State v. S.P.

756 P.2d 1315, 110 Wash. 2d 886, 1988 Wash. LEXIS 84
CourtWashington Supreme Court
DecidedJuly 7, 1988
DocketNo. 54300-3
StatusPublished
Cited by27 cases

This text of 756 P.2d 1315 (State v. S.P.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Washington Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
State v. S.P., 756 P.2d 1315, 110 Wash. 2d 886, 1988 Wash. LEXIS 84 (Wash. 1988).

Opinion

Goodloe, J.

Petitioner S.P., a juvenile, seeks review of a Court of Appeals decision that affirmed his sentence exceeding the standard range. State v. S.P., 49 Wn. App. 45, 746 P.2d 813, review granted, 109 Wn.2d 1007 (1987). S.P. asserts that he was denied the right to confront witnesses against him at his disposition hearing. We reverse the Court of Appeals and remand to the juvenile court.

S.P. was convicted of two counts of indecent liberties; the first incident occurred in August 1985 and the second incident occurred in September 1985. The standard range for S.P.'s offenses was 42 to 56 weeks. However, the State sought a finding of manifest injustice. A "manifest injustice" is a "disposition that would either impose an excessive penalty on the juvenile or would impose a serious, and clear danger to society". RCW 13.40.020(12). A finding of manifest injustice must be established before the standard range can he exceeded in setting a juvenile's sentence. RCW 13.40.160(1). S.P. conceded that a finding of manifest injustice should be made but disagreed as to how far the standard range should be exceeded.

At S.P.'s disposition hearing, the juvenile court heard the oral testimony of probation officer James Donovan, social worker Nancy Larson, and Department of Juvenile Rehabilitation employee Dan Donnelly. The juvenile court admitted into evidence Donovan's manifest injustice hearing report. The juvenile court also considered Larson's mental health evaluation, psychologist Dr. Bruce Olson's [888]*888capacity evaluation, and social worker Diana Hoy's letter dated November 6, 1985.

The witnesses' testimonies and reports varied regarding the appropriate length of S.P.'s sentence; the lengths ranged from Donnelly's recommendation of 65 weeks to Donovan's recommendation of 135 weeks to Dr. Olson's recommendation that S.P. "be placed in an institution for the maximum period of time allowable." Exhibit 6, at 4.

S.P. objected to the juvenile court's consideration of Dr. Olson's capacity evaluation and Hoy's letter (hereinafter reports) because the court did not require that either Dr. Olson or Hoy be made available for cross examination. The reports evaluated S.P.'s mental and emotional states and provided reasons to support a finding of manifest injustice. Many of the comments in the reports were hearsay under ER 801(c).

The juvenile court overruled S.P.'s objections. It held that Dr. Olson's and Hoy's reports were predispositional because they were in the court file as they had been admitted at S.P.'s capacity hearing. Thus, the juvenile court considered the reports because it determined that it was required to "[cjonsider any predisposition reports". ROW 13.40.150(3)(c).

The juvenile court made a finding of manifest injustice and exceeded the standard range in setting S.P.'s disposition at 104 weeks. S.P. appealed, and the Court of Appeals affirmed finding that the disposition was not excessive. State v. S.P., supra. S.P. seeks review of that decision. We accepted discretionary review on the issue of whether a juvenile has the right to confront witnesses at the disposition hearing held to determine the juvenile's length of incarceration.

S.P. contends that he was entitled to confront and cross-examine the witnesses against him at his disposition hearing. He argues that his right to confront is statutorily based. RCW 13.40.150(1). He further argues that his right to confront is constitutionally based. See State v. Whittington, 27 Wn. App. 422, 428-29, 618 P.2d 121 (1980); In [889]*889re Gault, 387 U.S. 1, 57, 18 L. Ed. 2d 527, 87 S. Ct. 1428 (1967). Since we hold that S.P. was denied his statutory right to confront, we decline to address whether there is a constitutional right to confront at a juvenile's disposition hearing. See Tropiano v. Tacoma, 105 Wn.2d 873, 877, 718 P.2d 801 (1986) ("This court will not decide an issue on constitutional grounds if the issue can be resolved on other grounds.").1

The Legislature incorporated the right to confront in RCW 13.40.150(1) when it enacted the Juvenile Justice Act of 1977 (JJA), RCW 13.40. RCW 13.40.150(1) states in relevant part:

(1) In disposition hearings all relevant and material evidence, including oral and written reports, may be received by the court and may be relied upon to the extent of its probative value, even though such evidence may not be admissible in a hearing on the information. The youth or the youth's counsel and the prosecuting attorney shall be afforded an opportunity to examine and controvert written reports so received and to cross-examine individuals making reports when such individuals are reasonably available . . .

(Italics ours.) However, the JJA also provides in RCW 13.40.150(3):

(3) Before entering a dispositional order as to a respondent found to have committed an offense, the court shall hold a disposition hearing, at which the court shall:
(c) Consider any predisposition reports . . .

RCW 13.40.150(3) does not provide specifically for confrontation of witnesses with regard to predisposition reports. The problem arises when a predisposition report also contains evidence relevant and material to the disposition hearing which would trigger the RCW 13.40.150(1) right to confront at the disposition hearing.

[890]*890 "[I]n interpreting a statute the court must construe the act as a whole, and effect should be given to all the language used." State v. Newton, 109 Wn.2d 69, 79, 743 P.2d 254 (1987). Furthermore, every "provision must be viewed in relation to other provisions and harmonized if at all possible to insure proper construction of every provision. " Addleman v. Board of Prison Terms & Paroles, 107 Wn.2d 503, 509, 730 P.2d 1327 (1986). We find that RCW 13.40.150(1) and (3) can be harmonized.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
756 P.2d 1315, 110 Wash. 2d 886, 1988 Wash. LEXIS 84, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-sp-wash-1988.