executing, and thus violates due process. We need not discuss the issue of whether the children’s court was authorized to impose such a condition under Section 32-l-34(E) because we find that the provision was self-executing, and therefore invalid for the reasons set out below.

The state concedes that a self-executing probation condition of incarceration for truancy is not permitted by the Children’s Code. Under the Children’s Code, prior to a child’s probation being revoked, a petition containing the same information as a petition alleging delinquency must be filed. NMSA 1978, § 32-1-43 (Repl.Pamp.1989). A probation revocation proceeding must be held before the children’s court, at which time the state is required to prove the allegations in the petition beyond a reasonable doubt. Id. The self-executing incarceration provision in the probation order would operate to circumvent the statutory procedural requirements by triggering automatic confinement merely upon a reported absence from school. See In re Gerald B., 105 Cal.App.3d 119, 164 CaLRptr. 193 (1980). Therefore, we hold that, insofar as the provision of the probation order requires automatic confinement in the juvenile detention center and is self-executing, the provision is invalid.

SEVERANCE

The state contends that if this court determines the self-executing provision is invalid, that portion should be severed from the probation order. The child relies on Jordan v. Swope, 36 N.M. 84, 8 P.2d 788 (1932), in support of his contention that the sentence is not severable. In Jordan, the supreme court recognized the majority rule that a sentence exceeding the statutory limit is void only as to the excess, but held that under the facts of that case the judgment was inseverable. The supreme court also addressed the issue of severability of a sentence in Sneed v. Cox, 74 N.M. 659, 397 P.2d 308 (1964). The court noted in Sneed that a sentence is legal so far as it is within the provisions of law and the jurisdiction of the court over the person and the offense. When such excess is separable, the sentence is void only as to the excess and may be dealt with without disturbing the valid portion of the sentence.

Sentences are usually held to be severable when the excess in the sentence is one that is easily separated from the remainder of the sentence and the severance does not affect the remainder of the sentence. See, e.g., Rutherford v. Blankenship, 468 F.Supp. 1357 (W.D.Va.1979) (banishment provision void but did not affect validity of remaining ten-year prison sentence); State v. Krivolavy, 258 N.W.2d 157 (Iowa 1977) (sentence severable where valid part, penitentiary time, is distinct from invalid part, fine); State v. Kee, 398 A.2d 384 (Me.1979) (illegality in amount of fine severed from sentence and fine reduced to amount authorized by law): Cain v. State, 337 So.2d 935 (Miss.1976) (portion of sentence pertaining to work release and parole, which trial court was unauthorized to impose, severed from remaining valid portion of sentence imposing jail time).

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
790 P.2d 1058, 109 N.M. 777, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-henry-don-s-nmctapp-1990.