Pursuant to a plea bargain, Mathew James Jacobs pleaded no contest to forcible rape (Pen. Code, § 261, subd. (a)(2))
Defendant was arrested on July 22, 2011. The record reflects that bail in the amount of $50,000 was posted on defendant's behalf by Luna Bail Bonds on July 23, 2011.
On August 15, 2011, a complaint was filed in case No. CR-11-01306. It alleged that defendant had committed forcible rape in violation of section 261, subdivision (a)(2), on or about July 21, 2011. It further alleged that defendant had inflicted great bodily harm upon the victim within the meaning of section 12022.8.
Defendant was arraigned on August 16, 2011. The minute order indicates a bond and specifies that defendant waived time and entered pleas of not guilty.
Defendant was arrested on unrelated charges on September 17, 2011.
On September 20, 2011, a complaint was filed in case No. CR-11-01572. It alleged that defendant had committed four offenses against one victim: forcible rape on or about July 8, 2011 (§ 261, subd. (a)(1)) (count one), sexual penetration by a foreign object on or about July 8, 2011 (§ 289, subd. (a)(1)) (count two), contact with a minor for sexual offense on or about June 30, 2011 (§ 288.3, subd. (a)) (count three), and annoying telephone calls on or about July 10, 2011 (§ 653m, subd. (a)) (count four). The complaint also contained special allegations with respect to counts one and two.
Defendant was arraigned the same day. Defendant waived time and entered pleas of not guilty.
The September 27, 2011 minute order in case No. CR-11-01306 reflects that defendant was "released on bail posted." The September 27, 2011 minute order in case No. CR-11-01572 indicates that defendant was in custody and bail was set at $200,000 in that case.
On October 18, 2011, in case No. CR-11-01306, the matter was continued on defendant's motion. The October 18, 2011 minute order in case No. CR-11-01306 reflects a bond. The next hearing was set for November 15, 2011.
On November 15, 2011, in cases Nos. CR-11-01306 and CR-11-01572, the next hearing dates were scheduled. The preliminary examinations in those cases were set for December 19, 2011. The November 15, 2011 minute order in case No. CR-11-01306 reflects that defendant was released in that case and "in custody on other charges." The November 15, 2011 minute order in case No. CR-11-01572 reflects that defendant was in custody and bail was set at $200,000.
On November 29, 2011, the court rescheduled the preliminary examinations for January 9, 2012, and set the next hearing date for January 3, 2012, in cases Nos. CR-11-01306 and CR-11-01572. The November 29, 2011 minute order in case No. CR-11-01306 reflects that defendant was "released on bail posted" in that case and "in custody on other charges." The November 29, 2011 minute order in case No. CR-11-01572 reflects that defendant was in custody and bail was set at $200,000.
On January 3, 2012, the January 9, 2012 date for the preliminary examinations was confirmed in cases Nos. CR-11-01306 and CR-11-01572. The January 3, 2012 minute order in case No. CR-11-01306 reflects that defendant was released in that case and "in custody on other charges." The January 3, 2012 minute order in case No. CR-11-01572 reflects that defendant was in custody and bail was set at $200,000.
On January 9, 2012, on motion of the People and pursuant to a plea bargain involving both cases, the court added a fifth count in case No. CR-11-01572 that charged defendant with committing a felony violation of section 261.5, subdivision (c), on July 8, 2011. The agreed sentencing range was eight years eight months to 11 years. The court informed defendant that the maximum term based on the anticipated pleas and admissions under the bargain would have been 13 years eight months. Defense counsel later noted that defendant would have been facing a maximum term of 29 years eight months for the offenses as charged. The court advised defendant that he would be required to register with law enforcement for life.
In case No. CR-11-01306, defendant pleaded no contest to committing a forcible rape in violation of section 261, subdivision (a)(2), on July 21, 2011 (count one), and admitted the enhancement allegation of great bodily injury within the meaning of section 12022.8. In case No. CR-11-01572, defendant pleaded no contest to unlawful sexual intercourse in violation of section 261.5, subdivision (c), on July 8, 2011. The trial court referred the matters to the probation department for presentencing reports.
The presentencing probation reports recommended that the court impose a total term of 11 years in state prison. A Static-99R assessment that placed defendant in the moderate-high risk category was attached to the reports.
The probation report for case No. CR-11-01306 indicated that defendant was in San Benito County jail from July 22, 2011 (date of arrest for conduct leading to charges in that case), to July 23, 2011 (bond posted), and January 10, 2012 (the day after bond exonerated and "body only hold" imposed), to February 16, 2012 (the date of sentencing). It calculated that defendant had served 40 actual days and he was entitled to six days of conduct credit under the 15 percent limitation imposed by section 2933.1, for total presentence credit of 46 days.
