RICHARD LEE MORGAN, APPELLANT,
v.
STATE OF FLORIDA, APPELLEE
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Richard Lee Morgan appealed the revocation of his probation, arguing he was entitled to a jury trial on the issue of whether he was the person who committed the robbery alleged to violate his probation. The court rejected this argument, overruling its prior precedent in Hooks v. State, and held that defendants have no constitutional right to jury trials in probation revocation proceedings. The case was affirmed but remanded for correction of sentencing errors.
A defendant has no constitutional right to a jury trial at a probation revocation proceeding, even on the issue of identity. The court overruled its prior holding in Hooks v. State and aligned with other district courts that rejected the jury trial requirement for revocation hearings.
[1] A defendant is not entitled to a jury trial in a probation revocation hearing.
[2] A defendant is not entitled to a jury trial on the issue of identity at a probation revocation hearing.
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 person is placed on probation because even though he has committed a crime, he is believed to be a good risk for rehabilitation. If his subsequent behavior does not live up to the court's expectations, he is then sent to jail to serve a sentence, not for his present conduct, but for the crime of which he was originally convicted.”
Explains the fundamental nature of probation and why jury trial requirements are inappropriate in revocation proceedings
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Join FLexlaw to unlock all legal intelligenceMorgan previously pleaded guilty to two robbery charges and was placed on probation for concurrent terms of fifteen years. His probation supervisor fi…
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GRIMES, Acting Chief Judge.
Appellant asks us to reverse an order revoking his probation because the court refused to impanel a jury at the revocation hearing on the question of identity.
Appellant previously entered a plea of guilty to two charges of robbery and was placed on probation for concurrent terms of fifteen years. Subsequently, appellant’s probation supervisor filed an affidavit charging appellant with having violated his probation by committing another robbery.
At the revocation hearing appellant asked the court to impanel a jury on the factual issue of whether he was the person who had committed the robbery. The request was denied. After the taking of testimony, the court determined that appellant had committed the robbery. Appellant’s probation was revoked, and he was sentenced to two consecutive terms of life imprisonment. In support of his argument that the trial court erred in not impaneling a jury on the question of identity, appellant cites two cases, State v. Cochran, 140 So. 2d 597 (Fla. 1962), and Hooks v. State, 207 So. 2d 459 (Fla.2d DCA 1968). In Cochran the supreme court observed by way of dictum that in a revocation hearing a defendant might be entitled to a jury trial when he places in issue his identity as the perpetrator of the act allegedly violative of the probation order. In Hooks our court went further and held, as one of several grounds for reversal of a probation revocation order, that the defendant did have a right to a jury trial on the issue of his identity as the person who committed the act for which his probation was sought to be revoked.
Subsequent to our opinion in Hooks, two other district courts of appeal have squarely rejected our view. Bonds v. State, 318 So. 2d 521 (Fla.3d DCA 1975); Beasley v. State, 310 So. 2d 37 (Fla.4th DCA 1975); Singletary v. State, 290 So. 2d 116 (Fla.4th DCA 1974). We now believe it advisable to re-evaluate our position.
At the outset we note that there is very little legal support for the proposition that the defendant is entitled to a jury trial in a revocation proceeding. A few courts have held that a defendant is entitled to a jury determination on identity but only with respect to the question of whether or not he is the same person whom the court originally placed on probation. See State v. Brusenhan, 78 N.M. 764, 438 P. 2d 174 (Ct.App. 1968); 24 C.J.S. Criminal Law § 1618(11) (1962). More significantly, the idea of having a jury trial at a probation revocation hearing seems to fly in the face of the whole theory of probation.
A person is placed on probation because even though he has committed a crime, he is believed to be a good risk for rehabilitation. If his subsequent behavior does not live up to the court’s expectations, he is then sent to jail to serve a sentence, not for his present conduct, but for the crime of which he was originally convicted. Since the state has the burden of proof at a revocation proceeding, the question of identity could be placed in issue in practically every case. This would unduly complicate the revocation procedure and would inevitably lead to the diminished use of probation as a sentencing alternative.
While a defendant is entitled to certain due process considerations at his probation revocation proceeding, we do not believe that the right to a jury trial is one of them. Accordingly, we hereby recede from that portion of our opinion in Hooks which suggests a contrary view.
We do agree with appellant that there are imperfections in his sentence. The present sentence does not specify the amount of credit for time served which Section 921.161(1), Florida Statutes (1975) requires. Brooks v. State, 349 So. 2d 794 (Fla.2d DCA 1977). Moreover, the phrase “at hard labor” in the sentence is improper. Brooks v. State, supra.
The judgment is affirmed, but the case is remanded for the trial court to correct the sentence. The appellant need not be present for this purpose.
SCHEB and RYDER, JJ., concur.
Cases With Similar Vibessemantic neighbors from the corpus
Citator
Cited By
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Toombs v. State, 404 So. 2d 766 (Fla. 3d DCA 1981)…ement reflects that the trial court believed it had credited Toombs for the time he had served. The problem is simply that the method chosen by the court to implement this credit was inadequate to accomplish the court’s purpose. See Morgan v. State, 352 So. 2d 161 (Fla.2d DCA 1977); Mays v. State, supra; Smith v. State, 310 So. 2d 770 (Fla.2d DCA 1975) (requiring that the written sentence reflect the precise number of days credit for time served). It is apparent that had the trial court imposed a four-year pr…
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Morgan v. Louie L. Wainwright, 676 F.2d 476 (11th Cir. 1982)…on the question of identity. The district court of appeals denied Morgan’s claim, expressly rejecting language in an earlier opinion that suggested such a right to a jury might exist in Florida, and affirmed the order of revocation. Morgan v. State, 352 So. 2d 161 (Fla.Dist.Ct.App.1977). Morgan thereafter sought federal habeas corpus relief.1 [*478] II. DUE PROCESS Morgan’s major argument for requiring a jury to determine questions of identity in a probation revocation hearing is grounded on the due process…1 / 3
Authorities Cited
- State ex rel. Lewis Roberts v. Cochran, 140 So. 2d 597 (Fla. 1962)
- Singletary v. State, 290 So. 2d 116 (Fla. 4th DCA 1974)
- Brooks v. State, 349 So. 2d 794 (Fla. 2d DCA 1977)
- Hooks v. State, 207 So. 2d 459 (Fla. 2d DCA 1968)
- Beasley v. State, 310 So. 2d 37 (Fla. 4th DCA 1975)
- Bonds v. State, 318 So. 2d 521 (Fla. 3d DCA 1975)