THE COURTS

[ 234 PA. CODE CH. 7 ]

Proposed Amendments to Pa.R.Crim.P. 708 and Revision of the Comment to Pa.R.Crim.P. 701

[41 Pa.B. 1011]
[Saturday, February 26, 2011]

 The Criminal Procedural Rules Committee is planning to recommend that the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania amend Rule of Criminal Procedure 708 and approve the revision of the Comment to Rule of Criminal Procedure 701 to make clear that a defendant at the time of sentencing in probation, intermediate punishment, or parole violation cases also may plead guilty to other offenses the defendant has committed within the jurisdiction of the sentencing court. The Committee also is proposing the revision of the Comments to Rules 701 and 708 to alert the bench and bar to the requirements of the Crime Victims Act in the context of guilty pleas to multiple offenses. This proposal has not been submitted for review by the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania.

 The following explanatory Report highlights the Committee's considerations in formulating this proposal. Please note that the Committee's Report should not be confused with the official Committee Comments to the rules. Also note that the Supreme Court does not adopt the Committee's Comments or the contents of the explanatory Reports.

 The text of the proposed rule changes precedes the Report. Additions are shown in bold; deletions are in bold and brackets.

 We request that interested persons submit suggestions, comments, or objections concerning this proposal in writing to the Committee through counsel,

Anne T. Panfil, Counsel
Supreme Court of Pennsylvania
Criminal Procedural Rules Committee
Pennsylvania Judicial Center
601 Commonwealth Ave., Suite 6200
P. O. Box 62635
Harrisburg, PA 17106-2635

fax: (717) 231-9521
e-mail: criminalrules@pacourts.us

no later than Friday, April 1, 2011.

By the Criminal Procedural Rules Committee

RISA VETRI FERMAN, 
Chair

Annex A

TITLE 234. RULES OF CRIMINAL PROCEDURE

CHAPTER 7. POST-TRIAL PROCEDURES IN COURT CASES

PART A. Sentencing Procedures

Rule 701. Pleas of Guilty to Multiple Offenses.

*  *  *  *  *

Comment

 The objective of this rule is to enable consolidation of all outstanding charges within the jurisdiction of the sentencing court for sentencing at one time.

 This rule applies when a defendant is to be sentenced following a finding that the defendant violated his or her probation, intermediate punishment, or parole. See Rule 708(D) for the sentencing procedures in probation, intermediate punishment, or parole violation cases.

 When a defendant is permitted to plead guilty to multiple offenses as provided in paragraph (A), if any of the other offenses involves a victim, the sentencing proceeding must be delayed to afford the Commonwealth adequate time to contact the victim(s), and to give the victim(s) an opportunity to offer prior comment on the sentencing or to submit a written and oral victim impact statement. See the Crime Victims Act, 18 P. S. 11.201(5).

 Official Note: Rule 1402 adopted July 23, 1973, effective 90 days hence; renumbered Rule 701 and amended March 1, 2000, effective April 1, 2001; Comment revised     , 2011, effective     , 2011.

Committee Explanatory Reports:

 Final Report explaining the March 1, 2000 reorganization and renumbering of the rules published with the Court's Order at 30 Pa.B. [1477] 1478 (March 18, 2000).

 Report explaining the proposed revision of the Comment concerning probation violation cases and the Crime Victims Act published at 41 Pa.B. 1012 (February 26, 2011).

Rule 708. Violation of Probation, Intermediate Punishment, or Parole: Hearing and Disposition.

*  *  *  *  *

 (C) Before the imposition of sentence,

 (1) the defendant may plead guilty to other offenses that the defendant committed within the jurisdiction of the sentencing court.

 (2) When such pleas are accepted, the court shall sentence the defendant for all the offenses.

 (D) Sentencing Procedures

*  *  *  *  *

 [(D)] (E) Motion to Modify Sentence

 A motion to modify a sentence imposed after a revocation shall be filed within 10 days of the date of imposition. The filing of a motion to modify sentence will not toll the 30-day appeal period.

