38 A. 978 | R.I. | 1897
The defendant was found guilty, in the District Court of the Sixth Judicial District, of violating § 6 of cap. 147 of the Gen. Laws R.I.,1 and was sentenced to pay a fine of $20 and costs. He thereupon appealed to the Common Pleas Division, where he was tried by a jury and found guilty. Upon being called for sentence the defendant filed a motion that he be discharged, on the ground that no penalty is prescribed by statute, upon conviction of the offence alleged in the complaint, except such conviction be had before a District Court — that is to say, that there is no punishment provided by law which the Common Pleas Division can impose on a person convicted before it, on appeal of the offence alleged in the complaint. The case was thereupon certified to this Division under Gen. Laws R.I. cap. 250, § 19.2
The section of the statute under which the defendant was sentenced in the District Court was as follows:
"SEC. 9. Every person who shall be found guilty before a district court of violating any of the provisions of the three sections next preceding, upon the first conviction shall be *304 fined twenty dollars; and upon the second, and every subsequent conviction, shall be fined twenty dollars and be imprisoned in the county jail for ten days."
The contention of defendant's counsel is that, as the District Court, by virtue of its general jurisdiction in criminal proceedings, had power to sentence under this statute without being specially authorized as to do, it must be held that the language "who shall be found guilty before a district court" has the effect of limiting the imposition of the penalty prescribed in that court.
The position thus taken is tenable only in part. Under Gen. Laws R.I. cap. 229, § 2,1 the District Court had authority to sentence the defendant to pay a fine of $20 and costs in this case, independently of the special authority conferred by said section 9. But the authority to sentence upon a second or any subsequent conviction, by fine and imprisonment, is not given by said section 2 of cap. 229, and hence it was necessary for the General Assembly to confer special jurisdiction upon District Courts in order to enable them to impose such sentence.
In support of the defendant's contention that the District Court, under its general jurisdiction in criminal proceedings, had power to sentence under said section 9 of cap. 147, he cites the cases of State v. Crogan,
As it appears, then, that District Courts have authority under their general jurisdiction only to fine or imprison, but not to combine the two methods of punishment, the insertion of the clause, "who shall be found guilty before a district court," in the act before us, or of some similar provision, was rendered necessary in order to extend the jurisdiction of such courts so as to enable them, in a proper case, both to fine and imprison. This was evidently the view which the General Assembly took in the passage of the act, and hence they employed the language aforesaid for the purpose of giving jurisdiction, not over the first offence, for the court already had jurisdiction over that, but over the second and all subsequent offences.
As to the defendant's contention that the language "who shall be found guilty before a district court" limits and restricts the punishment to be inflicted to that court, we are clearly of the opinion that such is not the effect thereof. The mere fact that the statute expressly authorizes the District Court to punish a person found guilty before it, in no *306 way affects the jurisdiction of the Common Pleas Division over the same case on appeal. Gen. Laws R.I. cap. 249, § 7, provides that "All criminal appeals shall be heard and tried in the Common Pleas Division of the Supreme Court with a jury, and the verdict or decision in said Division in said case shall be final, except in matters of law;" and § 5 of cap. 223 provides that "Said Common Pleas Division shall have original jurisdiction of all crimes, offences and misdemeanors whatsoever, except as otherwise provided; and also shall have cognizance and jurisdiction of all crimes, offences and misdemeanors which shall be brought before it by appeal, commitment, recognizance, indictment or otherwise; and shall sentence all persons convicted before it to such punishment as is or shall be by law prescribed." In order to take away from the Common Pleas Division any part of the jurisdiction thus clearly conferred, the language used for this purpose ought to show expressly, or by necessary implication, that the General Assembly so intended; it being a well settled rule of construction that the jurisdiction of superior courts cannot be taken away except by express words or necessary implication. Endich on Interpretation of Statutes, §§ 152-3; Am. Eng. Ency. L. 353 and cases cited; Com. v. Hudson, 11 Gray, 64; People v. Ins. Co., 15 Johns. 358.
Moreover, we are bound to construe a statute in the most beneficial way which its language will permit, in order to prevent inconsistency or injustice. Sutherland on Statutory Construction, §§ 323-4 and cases cited.
Another and equally well settled rule in the construction of statutes is that, when the language is not precise and clear, such construction will be adopted as shall appear most reasonable, and best suited to accomplish the objects of the statute, and that a construction which leads to an absurdity will be avoided if possible. Dawley v. Pro. Court,
We therefore decide that the Common Pleas Division has jurisdiction of the case before us, and the motion to discharge is denied and the case remitted for sentence.