The probation report for case No. CR-11-01572 indicated that defendant was in San Benito County jail from September 17, 2011 (the date of arrest for conduct leading to charges in that case), to January 9, 2012 (the date of OR release in that case after pleading). It calculated that defendant had served 115 actual days and he was entitled to 56 days of conduct credit, for total presentence credit of 171 days.
The sentencing hearing was held on February 16, 2012. The prosecutor urged the court to follow the recommendation of the probation reports and impose a total term of 11 years. The prosecutor argued that defendant had "lured his victims through means of communications: texting, Facebook" and defendant had physically injured the victim of the forcible rape. Defense counsel stated, "I think the offer and the indicated was 11 years, your Honor." He indicated that was "our discussion" and "that's the reason he pled."
The court imposed the middle term of six years for forcible rape and added an additional five years pursuant to section 12022.8, for a total sentence of 11 years in case No. CR-11-01306. In case No. CR-11-01572, the court imposed a middle term of two years for unlawful sexual intercourse and ordered the sentence to be served concurrently. As to presentence credit, the court awarded credits consistent with the probation reports' calculations. The court ordered defendant to register pursuant to section 290.
Defendant now argues that his counsel's failure to argue for the minimum sentence within the plea-bargained range constituted ineffective assistance of counsel under Strickland v. Washington (1984) 466 U.S. 668 [80 L.Ed.2d 674, 104 S.Ct. 2052] (Strickland).
The prejudice prong requires a defendant to establish that "there is a reasonable probability that, but for counsel's unprofessional errors, the result of the proceeding would have been different." (Strickland, supra, 466 U.S. at p. 694.) "A reasonable probability is a probability sufficient to undermine confidence in the outcome." (Ibid.) "In assessing prejudice under Strickland, the question is not whether a court can be certain counsel's performance had no effect on the outcome or whether it is possible a reasonable doubt might have been established if counsel acted differently. [Citations.] Instead, Strickland asks whether it is `reasonably likely' the result would have been different. [Citation.] This does not require a showing that counsel's actions `more likely than not altered the outcome,' but the difference between Strickland's prejudice standard and a more-probable-than-not standard is slight and matters `only in the rarest case.' [Citation.] The likelihood of a different result must be substantial, not just conceivable. [Citation.]" (Harrington v. Richter (2011) 562 U.S. ___, ___-___ [178 L.Ed.2d 624, 131 S.Ct. 770, 791-792].)
Defendant first points out that he was a 21 year old at the time of the offenses and he had no criminal record. These circumstances were reflected in the probation reports. He also mentions as circumstances in mitigation his accomplishments with respect to education and independence in the face of difficulties involving his family, citing to a letter attached to a probation report. The probation reports detail his education and employment. At the time of sentencing, the court indicated that it had read and reviewed the probation reports. (See § 1170, subd. (b).)
Defendant maintains that "defense counsel's failure to urge and argue the case for the minimum sentence in the indicated range undermines confidence in the outcome of the sentencing proceeding" and establishes his claim. The probation reports specified that on separate occasions defendant forced two female victims to have sexual intercourse. The victims were 18 years old and 16 years old. Defendant connected with his victims through Facebook or MyYearbook, social networking sites, and then met them in person. He brought them to his residence where the incidents occurred. Defendant has not identified any mitigating circumstances of which the court was unaware or which would have reasonably supported sentencing him to the lower, rather than the middle, term for forcible rape. He has not shown by reference to the record that there is a reasonable probability that the result of the sentencing hearing would have been different if defense counsel had highlighted the referenced letter and argued for the lower term. (See Strickland, supra, 466 U.S. at p. 694.)
Defendant refers us to People v. Cropper (1979) 89 Cal.App.3d 716 [152 Cal.Rptr. 555], a case in which defense counsel failed to adequately advocate for his client at sentencing. This authority predates Strickland and did not apply the Strickland standard of ineffective assistance.