Comment

*  *  *  *  *

 The judge may not revoke probation or parole on arrest alone, but only upon a finding of a violation thereof after a hearing, as provided in this rule. However, the judge need not wait for disposition of new criminal charges to hold such hearing. See Commonwealth v. Kates, 452 Pa. 102, 305 A.2d 701 ([Pa.] 1973).

 This rule does not govern parole cases under the jurisdiction of the Pennsylvania Board of Probation and Parole, but applies only to the defendants who can be paroled by a judge. See 61 P. S. § 314. See also Georgevich v. Court of Common Pleas of Allegheny County, 510 Pa. 285, 507 A.2d 812 ([Pa.] 1986).

 This rule was amended in 1996 to include sentences of intermediate punishment. See 42 Pa.C.S. §§ 763 and 9773. Rules 704, 720, and 721 do not apply to revocation cases.

 The objective of the procedures enumerated in paragraph (C) is to enable consolidation of all outstanding charges within the jurisdiction of the sentencing court for sentencing at one time. See Rule 701.

 When a defendant is permitted to plead guilty to multiple offenses as provided in paragraph (C), if any of the other offenses involves a victim, the sentencing proceeding must be delayed to afford the Commonwealth adequate time to contact the victim(s), and to give the victim(s) an opportunity to offer prior comment on the sentencing or to submit a written and oral victim impact statement. See the Crime Victims Act, 18 P. S. 11.201(5).

 Issues properly preserved at the sentencing proceeding need not, but may, be raised again in a motion to modify sentence in order to preserve them for appeal. In deciding whether to move to modify sentence, counsel must carefully consider whether the record created at the sentencing proceeding is adequate for appellate review of the issues, or the issues may be waived. See Commonwealth v. Jarvis, 444 Pa. Super. 295, 663 A.2d 790, 791-2, n. 1 ([Pa. Super.] 1995). As a general rule, the motion to modify sentence under paragraph [(D)] (E) gives the sentencing judge the earliest opportunity to modify the sentence. This procedure does not affect the court's inherent powers to correct an illegal sentence or obvious and patent mistakes in its orders at any time before appeal or upon remand by the appellate court. See, e.g., Commonwealth v. Jones, 520 Pa. 385, 554 A.2d 50 ([Pa.] 1989) (sentencing court can, sua sponte, correct an illegal sentence even after the defendant has begun serving the original sentence) and Commonwealth v. Cole, 437 Pa. 288, 263 A.2d 339 ([Pa.] 1970) (inherent power of the court to correct obvious and patent mistakes).

 Under this rule, the mere filing of a motion to modify sentence does not affect the running of the 30-day period for filing a timely notice of appeal. Any appeal must be filed within the 30-day appeal period unless the sentencing judge within 30 days of the imposition of sentence expressly grants reconsideration or vacates the sentence. See Commonwealth v. Coleman, 721 A.2d 798, 799, fn. 2 (Pa. Super. 1998). See also Pa.R.A.P. 1701(b)(3).

 Once a sentence has been modified or reimposed pursuant to a motion to modify sentence under paragraph [(D)] (E), a party wishing to challenge the decision on the motion does not have to file an additional motion to modify sentence in order to preserve an issue for appeal, as long as the issue was properly preserved at the time sentence was modified or [reimposed] re-imposed.

 Official Note: Rule 1409 adopted July 23, 1973, effective 90 days hence; amended May 22, 1978, effective as to cases in which sentence is imposed on or after July 1, 1978; Comment revised November 1, 1991, effective January 1, 1992; amended September 26, 1996, effective January 1, 1997; Comment revised August 22, 1997, effective January 1, 1998; renumbered Rule 708 and amended March 1, 2000, effective April 1, 2001; amended February 26, 2002, effective July 1, 2002; amended     , 2011, effective     , 2011.

Committee Explanatory Reports:

*  *  *  *  *

 Final Report explaining the March 1, 2000 reorganization and renumbering of the rules published with the Court's Order at 30 Pa.B. [1477] 1478 (March 18, 2000).

 Final Report explaining the February 26, 2002 amendments concerning the 30-day appeal period published with the Court's Order at 32 Pa.B. 1394 (March 16, 2002).

 Report explaining the proposed amendments to paragraph (C) concerning multiple guilty pleas and the Comment concerning the Crime Victims Act published at 41 Pa.B. 1012 (February 26, 2011).

