440 Mass. 121 | Mass. | 2003
In this case, we examine the constitutionality of paragraph three of G. L. c. 276, § 58, and consider the conditions for the revocation of a defendant’s bail when he is charged with committing a subsequent crime during the period of his release on bail. A judge in the District Court ordered that Donald Paquette (defendant) be held without bail under this statutory provision for his alleged violation of an abuse prevention order issued pursuant to G. L. c. 209A, § 7. The defendant filed a petition for relief pursuant to G. L. c. 211, § 3, challenging the judge’s order. A single justice of this court reserved and reported the case, without decision, to the full court. For the reasons set forth below, we affirm the order revoking the defendant’s bail.
1. Background. The facts, as set forth by the parties in a statement of agreed facts, are as follows. On September 23, 2002, the defendant was arrested and arraigned in the Fall River District Court on a charge of violating an abuse prevention order issued pursuant to G. L. c. 209A, § 7. The alleged violation had occurred the previous day when the defendant telephoned the complainant and told her that he was coming over to her apartment to see her. Following a hearing, cash bail was set in the amount of $5,000, with conditions, and the defendant was advised of the potential for bail revocation pursuant to G. L. c. 276, § 58, if he were charged with committing a subsequent offense during the period of his release. On September 24, 2002, after a bail review hearing in the Superior Court, the defendant was released on personal recognizance.
On September 26,.2002, the defendant was again arrested and arraigned in the Fall River District Court on a charge of violating the same abuse prevention order issued pursuant to
Later that same day, defense counsel requested that the bail revocation proceeding be reopened. Defense counsel informed the judge that, after the hearing, he had been approached by two witnesses who cast doubt on whether the defendant had, in fact, violated the abuse prevention order. Defense counsel sought the opportunity to present the testimony of these two witnesses and argued that, pursuant to G. L. c. 276, § 58, the court could not fairly deny his request for a further hearing on the issue of probable cause. The judge stated that he had already found probable cause based on the statements from the district attorney and the police report. The judge pointed out that the defendant had been given a hearing, that the defendant’s arguments went to the merits of the case, and that defense counsel could file a motion to dismiss the case if he had evidence that the crime had not been committed. The judge denied the defendant’s request for a further hearing. Defense counsel then
On October 7, 2002, the defendant filed in the Superior Court an emergency petition for writ of habeas corpus, challenging the legality of his pretrial detention based on the bail revocation proceeding. The defendant claimed that such proceeding violated G. L. c. 276, § 58, and his rights to due process under the Sixth, Eighth, and Fourteenth Amendments to the United States Constitution and arts. 1, 7, 12, and 26 of the Massachusetts Declaration of Rights. The sheriff of Bristol County, represented by the Attorney General, filed a motion to dismiss the petition for writ of habeas corpus. Following a hearing, a judge denied the defendant’s petition and dismissed the case for lack of jurisdiction. The defendant then filed his petition for relief pursuant to G. L. c. 211, § 3.
2. Constitutional claims. The thrust of the defendant’s arguments is that the third paragraph of G. L. c. 276, § 58, is unconstitutional because it violates the substantive and procedural due process provisions of the Fourteenth Amendment and arts. 1, 10, and 12. He contends that this statutory provision is not narrowly tailored to further a compelling government interest because it permits the pretrial detention of defendants charged with the commission of any subsequent offense during the period of their release on bail, not merely those defendants charged with committing acts of physical force or violence whose release may actually pose a danger to the community. The defendant argues that the judge’s mandatory statutory inquiry into dangerousness essentially creates a broad preventive detention scheme that is punitive in nature without a finding of the defendant’s guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. Furthermore, the defendant contends that the third paragraph of G. L. c. 276, § 58, is unconstitutional because it does not provide adequate procedural safeguards against the erroneous deprivation of liberty where pretrial detention may be ordered, at the judge’s discretion, on a mere suspicion of dangerousness.
(a) Substantive due process. “So-called ‘substantive due
General Laws c. 276, § 58, sets forth the conditions both for a defendant’s initial release on bail pending adjudication of the charges against him, and for the possible revocation of bail if he is charged with committing a subsequent offense during the period of his release. The first paragraph of § 58 provides, in relevant part:
“A justice or a clerk or assistant clerk of the district court ... in accordance with the applicable provisions of section fifty-seven, shall, when a person is held under arrest or committed either with or without a warrant for an offense other than an offense punishable by death . . . hold a hearing in which the defendant and his counsel, if any, may participate and inquire into the case and shall admit such person to bail on his personal recognizance without surety unless said justice, clerk or assistant clerk . . .*126 determines, in the exercise of his discretion, that such a release will not reasonably assure the appearance of the person before the court.”
