DAVID KOMINSKY, APPELLANT,
v.
STATE OF FLORIDA, APPELLEE
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David Kominsky appealed probation conditions imposed after conviction for cannabis possession. The Florida appellate court reversed the trial judge's harsh and punitive probation conditions—an 8:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. curfew, a 35 mph speed restriction, and an increased fine—finding they violated principles of rehabilitative probation and constitutional protections against vindictive sentencing.
The court reversed the probation conditions as improperly punitive rather than rehabilitative. The 8:00 p.m. curfew was modified to 11:00 p.m., the $30/month payment increase was struck as a vindictive response to the appellant's assertion of his right to appeal, and the 35 mph speed restriction was replaced with a general requirement to obey all traffic laws, rules, and regulations.
[1] A special condition of probation that is excessively punitive and unrelated to rehabilitation cannot be imposed in lieu of a sentence.
[2] A curfew condition of probation that is so harsh as to counteract the rehabilitative purpose of probation is improper.
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“The purpose of probation is primarily to rehabilitate and not primarily to punish. A special condition of probation which is so punitive that is unrelated to rehabilitation cannot be imposed in lieu of a sentence.”
Establishes the foundational principle that probation conditions must serve rehabilitation, not punishment.
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Join FLexlaw to unlock all legal intelligenceKominsky was found guilty by jury of possessing more than five grams of cannabis. The trial judge withheld adjudication and imposed probation with spe…
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RAWLS, Acting Chief Judge.
Pursuant to a jury verdict, appellant was found guilty of possessing more than five grams of cannabis. The trial judge withheld adjudication and placed appellant on probation for a period of five years and appointed appellant’s parents as probation advisers. At the same time, the trial judge imposed two special conditions of probation by restricting appellant’s driving to a maximum speed of 35 miles per hour and requiring that appellant pay $10 per month to the Escambia County Fine and Forfeiture Fund.1
Notice of appeal was timely filed, and subsequently the trial judge appointed the public defender to represent appellant on appeal. At the same time, the trial judge modified appellant’s probation by. imposing a third special condition that appellant observe an 8:00 p. m. to 6:00 a. m. curfew; consistent with his earlier statement (see note 1), the judge also raised the amount to be paid the Escambia County Fine and Forfeiture Fund from $10 per month to $30 per month.
It is appellant’s position that the trial court erred in imposing the special conditions of probation subjecting appellant to a curfew, restricting his driving speed, and raising the amount to be paid the Escambia County Fine and Forfeiture Fund. We agree.
The trial court is vested with broad discretion in determining the conditions of probation; however, such discretion is not unbridled. The purpose of probation is primarily to rehabilitate and not primarily to punish.2 A special condition of probation which is so punitive that is unrelated to rehabilitation cannot be imposed in lieu of a sentence.
It is our view that the curfew restriction is so harsh that it will counteract the concept of rehabilitation through the means of probation. The instant probation order as to curfew is amended to read from 11:00 p. m. until 6:00 a. m. That part of the modification order raising the amount to be paid into the Escambia County Fine and Forfeiture Fund from $10 to $30 per month, which followed upon the trial court being advised that appellant desired to appeal, cannot be sustained. The trial court clearly violated the opinion of the U. S. Supreme Court in North Carolina v. Pearce3 by penalizing appellant for exercising his constitutional right to appeal. The remaining special condition, restricting appellant’s driving speed to a maximum of 35 miles per hour, cannot stand. The minimum speed permitted on the interstate highway system is 40 miles per hour. As a result of the trial judge’s restriction of appellant’s driving speed to 35 miles per hour, appellant would be required to violate the minimum speed requirement while driving on an interstate highway.4 It is conceded by appellee that a more proper condition of probation is that appellant obey and observe all traffic laws, rules and regulations, and we agree.
The judgment appealed is reversed with directions that the trial court amend its probation order in accordance with the views expressed in this opinion.
MILLS and SMITH, JJ., concur. . At the sentencing proceeding the following transpired:
“MR. WILSON [appellant’s attorney] : Judge, Mr. Kominsky [appellant] was asking would it have any effect on the judge’s ruling if he were to get a public defender to appeal the decision of the jury?
“THE COURT: No, not at all. I think we will just raise his cost on the supervision. He has already cost the state about a thousand or so dollars, trials. Probation runs over thirty dollars a month and we are letting him off for ten dollars a month. He hasn’t got a snowball’s chance on an appeal, I can tell him right now. I sat on the case and listened. As far as an appeal is concerned, it would be an idle gesture
. Roy v. State, 207 So. 2d 52 (2 Fla.App. 1967).
. North Carolina v. Pearce, 395 U.S. 711, 89 S.Ct. 2072, 23 L.Ed.2d 656 (1969).
.Florida Statute 316.183(2) (e).
Cases With Similar Vibessemantic neighbors from the corpus
Citator
Cited By (18 total)
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Rodriguez v. State, 378 So. 2d 7 (Fla. 2d DCA 1979)…ve broad discretion to impose various conditions of probation, but a special condition of probation cannot be imposed if it is so punitive as to be unrelated to rehabilitation. Coulson v. State, 342 So. 2d 1042 (Fla.4th DCA 1977); Kominsky v. State, 330 So. 2d 800 (Fla.1st DCA 1976). The standard imposed in the above cases for evaluation of probation conditions, that of relationship to rehabilitation, finds support also in relevant standards published by the ABA, which provide: Conditions imposed by the cou…
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Shead v. State, 367 So. 2d 264 (Fla. 3d DCA 1979)…tive purpose, State v. Jones, 327 So. 2d 18 (Fla.1976), it is doubtful whether a lengthy prison [*268] term, as here, can stand as a probationary condition when its primary, if not exclusive purpose is to punish the defendant. See Kominsky v. State, 330 So. 2d 800 (Fla. 1st DCA 1976). Moreover, it is further doubtful whether a trial court by this device can divest the Parole Board of its exclusive authority to parole a defendant on a prison sentence. In sum, it is our view that the sentence imposed in this ca…
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Bentley v. State, 411 So. 2d 1361 (Fla. 5th DCA 1982)…9). . Dearth v. State, 390 So. 2d 108 (Fla. 4th DCA 1980). .See Almond v. State, 350 So. 2d 810 (Fla. 4th DCA 1977); Coulson v. State, 342 So. 2d 1042 (Fla. 4th DCA 1977); Russell v. State, 342 So. 2d 96, 97 (Fla. 3d DCA 1977); Kominskey v. State, 330 So. 2d 800 (Fla. 1st DCA 1976). .The ejusdem generis rule. . See generally 26 Fla.Jur. Public Officers § 188 (1959); 23 Fla.Jur.2d Evidence and Witness §§ 91, 93 (1980). . See, e.g., Boozer v. State, 402 So. 2d 585 (Fla. 5th DCA 1981); Leftwich v. State, 39…
Previewing 3 of 18 citing cases — full citator treatment, depth of discussion, and citing context are member features.
Join FLexlaw to unlock all legal intelligenceAuthorities Cited
- North Carolina v. Pearce, 395 U.S. 711 (U.S. 1969)
- ROY v. State, 207 So. 2d 52 (Fla. 2d DCA 1967)