10 DECEMBER 2001 - Voice For The Defense Online

A J UDW PERSPECTIVE ON SENTENCING ISSUES
C. The Most Common Mistakes Of Defense Counsel
Defense lanyem comn~only make tbe following mistakes at a punislunmt
hearing before a juy
fail to have a reasoned sentencing strategy;
fail to request a hearing o~ihidc llte presence of the jury
to challet~ge the adnlissibility of unadjudicated extraneous
offenses and vicUm-inqnct testimony;
= fail to prepare lhc defendant and hewitncsscs for cross
examination;
Fail to He a motion lo preIrent !he prosecutor from crossexmining
t11e defendant about the facts of the offense if
he did not testify at the guilt-innocence stage;19
fail to ask the defendant about acli coi~dition of probation
on direct examination;
fail to present all posime attributes of he defendant;
* callwih~cssn without being aware of eveiytliing bad they
know about the defendant;
fail to coosider the in~plications of presenting "double
edged sword" evidence, such as chug addiction and
mental illness,wltich argt~ably demonstmtes future dangerousness;
call he pl-ohtion officer to testify,
fdl to object to the prosecutor's improper argumentq
fail to anticipate and addm the prosecutor's closing
argoment;
insttlt tile july during ammation; 20
!&I to argue tl~athe july should "assess a fair sentence
but not be inan;"
fail to show that counsel re;llly beliaes in and cares
about the defendant
I For e\mplc, onc formcr district ludge nas patimalarly hmh to qgmted robberj"es
kusc he Lad k n mhbcd at gunpain1 Anothwfarmer dtatncl judgemas
pmltfcdariy harsh m dmgdehbmy rases hmse a close fan* member lhrda serious
drugpmblenl.
2. For ewmpk, I determined thal aneludgegrantedpmbalion toseroffendersonly
if the defendanl had entered n ser oRender treatinen1 pmgm and made submllul
pmgm by the ume uisentmcing, that fudge imposed a pdson sentence in CIC~
me
inrhich the defendanl aanempted to excuse hk conduct on Ule basis ha he \\ma substance
ahuxr Instead ofa se\ otknder. I dciermloed that anothcrludge granted proha
tion in mlodrntion l~a~dauglitw w s oulynhen thedchdanl had no prniousdmhal-related
dnring comictiom; thnt fudge b~poposrd a prison xntcnce in a~rj rase in
~rhlrh the defendmt hsd aptimDWl cornieuan.
3. 1 suggesfed ZO yars ;%go that IlCClA compile a data bank of each 1udge.s sentences
in PS1Rcr.a Perhaps same d*~ that d happen.
4 The . i~~~usuatlrn~ll . not learn abut charem " that he been &mlncd or mulldin
anacquitfat, or unad,udlcxled earanmu oEem thdl ranno! he prom hux,
for cwale. a nNmw rtmm is unardablr. Hourrrr, bJ.3 iotonnaUon is rcadil~
mihble;o the lodge through 1hePSIR
5. A prc plea 1S1Rnmynot be ~onamicd to a taulure case, bnt il rs n mnable
altemdire in a mse h rhicll the bid ~wuld be lengthy, complex, or undulytnunlatic
f01 the COmpfdi7anl.
6 m bcketl Y. Slate, I6 SV3d 504 (Tm. App -Houston llst Disl I 2MX1, pel
rrfd), the defendam contended lllat the iudte erred in wnsidchnxan unadtudhted
c~lmmusofJense at thepuni$n~entsta~ein~enbxnceo~ru~ck~t~~d~~~re
la prore
hat hc mmttcd The hue rrw not pmprdy prmned for a p p e a l
not refleet that thefudgcmled onan obj~tion, found lhnl the defendant cornmilled the
7. Mmt judges caos(der &fen h m oroplo)rrs to be more imponant than letters
from ~ciativcs, nhch they 5pkaUy ihsregard. %me judges do nat consider any tellers
to be helpful, ns thqrnssume hat sonrewe m e the leuen for the defendant and his
family. Other pdges consider the abspnce of kners a! an indtcalian that Ihcdehdant
lacks support. I mommend that different "categories" of persons \\rife levers that
counsel mlms lo ensure that thc content and tone mnpppriate h&re he prfseoe
Ihrm lo the fudge.