The preferred result under G. L. c. 276, § 58, is release on personal recognizance. See Commonwealth v. Dodge, 428 Mass. 860, 865 (1999), and cases cited. “This statute ‘was not intended to give the courts discretion to deny bail but rather to establish the right of the accused, in most circumstances, to be admitted to bail.’ ” Commonwealth v. Finelli, 422 Mass. 860, 863 (1996), quoting Commonwealth v. Roukous, 2 Mass. App. Ct. 378, 381 (1974). See Commonwealth v. Hampe, 419 Mass. 514, 519 (1995) (“an arrestee must be released on bail without surety unless there is a risk that he will not appear in court”); Delaney v. Commonwealth, 415 Mass. 490, 495 (1993) (“Our Legislature intended § 58 to protect the rights of the defendant by establishing a presumption that he or she will be admitted to bail on personal recognizance without surety and by delineating carefully the circumstances under which bail may be denied”).
Pursuant to the first paragraph of G. L. c. 276, § 58, when a person is originally admitted to bail, he must be advised that, as an explicit condition of release, “should said person be charged with a crime during the period of his release, his bail may be revoked in accordance with the third paragraph of [§ 58].”
If a defendant is charged with committing a new offense dur
Contrary to the defendant’s argument, the inquiry into dangerousness under the third paragraph of G. L. c. 276, § 58, does not create a broad preventive detention scheme that is punitive in nature and arbitrarily infringes on a defendant’s fundamental liberty interest. He relies on Aime v. Commonwealth, supra, where we considered the constitutionality of several 1992 amendments to the first paragraph of G. L. c. 276, §58, which expanded the powers of District Courts to set bail at a defendant’s arraignment under a preventive detention scheme “calculated to protect the public from an arrestee’s claimed dangerousness.” Aime v. Commonwealth, supra at 675.
Notwithstanding the provisions of the third paragraph of G. L. c. 276, § 58, and any inquiry into dangerousness, a court has inherent power to revoke a defendant’s bail for breach of any condition of release. See Jake J. v. Commonwealth, 433 Mass. 70, 78 (2000). Other jurisdictions that have considered the matter have reached a similar conclusion. See, e.g., Rendel v. Mummert, supra at 238-239 (“Pretrial release with restrictions placed upon a defendant’s actions has long represented a compromise between the liberties that a person normally enjoys and the right of the [S]tate to insure compliance with its processes”); State v. Ayala, 222 Conn. 331, 346-347 (1992) (State bail statute implemented inherent judicial authority of trial court to compel compliance with conditions of release); People ex rel. Hemingway v. Elrod, 60 Ill. 2d 74, 83-84 (1975) (court has inherent authority to enforce its orders, to require reasonable conduct from those over whom it has jurisdiction, and to impose sanctions for noncompliance, including revocation of release); Mello v. Superior Court, 117 R.I. 578, 583-584 (1977) (specific statute granting judge authority to revoke bail unnecessary because court with jurisdiction over criminal case has power to enforce bail orders just as it has power to enforce other orders). Standards promulgated by the American Bar Association (ABA) are also in accordance with this view. They note that “[t]he concept of conditional pretrial release would be
Although the public may benefit indirectly from the detention of a defendant whose bail is revoked pursuant to the third paragraph of § 58 because he may be dangerous, the purpose of § 58 is not “calculated to protect the public” from a dangerous person, Aime v. Commonwealth, supra at 675, but to assure compliance with its laws and to preserve the integrity of the judicial process by exacting obedience with its lawful orders. Subsequent legislation buttresses this construction of § 58. A significant aspect of the Legislature’s response to our decision in Aime was the enactment of G. L. c. 276, § 58A, a broad prevenfive detention scheme that allows a judge to detain, before trial, a person accused of certain crimes on the ground of that person’s dangerousness, see Mendonza v. Commonwealth, 423 Mass. 771 (1996) (upholding constitutionality of preventive detention
(b) Procedural due process. “When government action depriving a person of life, liberty, or property survives substantive due process scrutiny, it must still be implemented in a fair manner. Mathews v. Eldridge, 424 U.S. 319, 335 (1976). This requirement has traditionally been referred to as ‘procedural’ due process.” United States v. Salerno, 481 U.S. 739, 746 (1987). A fundamental requisite of “procedural” due process is the opportunity to be heard “at a meaningful time and in a meaningful manner.” Armstrong v. Manzo, 380 U.S. 545, 552 (1965). The concept is flexible, see Roe v. Attorney Gen., 434 Mass. 418, 427 (2001), and the features of the required hearing will be determined by the “nature of the case.” Mullane v. Central Hanover Bank & Trust Co., 339 U.S. 306, 313 (1950). The potential deprivation of liberty implicates the protections of procedural due process. See Commonwealth v. Travis, 372 Mass. 238, 250 (1977) (due process protections attach to proceedings for civil commitment of sexually dangerous persons because of potential for loss of liberty). “In determining what process is due . . . this court ‘must balance the interests of the individual affected, the risk of erroneous deprivation of those interests and the government’s interest in the efficient and economic administration of its affairs.’ ” Commonwealth v. Barboza, 387 Mass. 105, 112, cert. denied, 459 U.S. 1020 (1982), quoting Thompson v. Commonwealth, 386 Mass 811, 817 (1982). See Mathews v. Eldridge, supra at 334-335.
