¶ 1 This is a review of an unpublished decision of the court of appeals that affirmed the judgment of conviction entered by the Circuit Court for Milwaukee County, Jeffrey A. Conen, Judge.
¶ 2 Gregory M. Sahs, the defendant, was convicted of possession of child pornography in violation of Wis. Stat. § 948.12(1m) (2007-08).
¶ 3 The charge of possessing child pornography arose from incriminating admissions the defendant made to his probation agent. The defendant was on probation as a result of a prior conviction for possession of child pornography. After the defendant made incriminating statements to his probation agent, the police were alerted and found the computer the defendant used to access and possess child pornography, leading to a revocation of his probation and these additional criminal charges.
¶ 4 After being criminally charged, the defendant moved the circuit court to suppress the admissions to his probation agent, claiming that they were compelled, testimonial, and incriminating in violation of his state and federal constitutional privilege against self-incrimination. The Fifth Amendment to the United States Constitution
¶ 5 The defendant's admissions are clearly testimonial and incriminating. The issue is whether the admissions were compelled.
¶ 6 The legal issue before this court is the same as the legal issue before the circuit court and court of appeals: Should the incriminating statements made by the defendant to his probation agent admitting possession of child pornography be suppressed on the ground that the statements were compelled in violation of the defendant's federal constitutional privilege against self-incrimination?
¶ 7 The court of appeals concluded that the circuit court properly denied the motions to suppress: "[T]he evidence that Sahs relies upon [namely a Department of Corrections document] does not appear in the record" and "the facts in the record are insufficient to show compulsion."
¶ 9 The defendant has failed to meet his burden to prove that his initial, oral statements were compelled.
¶ 10 The defendant has failed to put sufficient evidence into the record to show that the rules of his probation rendered his incriminating statements compelled. No documents, no testimony, and no undisputed, agreed-upon facts by the parties are in the record to evidence any compulsion of the defendant to admit possession of child pornography to his probation agent.
¶ 11 Because there is not sufficient evidence in the record to show compulsion, we affirm the decision of the court of appeals, which affirmed the circuit court's order denying suppression of the statements and the judgment of conviction.
¶ 12 We first turn to the facts. The Complaint charging the defendant with two counts of possession of child pornography was filed on July 2, 2008. The defendant waived a preliminary hearing. The State filed the information based on the complaint. The defendant entered a plea of not guilty to the two counts charged.
¶ 13 The defendant then filed his motion seeking to suppress the statements he made to his probation agent. The State opposed the motion. The circuit court requested that the parties participate in an evidentiary hearing regarding the suppression motion. Instead, both parties proffered facts in written briefs to the circuit court and stipulated that the circuit court could decide the case based on the factual representations set forth in the briefs.
¶ 14 The facts set forth here are therefore predominantly taken from the parties' briefs filed in the circuit court. The circuit court explained that it was "dealing with representations here and not a factual record by affidavit."
¶ 15 As one might suspect from the proceedings we have described thus far, the record in this case relating to the suppression motion is extremely thin. What follows are the parties' undisputed, agreed-upon
¶ 16 The parties agree that the defendant was sentenced to probation in 2005 arising from a conviction for possession of child pornography.
¶ 17 The parties agree that Department of Corrections Probation/Parole Agent Michael Krause was assigned to supervise the defendant's probation and that the defendant was required to participate in sex offender group therapy as a condition of his probation.
¶ 18 The parties finally agree that the defendant was on probation when, in January 2007, he made statements to Agent Krause indicating that he again possessed child pornography. From there, the parties' factual assertions diverge.
¶ 19 The defendant asserts that he was required to take a polygraph test as a condition of sex offender treatment and that he failed this polygraph test on December 15, 2006,
¶ 20 The State, in contrast, contends that the polygraph test was administered because the defendant had "refused to participate in a meaningful way in his group therapy sessions." The focus of the polygraph test was on the defendant's prior sexual history. In his pre-polygraph examination interview, the defendant admitted that he had not been truthful about this history previously; the polygraph test then focused on whether the defendant had been truthful in the pre-polygraph exam interview. The result of the polygraph test was that the defendant was truthful.
¶ 21 The parties agree that the defendant was terminated from his group therapy sessions. But, the parties dispute the reason for termination. The defendant believes he was terminated because he failed the polygraph test. The State asserts that the defendant was terminated because the information that he provided about his prior sexual history to the polygraph examiner in a pre-test interview should have been disclosed during his previous group therapy sessions.
¶ 22 The parties agree that the defendant was given an opportunity to regain admittance to group therapy. They do not agree on the conditions he had to meet for re-admittance or whether he was re-admitted.
¶ 23 The defendant asserts that he was required to take another polygraph test, which was scheduled for January 13, 2007.