8. Judgps~mt lo knoarrbelherthe defendantis&(I,ingto change for Ihebet
ter Counsel should recommend Ulat the defendant mler an appmpnlate tmlment pro
gnmfmmediatclydter h!.imest, der th,mnrgulngal the puuisluuen1 hearing that he
nffl seek trmmnl dhe k placed on pmbalion
9 Judga rwt la know vhelher the conduct In question uas abeml. i haw
mnl$ seen federal iudga be lenknl a1 sentendng to a battered ~ife ilehose husband
made her heeome hnvhd in a dn~g canspirncy, a lcrna$erniw conmdttedmmal rob
hedmaf~er ilis mother died and hc had to mom h m another state to liouslon, and a
youmgmannithmic unusual psyholc@eal pmblemsrrho stole a lot ofpropoq
10 Judges are ohen lmpreaed by a gwd schwl mrd, plntcipation in tnam
spotis Pit shons self dixipline"); a g d emQI0)ment hislow ('You can Wll fibot a
defendwtssattNude fmm hk~orkhistoq"~ andcommu~njinvalrmentdlhacl~t~llrch,
chwitable orpdzation, civic .~taUon, or yottth group (udes the defendant hns
mmmilled a m offense).
I1 I mommend III~ minsel Ilax the hfendant sign a document for the fie
reil~ti~g that, at the time ofthe guillyplea, nether the judge nor counsel hnd promised
pmbon or ap&ular senlence
12 HOII~PI, a rap could telegnph lo the~u~lgeihat
dctedant con& thal
thlsparlicular sentme nould he appmpdnte, ntoch may not hea goad idea if the
defendant nmts a lmr sentence or pmbation.
13 lhae ahsenstions dm apply lo a pudshnlat hearing before the jllw if the
defcndmt hm pled gull$ Ulmher thedefendant shdd lest~bat the punishment hew
lng If he has pled no1 guUly LD~IIPS stralegc canslderahons bqood the n9pc of ilds
nlllrle
14. Ilowier, the judge mot rampi lhedefendant lo testibnen though he pled
@lly Carrollv Slac, 4ZSW.Y 129 (Ter Grim App 2WI).
15. Om ludge obxlred lhat "the sentencegasup if the defendant scum me 11hen
he mffia "
16. Mmt judges consider (he defenbt's employr to be the mmt fmpotiant 161-
nes, dier than perhaps lhe defeodanL
17. Some judges beliw that it Is tw d e to cd i\ prabatlon dicer, as the proserutormll
$piealiybareginl minhnize the mndillons dprohatlonan cmss exminatiw.
18. Ihepmswntor~~Jl ~ptcdynsknh~t the defendant has fold thenmesabout
the offense, and xhethcr lhe \\mess mould \r~nt someone ulw had mmiltcd that
oftense zgdnslhim m arrurmber ofhis fandyto be pi& on pmhatioh
19. Although no me holdsthat such cmrr e\;utination is lmpmpcr, some judges
nSl not permit~lif counselob~KtS.
20. Counsel should emphasizeany residual doubl ai to d l in S!dilg the juvto he
lenient on pundment, espfflatlyifthe~u~dclibrmtedfor along limeat theguUt-inno
oence $age Hmner, he mu be careful not lo c111icuc the juv for the con\icUon 8
Ctrc~tlls, mrdl/I6' U~~~twiSfulesDistrirt Cmufs for the SontbPN,, Norllxrn, Fasfrn
nnd IIWenI Dismas of Terns He IS fl l~einhr ofll~ellrne~icnt~ Barrtrsocinlfm~,
1/I6' ~Wo,ral A&/OII of Crl11111nl Dcpm hri,wn, ibe A~neflcan UMn3 of
Cr1111Inal .rage& I& Tmns Cr:srirmal Deforse Inrgsrs &~cfa/1011, and Ik
ofnppmlswuld haw concluded tha he considered lhc eitcmmw.offensein msesslng
punlslln~ent