The first inquiry at a bail revocation proceeding under § 58 is whether, after a hearing at which the defendant shall have the right to be represented by counsel, there is probable cause to believe that the defendant committed a crime during the period of his release. See G. L. c. 276, § 58, third par. Contrary to the defendant’s argument, the probable cause to arrest standard, rather than the standard of probable cause to bind over (“directed verdict”) set forth in Myers v. Commonwealth, 363
The probable cause to bind over standard requires a judge to view the case as if it were a trial and to determine whether the Commonwealth has presented sufficient legally competent evidence to send the case to a jury. See Myers v. Commonwealth, supra at 849-850. The primary purpose of a bind-over hearing, which is an adversary proceeding in nature, is to screen out those cases that should not go to trial. Id. at 852. This is neither a function nor a component of a bail revocation hearing. Moreover, a bind-over hearing is held after a complaint has been filed, the defendant has been arraigned, and the pretrial detention determination has been made. See G. L. c. 276, § 38. In contrast, a bail revocation hearing “shall be held upon the person’s first appearance before the court before which the person is charged with committing an offense while on release pending adjudication of a prior charge.” G. L. c. 276, § 58, third par. The third paragraph provides the court with an appropriate mechanism for handling defendants who have failed to abide by conditions of their pretrial release and is not aimed at testing the sufficiency of the Commonwealth’s case at trial. Cf. Rendel v. Mummert, 106 Ariz. 233, 238 (1970); State v. Ayala, 222 Conn. 331, 348 (1992); People ex rel. Hemingway v. Elrod, 60 Ill. 2d 74, 83 (1975).
The determinations of probable cause and dangerousness can be made without a full-blown evidentiary hearing and without “significant risk of an erroneous deprivation of liberty.” Commonwealth v. Querubin, supra at 118, citing Thompson v. Commonwealth, 386 Mass. 811, 817 (1982). The detention is temporary, and a defendant “so held shall be brought to trial as soon as reasonably possible.” G. L. c. 276, § 58, third par. A bail revocation proceeding is not intended to be a mini-trial, and the rules of evidence do not apply. Cf. Commonwealth v. Querubin, supra. These determinations can be adequately presented and decided based on documents (e.g., police reports) and the representations of counsel. Nevertheless, an evidentiary hearing with the right to present and cross-examine witnesses, or some variation, may be held in the judge’s discretion when the circumstances of a particular case warrant.
3. Sufficiency of the evidence. The defendant argues that the judge relied on unreliable hearsay in making his determination that there was probable cause to believe that the defendant had committed a crime while free on bail. After the conclusion of the bail revocation hearing in the District Court, the judge stated that he had found probable cause to believe that the defendant had violated a c. 209A order during the period of his release, based on the district attorney’s statements concerning the crime and on the police report that had been presented. In that report, Detective J.D. Costa of the Fall River police department stated that on September 26, 2002, he had spoken with the complainant, who had informed him that she had obtained a protective order against the defendant, her former boy friend. Detective Costa verified this fact with the Probate Court in
The police report, which was offered for the truth of what it asserted, namely, that the defendant had committed a crime, was hearsay. While a judge’s determination of probable cause to bind a defendant over for trial must be based on competent testimony that would be admissible at trial, determinations of probable cause to arrest can be based solely on hearsay testimony. See Myers v. Commonwealth, supra at 849 n.6. Statements of victims to police are sufficiently reliable for the purpose of establishing probable cause to arrest. See Commonwealth v. Cruz, 373 Mass. 676, 684 (1977). Statements of police officers concerning their own observations and a description of their own activities, as well as those of other officers, are similarly reliable for purposes of establishing probable cause. See Commonwealth v. Antobenedetto, 366 Mass. 51, 55 (1974). Here, the judge could properly rely on the information in the police report to make a determination of probable cause to believe that the defendant had committed a crime while free on bail.