Defendant's brief also contains a "see also" citation to United States v. Cronic (1984) 466 U.S. 648 [80 L.Ed.2d 657, 104 S.Ct. 2039] (Cronic) when discussing Cropper. Cronic recognized three categories of cases that constitute per se violations of the Sixth Amendment right to counsel with respect to which prejudice is presumed: (1) "the complete denial of counsel" (466 U.S. at p. 659) at a critical stage of trial, (2) counsel's failure "to subject the prosecution's case to meaningful adversarial testing" (ibid.), and (3) "the likelihood that any lawyer, even a fully competent one, could provide effective assistance is so small [under the particular circumstances] that a presumption of prejudice is appropriate without inquiry into the actual conduct of the trial." (id. at pp. 659-660). Defendant has not explicitly argued
Section 2900.5, subdivision (a), states in pertinent part and effectively stated at all pertinent times: "In all felony and misdemeanor convictions ..., when the defendant has been in custody, including, but not limited to, any time spent in a jail ..., all days of custody of the defendant, including days ... credited to the period of confinement pursuant to Section 4019 ..., shall be credited upon his or her term of imprisonment...." (Stats. 2011, ch. 15, § 466, eff. Apr. 4, 2011, operative Oct. 1, 2011; see Stats. 1998, ch. 338, § 6, pp. 2718-2719, eff. Aug. 21, 1998, operative Jan. 1, 1999; see also Stats. 2011, ch. 15, § 636; Stats. 2011, ch. 40, § 3, eff. June 30, 2011.) A partial day
Section 2900.5, subdivision (b), provides and at all relevant times provided: "For the purposes of this section, credit shall be given only where the custody to be credited is attributable to proceedings related to the same conduct for which the defendant has been convicted. Credit shall be given only once for a single period of custody attributable to multiple offenses for which a consecutive sentence is imposed."
Effective September 28, 2010, the Legislature amended sections 4019 and 2933. (Stats. 2010, ch. 426, §§ 1, 2.) As then amended, section 2933 provided for enhanced presentence conduct credit in certain circumstances. (Stats. 2010, ch. 426, § 1 [former § 2933, subd. (e)].) Section 2933 was subsequently amended to eliminate its presentence conduct credit provisions. (See Stats. 2011, 1st Ex. Sess. 2011-2012, ch. 12, § 16, eff. Sept. 21, 2011 and operative Oct. 1, 2011].) Section 4019 was subsequently amended multiple times but section 4019 as amended in 2011 did not become operative until October 1, 2011. (See Stats. 2011, ch. 15, § 482, eff. Apr. 4, 2011, operative Oct. 1, 2011; Stats. 2011, ch. 39, § 53, eff. June 30, 2011, operative Oct. 1, 2011; Stats. 2011, 1st Ex. Sess. 2011-2012, ch. 12, § 35, eff. Sept. 21, 2011, operative Oct. 1, 2011.)
The current version of section 4019 went into effect on September 21, 2011, and became operative October 1, 2011. (Stats. 2011, 1st Ex. Sess. 2011-2012, ch. 12, §§ 35, 47.) It applies to crimes committed on or after October 1, 2011: "The changes to this section enacted by the act that added this subdivision shall apply prospectively and shall apply to prisoners who are confined to a county jail ... for a crime committed on or after October 1, 2011. Any days earned by a prisoner prior to October 1, 2011, shall be calculated at the rate required by the prior law." (§ 4019, subd. (h).)
In reaching its holding in Joyner, the Supreme Court examined the purposes for presentence credits: "(1) eliminating the unequal treatment suffered by indigent defendants who, because of their inability to post bail, serve a longer overall confinement for a given offense than their wealthier counterparts [citation] and (2) equalizing the actual time served in custody by defendants convicted of the same offense [citation]." (Joyner, supra, 48 Cal.3d at p. 494.) It noted that both "purposes are concerned with equalizing the treatment of different individuals each convicted in a single proceeding of the same offense or offenses." (Ibid.)
In Bruner, supra, 9 Cal.4th 1178, the Supreme Court applied Joyner's "strict causation" test to a different factual scenario. Defendant Bruner was convicted of a new crime and received a prison sentence "concurrent" to a term he was already serving for violation of parole in another case. (Id. at p. 1180.) The defendant's "custody as a parole violator was based in part on the same drug incident that led to the later conviction, but also upon additional, unrelated grounds." (Ibid.) The court reasoned: "[S]ection 2900.5 is intended to provide equitable treatment for one held in pretrial custody on mere charges of crime, not to give credit for time already being served and credited on another term or sentence for unrelated violations. In this case, once defendant began serving a parole revocation term founded upon multiple, unrelated acts of misconduct, his custody was unavoidable on that basis regardless of the fact that he was simultaneously awaiting trial on the single criminal charge. [Citation.]" (Id. at p. 1192.)
People v. Kunath (2012) 203 Cal.App.4th 906 [138 Cal.Rptr.3d 81] extended this principle to simultaneous concurrent sentencing in multiple cases.
People v. Gisbert (2012) 205 Cal.App.4th 277 [140 Cal.Rptr.3d 255], the only case cited by defendant in support of his argument, does not aid him. In that case, the court held that the defendant was "not entitled to any presentence custody credits because he would not have been free of custody but for his incarceration while awaiting trial on the second degree vehicle burglary charge, as he was already committed to state prison in connection with an earlier burglary conviction." (Id. at p. 279.)
