STATE OF FLORIDA, PETITIONER,
v.
CHUCK JUNIOR WILLIAMS, RESPONDENT
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The Florida Supreme Court held that requiring a defendant to pay for drug testing is a special condition of probation that must be orally announced at sentencing, not a general condition that can be imposed by written order alone. The Court rejected the State's argument that a statute authorizing the Department of Corrections to require payment for drug testing provided sufficient statutory basis to classify such payment requirements as general conditions of probation.
The requirement that a defendant pay for drug testing is a special condition of probation that must be pronounced orally at sentencing. The discretion afforded to the Department of Corrections in section 948.09(6) is insufficient to serve as statutory notice that the court can make payment for drug testing a mandatory condition of probation.
[1] A requirement that a defendant pay for drug testing is a special condition of probation that must be orally pronounced at sentencing.
[2] General conditions of probation are those for which notice is provided by statute or rule, and may be included in a written order without oral pronouncement.
Previewing 2 of 5 headnotes on this case. FLexlaw’s editorially structured points of law — every proposition, pinpointed — are reserved for members.
Join FLexlaw to unlock all legal intelligence“a special condition of probation is one which is not statutorily authorized or mandated and not found in rule 3.986(e) (paragraphs one through eleven). Because a defendant is not on notice of special conditions of probation, these conditions must be pronounced orally at sentencing in order to be included in the written probation order.”
Establishes the definition of special conditions and the due process requirement for oral announcement at sentencing
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Join FLexlaw to unlock all legal intelligenceWilliams was convicted by jury on three counts of violating state drug laws. The trial judge adjudicated him guilty and sentenced him to imprisonment …
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WELLS, Justice.
We have for review a decision of the Second District Court of Appeal which passed upon the following question certified to be of great public importance:
SHOULD THE REQUIREMENT THAT A DEFENDANT PAY FOR DRUG TESTING BE TREATED AS A GENERAL CONDITION OF PROBATION FOR WHICH NOTICE IS PROVIDED BY SECTION 948.09(6), FLORIDA STATUTES (1995), OR SHOULD IT BE TREATED AS A SPECIAL CONDITION THAT REQUIRES ORAL ANNOUNCEMENT? Williams v. State, 700 So. 2d 750, 751-52 (Fla. 2d DCA 1997). We have jurisdiction. Art. V, § 3(b)(4), Fla. Const. For the reasons expressed herein, we hold that the requirement that a defendant pay for drug testing is a special condition of probation which the trial court must pronounce'orally at sentencing.-
After a jury convicted respondent on three counts of violating state drug laws, the trial judge adjudicated the respondent guilty on all counts and sentenced him to a term of imprisonment followed by three years of drug offender probation. At the sentencing hearing, the trial judge ordered that respondent, as a condition of probation, be subject to “[ejvaluation, treatment, warrantless search,, [and] random urinalysis.” In its written order of probation,1 however, the trial court ordered that respondent comply with, inter alia, the following conditions of probation:
(8) You will submit to and pay for random testing as directed by the supervising officer or professional staff of the treatment center where you are receiving treatment to determine the presence of alcohol or controlled substances.2
(20) You shall submit to and pay for an evaluation to determine whether or not you have any treatable problem with (alcohol) (any illegal drug). If you have said problem, you are to submit to, pay for, and successfully complete any recommended treatment program as a result of said evaluation, all to be completed at the direction of your Supervising Officer..
(24) You will obtain an evaluation to determine if you are in need of inpatient drug treatment. If so, you will enter and successfully complete, at your own ex-, pense, the recommended inpatient treatment program at DOC. You will abide by all the rules, regulations and programs set forth by the treatment center. You will complete and pay for any aftercare treatment as recommended by the inpatient facility.
On appeal, respondent argued that the trial judge erred in requiring respondent to pay for random drug testing, evaluation, and treatment. Specifically, respondent claimed that requiring him to pay for drug testing, evaluation, and treatment is a special condition of probation which must be announced orally at sentencing. Therefore, because the trial court failed to announce the payment requirements at sentencing, it could not include them in its final order. The district court agreed and reversed. Williams v. State, 700 So. 2d 750, 751-52 (Fla. 2d DCA 1997). The district court relied on precedent from this Court and its own previous decisions to hold that requiring a defendant to pay for alcohol or drug testing is a special condition of probation. Id. (citing Curry v. State, 682 So. 2d 1091 (Fla.1996); Wallace v. State, 682 So. 2d 1139 (Fla. 2d DCA 1996); Malone v. State, 652 So. 2d 902 (Fla. 2d DCA 1995)).
The State, however, argued that none of these precedent eases addressed section 948.09(6), Florida Statutes (1995),3 which authorizes the Department of Corrections to require offenders under any form of supervision, to submit to and pay for urinalysis drug testing. The State claimed that this statute supported the conclusion that the probation condition requiring respondent to pay for drug testing is a general condition of probation. Unsure of the effect of the State’s argument in light of the precedent cases, the district court certified the aforementioned question as one of great public importance.
This Court has previously set out the difference between a general and special condition of probation. Due process and Florida Rule of Criminal Procedure 3.700(b), which mandates that the sentence or other final disposition “shall be pronounced in open court,” command that a defendant be given notice of the conditions of probation to be imposed. Justice v. State, 674 So. 2d 123, 125 (Fla.1996); State v. Hart, 668 So. 2d 589, 591-92 (Fla.1996); Vasquez v. State, 663 So. 2d 1343, 1345 (Fla. 4th DCA 1995). A general condition of probation is one in which notice is provided by statute or by Florida Rule of Criminal Procedure 3.986(e) (paragraphs one through eleven). General conditions of probation may be included in a written order of probation even if not pronounced orally at sentencing. Hart, 668 So. 2d at 592. The rationale for this rule is that statutes and court rules provide constructive notice of the subject matter contained therein and that such notice comports with procedural due process. Hart, 668 So. 2d at 592; Vasquez, 663 So. 2d at 1346.
