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22 Cal. 3d 749

587 P.2d 220

People v. Arbuckle

California Supreme Court

Decided December 12, 1978

California Supreme Court · decided 1978-12-12

Key passage — most relied on by later courts

“'I have agreed, as has your attorney, Mr. Kenner, that before I could send you to the State Prison, I would have to get that 90-day diagnostic study and I would follow the recommendation.'”

quoted by 2 later decisions, including 243 Cal. App. 4th 495 - K. R. v. Superior Court of Sacramento Cnty., State v. Sinagoga

“entitled to be sentenced by Judge London, or if internal court administrative practices render that impossible, then in the alternative defendant should be permitted to withdraw his plea.”

quoted by 2 later decisions, including 243 Cal. App. 4th 495 - K. R. v. Superior Court of Sacramento Cnty., 3 Cal. 5th 295 - K.R. v. Superior Court of Sacramento Cnty.

Applies CA PEN § 1203.03

Good law ✅— No negative treatment on recordhow we know

Decided 1978-12-12

How this case has been cited

Cited by 319 later decisions — most recently February 2019 · most notably 54 Cal. 3d 1013 - People v. Walker (1991), 37 Cal. 3d 136 - People v. Ramos (1984)

4 federal appellate · 311 state decisions

149019781980199020002010decided

Later decisions citing this case, by decade. The current decade is in progress, and our corpus holds fewer opinions from the most recent years, so the latest bars are undercounted — not a real decline.

View the full empirical analysis of this case →

CLARK, J., Concurring and Dissenting.

¶1I concur in the majority opinion insofar as it holds an applicant for probation has no right to cross-examine the Department of Corrections employees preparing the diagnostic report or to introduce expert testimony challenging the methodology they employed.

¶2I join Justice Richardson in dissenting from the majority opinion insofar as it holds that, generally, a plea bargain is impliedly conditioned on sentence being pronounced by the judge accepting the plea. I agree with Justice Richardson that “no express promise should be made by a court, the prosecutor, or defense counsel; nor should such a condition in the usual case be routinely implied.” (Ante.)

¶3*759I further dissent from the majority opinion insofar as it reverses the judgment and remands the cases for further proceedings in accordance with the views expressed therein, viz., that “defendant is entitled to be sentenced by Judge London, or if internal court administrative practices render that impossible, then in the alternative defendant should be permitted to withdraw his plea.” (Ante, p. 757.)

¶4There was substantial compliance with the plea bargain. The bargain provided in pertinent part that defendant would be referred to the Department of Corrections for preparation of a diagnostic report under the provisions of section 1203.03 of the Penal Code, and that the judge would follow the recommendation made in the report in sentencing defendant.1 The report recommended defendant be sentenced to prison. Defendant was so sentenced. He therefore has nothing of which to complain.

¶5I would accordingly affirm the judgment.

¶6"[The court:] The obligation which has been placed on the Court by this bargain is that 1 could not send you directly to State prison; rather. I would send you to the State prison under the provisions of Penal Code Section 1203.03. That provides for a 90-day diagnostic study and report offered to me from the Department of Corrections, and that report usually concludes with the recommendation as to whether or not you should go to the State prison for the rest of your term. I have agreed, as has your attorney, Mr. Kenner, that before 1 could send you to the State prison. I would have to get that 90-day diagnostic study and 1 would follow the recommendation. Do you understand that?

¶7“The defendant: Yes, sir.

¶8“The court: And the other charges against you would be dismissed. Do you understand that?

¶9“The defendant: Yes, sir.

¶10“The court: Do you understand there have been no other promises made?

¶11“The defendant: Yes, sir.

¶12“The court: Do you know what the charge of a violation of Penal Code Section 217 carries insofar as a State prison sentence?

¶13“The defendant: Yes, sir.

¶14“The court: What is that?

¶15“The defendant: 1 to 14.

¶16“The court: Do you know there is a vety distinct possibility that that is the sentence you will get as a result of this plea?

¶17“The defendant: Yes, sir.

¶18“The court: You still want to enter your plea?

¶19“The defendant: Yes, sir.” (Italics added.)

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