State v. S.H.

75 Wash. App. 1
CourtCourt of Appeals of Washington
DecidedJuly 18, 1994
DocketNo. 32042-4-I
StatusPublished
Cited by33 cases

This text of 75 Wash. App. 1 (State v. S.H.) 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
State v. S.H., 75 Wash. App. 1 (Wash. Ct. App. 1994).

Opinion

Baker, J.

S.H. appeals from a juvenile court manifest injustice disposition of 260 weeks on one count of rape of a child in the first degree. He contends the court erred in (1) finding certain aggravating circumstances, (2) imposing the manifest injustice disposition, and (3) considering the possibility that S.H. could be released from the Department of Juvenile Rehabilitation (DJR) before the maximum term. He also contends the disposition was clearly excessive. Because the court improperly considered the possibility of early release when it set the term for S.H.’s commitment to DJR, we reverse the disposition.

S.H. also seeks relief by way of personal restraint petition (PRP) from his confinement at Maple Lane School, contending that (1) his treatment providers must be certified under RCW 18.155, (2) he is not receiving adequate sex offender treatment or being treated by qualified treatment providers, and (3) he was afforded ineffective assistance of counsel at his disposition. We deny the petition.

[6]*6Thirteen-year-old S.H. spent a weekend at a foster home with several other children, including the 8-year-old victim, K. S.H. entered the room where K. was sleeping, locked the door, and raped her. Although S.H. covered K.’s mouth to stifle her cries for help, adults in the house nevertheless heard the commotion, forced their way into the room and pulled S.H. off of K.K. was taken to the hospital, but the State produced no medical evidence of K.’s injuries at the disposition.

At the disposition hearing, social worker McCutcheon’s evaluation discussed S.H.’s dysfunctional family history and extensive deviant sexual history. According to McCutcheon, S.H. has problems with extreme deviant arousal, sexual identity, voyeurism, bestiality, and is in poor control of his sexual impulses. McCutcheon recommended treatment in a closed, structured environment for up to 4 years.

Probation counselor Trujillo reported that S.H. has an extensive history of sexual involvement as victim, victim-izer, and consenting participant. The results of his penile pl-ethysmography testing indicated high levels of arousal to all stimuli. S.H. was reported to have numerous risk factors including, but not limited to, lack of remorse, limited understanding of the wrongfulness of the rape, and prior failed treatment by two treatment providers. The Department of Youth Services Sex Offender Program assessed S.H. to be a high risk to reoffend with or without treatment. Trujillo recommended a disposition of 260 weeks, primarily to protect the community.

At the disposition hearing, S.H.’s counsel conceded that a manifest injustice disposition was appropriate, but objected to the 5-year recommendation, arguing that it was not related to treatment goals. Counsel recommended, based on a 2-year-old evaluation from a previous disposition, that a commitment of 21h to 3 years was appropriate and consistent with treatment goals.

The trial court made the following findings of fact to which S.H. assigns error:

[7]*7VI.
The victim was particularly vulnerable. The 13 year old respondent [S.H.] who was 5-feet 11-inches tall and 190 pounds furtively entered the room of the eight year old victim. The victim was alone sleeping in bed when the respondent. . . committed the crime.
VII.
The crime was committed in an especially depraved manner. The depravity of the offense is evidenced by the respondent’s entering the bedroom of the victim, locking the door, and forcefully engaging in vaginal intercourse with the eight year old victim. [T]he respondent put his hand over the victim’s mouth to silence her repeated screams for help. When help arrived they had to knock the bedroom door down and physically pull the respondent off of the screaming victim.
VIII.
The respondent is a high risk to reoffend. The respondent previous to this crime was in a one year in-patient sexual deviancy treatment program. Additionally, the respondent was also in a community based sexual deviancy treatment program. According to those who evaluated the respondent, he is a high risk to reoffend with or without further treatment.
IX.
In the course of the rape he could have inflicted serious bodily injury. The eight year old victim sustained vaginal injury. Respondent could easily have suffocated the victim by placing his hand over her mouth.

The court entered a manifest injustice disposition of 260 weeks, based on McCutcheon’s recommendation of up to 4 years of treatment and the court’s understanding that S.H. could be released by DJR after he served 80 percent of the disposition.1 S.H. was not given a special sex offender disposition alternative (SSODA) and is currently committed to DJR at the Maple Lane School in Centraba.

S.H. alleges that he has not been seen by a psychiatrist or psychologist or had any psychological testing at Maple Lane. He is working with the Pathways book, which he completed once before. In addition to group treatment, S.H. usually meets with his counselor for half an hour each week. According to social worker Thomas Dunne, the minimum requirements for counselors at Maple Lane are a B.A. in a social science field and 1 year of experience with youth. Maple [8]*8Lane has only a part-time psychiatrist. The facility has 167 resident juveniles but a capacity of only 135.

Meredith Ingraham supervises the sex offender treatment program at Maple Lane for approximately 40 juveniles, and is directly involved in some of S.H.’s treatment sessions. She is the only sex offender treatment provider at Maple Lane who is certified under RCW 18.155. Ingraham is personally involved in S.H.’s group treatment about once a month.

S.H. also provides the declaration of a certified sex offender treatment provider, Dr. Wheeler. Wheeler states there are several deficiencies in S.H.’s treatment plan. S.H. has specific mental disorders not adequately addressed by his plan and is not receiving the treatment recommended by McCutcheon. Maple Lane treatment providers do not have the necessary qualifications to provide proper individual psychotherapy for S.H.

The State submits Ingraham’s declaration that S.H. is participating in group treatment, including taking responsibility, identifying offense patterns, and developing victim awareness. S.H. is involved in classes on substance abuse, anger management, personal effectiveness, sex/health education, and is in regular ninth grade school. S.H. will participate in group treatment as long as he is at Maple Lane. His counselor, who has a B.A. in theology, and 8 years’ experience with juvenile offenders (2 with sex offenders), is continuously available and monitors S.H.’s progress. S.H. is beginning to show remorse and changes in his behavior and may be placed in a residential home in 1 to 2 years.

I

S.H. contends that the trial court’s findings of fact do not sufficiently comply with RCW 13.40.160(4)(c) and JuCR 7.12(e).

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Bluebook (online)
75 Wash. App. 1, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-sh-washctapp-1994.