On the other hand, a special condition of probation is one which is not statutorily authorized or mandated and not found in rule 3.986(e) (paragraphs one through eleven). Because a defendant is not on notice of special conditions of probation, these conditions must be pronounced orally at sentencing in order to be included in the written probation order. Hart, 668 So. 2d at 592. We also note that there is a judicial policy that the actual oral imposition of sanctions should prevail over any subsequent written order to the contrary. Justice, 674 So. 2d at 125.
Turning to the issue in this case, the State acknowledges that this Court has determined that requiring a defendant to pay for drug testing is a special condition of probation because it is not statutorily authorized. See Brock v. State, 688 So. 2d 909, 911 n. 4 (Fla.1997); Curry. However, the State argues that section 948.09(6), Florida Statutes (1995), provides a statutory basis for classifying a requirement that a defendant pay for urinalysis drug testing as a general condition of probation. Based on this statute, the State requests that we affirm conditions 8, 20, and 24, as general conditions of probation insofar as they relate to requiring the respondent to pay for urinalysis drug testing.
We do not believe it appropriate in this case to recast the certified question as the State suggests so as to limit it to urinalysis testing for drug usage. While section 948.09(6), Florida Statutes (1995), is limited to “urinalysis testing,” the trial court’s order, in this case, specifies the broader “drug testing,” and the certified question specifically asks whether requiring a defendant to pay for “drug testing” is a general condition of probation. Moreover, the statute cited by the State merely provides the Department of Corrections with the discretion to require payment for urinalysis testing. We hold that the discretion afforded to the Department of Corrections in section 948.09(6), Florida Statutes (1995), is insufficient to serve as statutory notice that the court can make payment for drug testing a mandatory condition of probation.
Accordingly, we answer the certified question by holding that the requirement that a defendant pay for drug testing is a special condition , of probation which the trial court must pronounce orally at sentencing, and we approve the decision below.
It is so ordered.
KOGAN, C.J., and OVERTON, SHAW, HARDING, ANSTEAD and PARIENTE, JJ., concur. . We note that the trial judge did not use the probation order form suggested in Florida Rule of Criminal Procedure 3.986(e). Rule 3.986(a) states: "The forms ... shall be used by all courts.” (Emphasis added.)
. At sentencing, the trial court ordered respondent to undergo random urinalysis testing as a condition of probation. The trial court did not, however, make this specific form of testing a part of its order of probation.
. Section 948.09(6), Florida Statutes (1995), provides in relevant part:
In addition to any other required contributions, the department, at its discretion, may require offenders under any form of supervision to submit to and pay for urinalysis testing to identify drug usage as part of the rehabilitation program. Any failure to make such payment, or participate, may be considered a ground for revocation by the court, the Parole Commission, or the Control Release Authority, or for removal from the pretrial intervention program by the state attorney.
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Maddox v. State, 760 So. 2d 89 (Fla. 2000)…Act, this Court did not analyze whether an unpreserved sentencing error constituted fundamental error before correcting it on appeal. Compare Wood, 544 So. 2d at 1006 (characterizing a sentencing error as fundamental), with, e.g., State v. Williams, 712 So. 2d 762, 764 (Fla.1998) (correcting a deviation in the oral pronouncement without analyzing whether it constituted fundamental error). For example, in State v. Rhoden, 448 So. 2d 1013, 1016 (Fla.1984), we acknowledged the State’s argument that the unpreserv…1 / 2
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Xzavier Trapp v. State, 760 So. 2d 924 (Fla. 2000)…nts. . The trial court orally imposed the mandatory minimum term at the sentencing hearing, but the court failed to note the term on the written sentencing order. In such circumstances, the oral pronouncement controls. See, e.g., State v. Williams, 712 So. 2d 762, 764 (Fla.1998) (citing Justice v. State, 674 So. 2d 123, 125 (Fla.1996), for the proposition that "there is a judicial policy that the actual oral imposition of sanctions should' prevail ’ over any subsequent written order to the contrary"). . In…
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State v. Thompson, 750 So. 2d 643 (Fla. 1999)…violent felony offender. See Record on Appeal at 80-86. This corrected written sentencing order is inconsistent with the trial court’s oral sentencing pronouncement; in such a situation, the oral pronouncement controls. See, e.g., State v. Williams, 712 So. 2d 762, 764 (Fla.1998) (citing Justice v. State, 674 So. 2d 123, 125 (Fla.1996), for the proposition that "there is a judicial policy that the actual oral imposition of sanctions should prevail over any subsequent written order to the contrary”); Driver v.…
Previewing 3 of 42 citing cases — full citator treatment, depth of discussion, and citing context are member features.
Join FLexlaw to unlock all legal intelligenceAuthorities Cited
- State v. Hart, 668 So. 2d 589 (Fla. 1996)
- Justice v. State, 674 So. 2d 123 (Fla. 1996)
- Guinn v. State, 652 So. 2d 902 (Fla. 2d DCA 1995)
- Vasquez v. State, 663 So. 2d 1343 (Fla. 4th DCA 1995)
- Brock v. State, 688 So. 2d 909 (Fla. 1997)
- Curry v. State, 682 So. 2d 1091 (Fla. 1996)
- Cook v. State, 700 So. 2d 750 (Fla. 2d DCA 1997)
- Wallace v. State, 682 So. 2d 1139 (Fla. 2d DCA 1996)