The People initially agreed with defendant's credit calculations, however, citing People v. Kunath, supra, 203 Cal.App.4th 906 (Kunath). We asked the parties to discuss in supplemental briefs, among other issues, Kunath's holding and its proper construction in light of the "attributable" requirement of section 2900.5, subdivision (b). The People withdrew their concession.
In Kunath, the defendant was arrested for possession of a controlled substance for sale and then "released on bond." (Kunath, supra, 203 Cal.App.4th at p. 909.) The defendant was arrested a short time later for an unrelated possession of a controlled substance and "confined pending trial." (Ibid.) The defendant pleaded guilty in both cases. (Ibid.) When subsequently sentenced in those cases, the trial court imposed concurrent prison terms. (Ibid.) "The trial court rejected Kunath's argument that he should receive presentence custody credits in each case for the time he was in custody on both cases." (Ibid., italics added.)
On appeal, defendant Kunath contended that "the trial court erred in refusing to apply presentence custody credits in each case for the time he was simultaneously in presentence custody." (Kunath, supra, 203 Cal.App.4th at p. 909, italics added.) The appellate court agreed: "Where ... the defendant's custody is solely presentence on all charges and he is simultaneously sentenced on all charges to concurrent terms, the policy behind section 2900.5 applies. Presentence custody credits must apply to all charges to equalize the total time in custody between those who obtain presentence release and those who do not. [¶] Here Kunath was in presentence custody on mere charges of crime until he was sentenced simultaneously on both cases. Unlike Bruner, at
Defendant, who limited his appeal to a question of statutory application, now contends in his supplemental briefs that, if Kunath was wrongly decided, he has been disparately treated compared to "those pretrial detainees for whom bail has been formally revoked on the second arrest." He insists that if he is not entitled to presentence custody credits in both cases for the entire period from September 17, 2011, to February 16, 2012, "by force of statute, he is by the force of the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment." He also maintains that "if Kunath is wrong, then trial counsel was ineffective for failing to move to exonerate bail" and he is "entitled to full credits ... by virtue of his right to effective assistance of counsel as guaranteed by the Sixth Amendment." We did not ask for additional briefing on issues unrelated to the proper credit calculation based on statute. We deem these new, alternative contentions waived. (See People v. Lewis (2008) 43 Cal.4th 415, 536, fn. 30 [75 Cal.Rptr.3d 588, 181 P.3d 947] ["Generally, a contention may not be raised for the first time in the reply brief. [Citation.]"]; Hibernia Sav. & Loan Soc. v. Farnham (1908) 153 Cal. 578, 584 [96 P. 9] [An appellant should "make the points on which he relies in his opening brief, and not reserve them for his reply, and that the court may properly consider them as waived unless so made. [Citations.]"].)
In his original briefs, defendant does not challenge the court's orders regarding his custody or release in cases Nos. CR-11-01306 and CR-11-01572 or claim ineffective assistance of counsel with respect to those orders. Accordingly, we do not consider whether the court erred or defense counsel should have done something to avoid defendant being, for the most part, in presentence custody on only one of the two cases.
Based on the record, credit for actual presentence custody from July 22, 2011, to July 23, 2012 (two actual days), and from January 9, 2012, to February 16, 2012 (39 actual days), a total of 41 (rather than 40) actual days, should have been awarded in case No. CR-11-01306. Credit for actual presentence custody from September 17, 2011, to January 9, 2012, a total of 115 actual days, was properly awarded by the trial court in case No. CR-11-01572. The People reach the same conclusions in their supplemental brief.
In their original briefs, the parties implicitly recognized that the presentence conduct credit authorized by law is limited by section 2933.1,
In their supplemental brief, the People maintain that the trial court correctly calculated that defendant was entitled to six days of conduct credit in case No. CR-11-01306 and 56 days of conduct credit in case No. CR-11-01572. The trial court overlooked, as the People now seem to do, that section 2933.1's 15 percent limitation applies to "any person who is convicted of a felony offense listed in subdivision (c) of Section 667.5." (§ 2933.1, subd. (a); see id., subd. (c).)
Accordingly, in case No. CR-11-01306, conduct credit is limited to six days' conduct credit (41 × 0.15) and, in case No CR-11-01572, conduct credit is limited to 17 days' conduct credit (115 × 0.15). (See People v. Ramos, supra, 50 Cal.App.4th at pp. 816-817 [defendant entitled to greatest whole number of days that do not exceed 15 percent of actual period of presentence confinement].)
In case No. CR-11-01306, the judgment is modified to reflect 41 days of actual days' credit plus six days of local conduct credit for total presentence credit of 47 days. In Case No CR-11-01572, the judgment is modified to
Rushing, P. J., and Premo, J., concurred.