4. Other issues. The defendant contends that the judge violated his due process rights by refusing to reopen the bail revocation hearing and allow him to present the testimony of witnesses who had knowledge of the circumstances surrounding the subsequent offense. Whether to reopen a hearing is a matter within the discretion of the judge. See Commonwealth v. Lopez, 433 Mass. 406, 414 (2001). Here, the judge correctly determined that the proffered testimony went to the merits of the case, and
The defendant asserts that his due process rights were violated when the judge failed to provide a written statement of the reasons why the defendant’s bail was being revoked, and that the judge failed to find that his release “will seriously endanger any person or the community and that the detention of the [defendant] is necessary to reasonably assure the safety of any person or the community.” G. L. c. 276, § 58, third paragraph. We disagree. Contrary to the defendant’s assertion, the judge memorialized his reasons by completing a preprinted form entitled “Revocation of Terms of Release,” which encompassed the necessary considerations required by the third paragraph of G. L. c. 276, § 58. Cf. Commonwealth v. Gonsalves, 437 Mass. 1022 (2002) (no requirement that single justice engage in factor-by-factor analysis or make detailed written findings where it appears that appropriate factors considered).
Finally, we address the relationship between the revocation of bail on the earlier charge and the setting of bail on the new offense. After the judge revoked the defendant’s bail on the original charge, he allowed the Commonwealth to “reserve” its request for a bail hearing on the subsequent charge until the defendant’s term of detention on the revocation had concluded. Because the defendant had been arrested on the subsequent offense and had not been “released on his personal recognizance without surety” before arraignment on the new charge, he was entitled to “forthwith be brought before the next session of the district court for a review of the order to recognize in accordance with the standards set forth in [§ 58].” G. L. c. 276, § 58, third par. There is no authority for the Commonwealth’s assertion that it can “reserve” its right to a bail hearing on the subsequent charge until some future date. Moreover, there may be serious practical consequences to a failure to set bail on the subsequent offense. For example, if the original charge were to have been resolved within sixty days without imposition of a direct sentence, there would be nothing holding the defendant on the subsequent charge. Thus, notwithstanding an order revoking bail on the earlier charge, the judge should proceed to set
5. Conclusion. The order revoking the defendant’s bail is affirmed.
So ordered.
We acknowledge the amicus brief filed by the Committee for Public Counsel Services.
The defendant was ordered held without bail until November 8, 2002, the date of his pretrial hearing. There is nothing in the record to indicate what has happened to the defendant’s case since that time.
In his brief, the defendant also asserts that G. L. c. 276, § 58, violates the equal protection clause of the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States
Pursuant to the third paragraph of G. L. c. 276, § 58, the court shall enter in writing on the docket the fact that the person was informed that if he were charged with a crime during the period of his release, then his bail could be revoked. The docket shall constitute prima facie evidence that the person was so informed. Id.
These factors include “the gravity, nature and circumstances of the offenses charged, the person’s record of convictions, if any, and whether said charges or convictions are for offenses involving the use or threat of physical force or violence against any person, whether the person is on probation, parole or other release pending completion of sentence for any conviction, whether he is on release pending sentence or appeal for any conviction, the person’s mental condition, and any illegal drug distribution or present drug dependency.” G. L. c. 276, § 58, third par.
Under G. L. c. 276, § 58B, a person who has been released after a hearing pursuant to § 58A and who has violated his condition of release, may be subject to a revocation of release and an order of detention up to ninety days. The hearing pursuant to § 58A addresses the issue of pretrial detention of persons accused of certain enumerated crimes based specifically on that person’s dangerousness. See G. L. c. 276, § 58A; Mendonza v. Commonwealth, 423 Mass. 771 (1996).
The defendant has argued that the bail revocation hearing held by the District Court in this case violated his due process rights because the last paragraph of G. L. c. 276, § 58, mandates that, where the Commonwealth seeks an order of pretrial detention based on dangerousness for an offense enumerated in G. L. c. 276, § 58A, then a hearing must be held pursuant to the provisions of § 58A (4). As we have discussed, a hearing pursuant to § 58A to allow preventive detention of dangerous individuals is not analogous to a hearing pursuant to § 58 to allow revocation of bail for breach of an explicit condition of release. As a consequence, a defendant is not entitled to the same due process rights under § 58 as are afforded under § 58A.
Where a clerk-magistrate has already made a determination of probable cause to believe that the defendant has committed a crime, a judge may rely on that determination alone.