In thе INTEREST of P.A.K., a person under the age of 18: P.A.K., Appellant, V. STATE of Wisconsin, Respondent-Petitioner.
No. 83-176
Supreme Court of Wisconsin
June 29, 1984
119 Wis. 2d 871 | 350 N.W.2d 677
Argued March 26, 1984.
I am authorized to state that JUSTICE ROLAND B. DAY joins in this dissenting and concurring opinion.
I am also authorized to state that JUSTICE WILLIAM G. CALLOW joins that portion of this concurring opinion dealing with sending the issues back to the court of appeals for resolutiоn.
I am also authorized to state that JUSTICE WILLIAM A. BABLITCH joins in the dissenting portion of this opinion.
For the appellant there was a brief by Stephen P. Hurley and Sally J. March, Madison, and oral argument by Ms. March.
WILLIAM A. BABLITCH, J. The issue for review is whether, in a contested juvenile waiver hearing, the juvenile court may find prosecutive merit on the basis of the delinquency and waiver petitions alone. The state appeals a decision holding that the state must present testimony and evidence in addition to the delinquency and waiver petitions to establish prosecutive merit whenever the juvenile contests the issue of prosecutive merit. We hold that the provisions of the Children‘s Code,
On December 22, 1982, P.A.K. was taken into custody following a high speed chase by police officers. P.A.K. was seventeen years old at that time. The state filed a delinquency petition on December 22. The petition alleged that P.A.K. feloniously endangered another person‘s safety by conduct imminently dangerous and evincing
The juvenile court held a waiver hearing on January 21, 1983. During thе hearing, the state asked the court to make a finding under
The juvenile court held that it could determine whether the matter had prosecutive merit based solely on the facts allеged in the delinquency petition, and it found prosecutive merit on that basis. After making findings concerning the criteria governing waiver specified in
The court of appeals granted P.A.K. leave to appeal the nonfinal waiver order of the juvenile court. The court of appeals reversed the order, holding that the juvenile court erred in relying solely on the delinquency petition to find prosecutive merit. The state then filed a petition for review with this court, which we granted.
In T.R.B., we also discussed the meaning of prosecutive merit and the bаsis upon which the juvenile court may make a finding of prosecutive merit under
“... the juvenile court, before considering the waiver criteria, must satisfy itself that the record establishes tо a reasonable probability that the violation of the criminal law alleged has been committed and that the juvenile has probably committed it. This is the degree of probable cause required to bind over an adult for criminal trial.” 109 Wis. 2d at 192.
A determination whether a juvenile court may rely solely on the delinquency and waiver petitions to find prosecutive merit when the juvenile contests the issue of prosecutive merit involves an interpretation of
The state argues that the holding of T.R.B. should apply even when the juvenile contests the issue of prosecutive merit. As we recognized in T.R.B., neither the language nor legislative history of
The state also argues that the language of
The purpose of statutory interpretation is to ascertain and give effect to the legislature‘s intent. County of Columbia v. Bylewski, 94 Wis. 2d 153, 164, 288 N.W.2d 129 (1980). In determining legislative intent, first resort is to the language of the statute itself. If the meaning of the statute is clear on its face, this court will not look outside the statute in applying it. Wis. Elec. Power Co. v. Public Service Comm., 110 Wis. 2d 530, 534, 329 N.W.2d 178 (1983). If the statutory language is ambiguous, this court attempts to ascertain the legislature‘s intent by the scope, history, context, subject matter and objеct of the statute. Midland Fin. Corp. v. Department of Rev., 116 Wis. 2d 40, 46, 341 N.W.2d 397 (1983). A statute is ambiguous if it is capable of being
We conclude that the language of
Prior to 1979,
“48.18(5)—insert after ‘relevant testimony‘: ‘which the prosecution must present’
“Reason: The first chаnge [to sec. 48.18(5)] is to clarify the legislative intent that testimony and evidence be presented by the prosecution about all of the factors outlined in sub. 5(a), (b), (c), and (d). The Supreme Court in a recent case construed the statute as not changing the previous system, where no testimony or evidence had to be presented other than the petition alleging delinquency. The language of the amendment is exactly what was suggested in that Supreme Court opinion as what would be necessary to make the legislative intent clear that other evidence had to be presented by the prosecution....”
The above legislative history indicates that by amending
A cardinal rule of statutory construction is that statutes must be construed to avoid an absurd or unreasonable result. State v. Mendoza, 96 Wis. 2d 106, 115, 291 N.W.2d 478 (1980). To construe
In addition, we have repeatedly recognized that statutes must be construed together and harmonized. Kramer v. Hayward, 57 Wis. 2d 302, 311, 203 N.W.2d 871 (1973); State v. Duffy, 54 Wis. 2d 61, 64, 194 N.W.2d 624 (1972). If
In addition, if
P.A.K. is incorrect in concluding that because in T.R.B. we equated a determination of prosecutive merit at a juvenile waiver hearing with a determination of probable cause at a preliminary examination, the procedures typically utilized at a preliminary examination to establish probable cause must govern the manner in which prosecutive merit is established. The concern in T.R.B. was with defining the level of probable cause required for a determination of prоsecutive merit, not with the manner in which prosecutive merit is established. We do not believe that it is the procedure per se that determines whether there is prosecutive merit in a given case. Although the state clearly has the burden to come forward with sufficient evidence to establish to a reasonable probability that the alleged violation of the criminal law has been committed and that the juvenile has probably committed it, it does not follow that the
A conclusion that the procedures and form of evidence typically used to establish probable cause at a preliminary examination are not required to determine prosecutive merit at a waiver hearing is also supported by the fact that a preliminary examination and a waiver hearing are governed by different rules of evidence. The rules of evidеnce set forth in
In additiоn, we have previously held that the facts and circumstances supporting a juvenile court‘s decision to waive jurisdiction must be developed from reliable sources of information. In Interest of D.H., 76 Wis. 2d 286, 303, 251 N.W.2d 196 (1977). Thus, in determining whether a matter has prosecutive merit, the focus is on the reliability of the evidence presented, not on its form. As we recognized in T.R.B., under
We also note that
We emphasize that neither
We also recognize that although a juvenile court may base its determination оf prosecutive merit solely on the petitions even when the issue of prosecutive merit is contested, in a given case the petitions may not constitute sufficient evidence to support a determination of prosecutive merit under
In this case, the delinquency petition that formed the basis of the juvenile court‘s prosecutive merit determination contains detailed facts and information provided by a police officer that concerned the alleged criminal act.
By the Court.—The decision of the court of appeals is reversed.
SHIRLEY S. ABRAHAMSON, J. (concurring). I agree with the majority that in certain contested cases the state may establish prosecutive merit under