REPORT

Proposed Amendments to Pa.R.Crim.P. 708 and Revision of the Comment to Pa.R.Crim.P. 701

Pleas of Guilty to Multiple Offenses;
Crime Victims Act

 The Committee undertook a review of Rules 701 (Pleas of Guilty to Multiple Offenses) and 708 (Violation of Probation, Intermediate Punishment, or Parole: Hearing and Disposition) after receiving inquiries asking whether a defendant who is being sentenced for a probation, intermediate punishment, or parole violation would be able to plead guilty to other offenses pursuant to Rule 701.

 Rule 701 permits a defendant, before the imposition of sentence, to plead guilty to other offenses the defendant has committed that are within the jurisdiction of the sentencing court. The Rule 701 Comment explains the objective of this rule is ''to enable consolidation of all outstanding charges within the jurisdiction of the sentencing court for sentencing at one time.''

 When Rule 701 was adopted in 1973,¹ the Committee observed that the rule reflects sound sentencing policy, noting that this is consistent with the positions of the American Bar Association, the Pennsylvania Bar Association, and the Task Force on Corrections of the National Advisory Commission on Criminal Justice Standards and Goals.

 The benefits of this policy are stated in the ABA Standards for Criminal Justice, Chapter 14—Pleas of Guilty, Standard 14.1.2 (1999) Commentary

Allowing for consolidated guilty pleas enables a defendant to be sentenced simultaneously on all charges that he or she is facing in that government's courts. This reduces the governmental resources that must be devoted to the cases, while also allowing the defendant to take full advantage of any concurrent sentencing options that may be available. By pleading to all offenses simultaneously, the defendant can complete his or her sentence without facing these additional charges, and can avoid the risk of having a detainer filed against the defendant on these other charges while serving his or her sentence.

 Rule 708(C) (Violation of Probation, Intermediate Punishment, or Parole: Hearing and Disposition) provides sentencing procedures comparable to paragraph (C) of Rule 704 (Procedure at Time of Sentencing). The Committee reasoned that the provisions of Rule 701 should apply to sentencing proceedings following trials and probation, intermediate punishment, or parole violations since the sentencing proceeding in a probation violation case is comparable to a sentencing proceeding following a trial. They also believe the same reasons articulated in support of permitting pleas to multiple offenses after trial apply equally well to sentencing in probation, intermediate punishment, and parole violation cases. Furthermore, the members noted that this practice already is occurring in a number of judicial districts. However, because there appears to be confusion among some members of the bench and bar, the members agreed it makes sense to add some clarifying language to the Rule 701 Comment and to Rule 708. Accordingly, the Rule 701 Comment would be revised by the addition of a new paragraph that states that Rule 701 applies in sentencing proceedings under Rule 708. Rule 708 would be amended by adding a new paragraph (C) that incorporates the procedures in Rule 701 for a defendant to plead guilty to other offenses the defendant has committed within the jurisdiction of the sentencing court.

 During the Committee's consideration of Rules 701 and 708, some members observed that neither rule specifically recognizes the provisions of the Crime Victims Act, 18 P. S. § 11.201(5), which requires, inter alia, that victims be given an opportunity to offer comment about the defendant's sentence prior to the sentencing. Without some accommodation for delay in sentencing in Rules 701 and 708, the case could run afoul of the Crime Victims Act. The Committee concluded adding a reference to the Crime Victims Act in the Comments to both Rules 701 and 708 would ensure that the bench and bar is aware of their responsibilities under the Crime Victims Act. The proposed new Comment provisions would make it clear that the sentencing proceeding must be delayed when there is a victim for any of the other offenses to which the defendant is pleading guilty. The Comment explains the delay is necessary to afford the Commonwealth adequate time to contact the victim and give the victim an opportunity to offer input as required by the Crime Victims Act, and includes a citation to the Act.

[Pa.B. Doc. No. 11-323. Filed for public inspection February 25, 2011, 9:00 a.m.]

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¹  Rule 701, originally numbered Rule 1402, was renumbered Rule 701 in 2000 as part of comprehensive renumbering and reorganization of the Rules.

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