¶ 24 The State's brief sets forth Agent Krause's recollection about the events of January 2007. The State asserts that in January 2007, Agent Krause received a phone call from the defendant, who wanted to come in to talk "about some things." According to Agent Krause, he and the defendant agreed upon a mutually acceptable date, which was January 12, 2007.
¶ 25 The date of the meeting (Jan. 12) was the day before the date the defendant claims that he was required to take a polygraph examination (Jan. 13) in order to get back into therapy. The State makes no mention of this second polygraph test.
¶ 26 The parties agree that at the January 12, 2007 meeting, the defendant orally told Agent Krause that he had violated the rules of his probation by using a computer he kept at a friend's house to access child pornography. According to Agent Krause, the defendant volunteered that he had been violating the rules of his probation.
¶ 27 According to the defendant and Agent Krause, Agent Krause wrote down the defendant's statements on a Department of Corrections form, which the defendant signed. The defendant asserts that this Department form included a notification and a box checked off next to the following statement:
¶ 28 The defendant does not state, either in the brief he filed in this court or in the motion he filed in the circuit court, when he was first advised that his statements could not be used against him in a criminal proceeding or whether he saw the form before he gave the oral statements.
¶ 29 The State agrees that Agent Krause wrote down the defendant's statement on a Department form but neither denies nor concedes the existence of the Department form or the notification that the defendant described. The State's brief in this court asserts that it never conceded or stipulated that the defendant was aware of the written notification when he gave his earlier, oral statements. The State's position here is that the defendant did not proffer any evidence to support his assertion that he was aware of the written notification of immunity when he gave his earlier, oral statements.
¶ 30 The parties agree that after the defendant made the incriminating statements, Agent Krause took the defendant into custody and initiated revocation proceedings.
¶ 31 There is no dispute about what happened thereafter.
¶ 32 Agent Krause notified the West Allis Police Department of the defendant's statements. The police arranged to retrieve the computer the defendant admitted to using.
¶ 34 In ruling on the suppression motions, the circuit court assumed that the defendant was advised of the standard conditions of probation, which include providing true and correct information when asked. Neither the conditions of probation imposed on the defendant nor any "standard conditions of probation" are in the record before this court.
¶ 35 The circuit court's findings of fact to be upheld as not clearly erroneous had to be based in the present case on the parties' agreed-upon, undisputed facts. The circuit court made the following factual findings:
¶ 36 With regard to the circuit court's first finding, the parties agreed that the defendant initiated the January 12, 2007 meeting with his probation agent.
¶ 37 With regard to the circuit court's second finding, the circuit court, relying on common sense, assumed that the probation agent would have asked the defendant some questions. Nevertheless, the circuit court found that the defendant volunteered that he had violated the rules of probation. The State asserted that the defendant volunteered that he had been violating the probation rules. The defendant did not characterize his statements as volunteered. Neither party made any representation to the circuit court about whether the defendant made any statement in response to questions.
¶ 38 The circuit court denied the defendant's motions to suppress, concluding that the facts were insufficient to show compulsion and that simply because an agent might revoke probation is not enough to establish compulsion.
¶ 39 After the circuit court denied the defendant's motions to suppress, the defendant changed his plea to guilty of one count of possession of child pornography pursuant to plea negotiations.
¶ 40 Whether the defendant's statements to his probation agent were compelled in violation of his constitutional right against self-incrimination presents a question of constitutional fact. In reviewing issues of constitutional fact, first, we review the circuit court's findings of historical fact; we will uphold them unless they are clearly erroneous. Second, we determine the application of constitutional principles independently of the circuit court and court of appeals, benefitting from their analyses.
¶ 41 A probationer has a Fifth Amendment privilege against compelled
¶ 42 The United States Supreme Court has declared that an ordinary witness who is "merely required to appear and give testimony" must affirmatively claim the privilege.
¶ 43 However, the United States Supreme Court has also recognized exceptions to the general rule requiring a person to affirmatively assert his or her Fifth Amendment privilege. In some situations, the privilege is self-executing and thus need not be affirmatively invoked before the statement is deemed compelled.
¶ 44 The United States Supreme Court has explained the difference between the ordinary witness who must claim the privilege when he is "merely required to appear and give testimony" and certain situations relating to a probationer whose privilege may be self-executing when he is required to answer incriminating questions. The Supreme Court has differentiated between the two as follows:
¶ 45 The defendant asserts that his statements to his probation agent were compelled in violation of his federal constitutional privilege against self-incrimination for two reasons. First, he claims that he
¶ 46 We discuss each claim in turn.
¶ 47 We turn first to the defendant's claim of compulsion relying on the Department of Corrections form described above. This form, according to the defendant, advised the defendant that the statements he made to the probation agent were not to be used against him in a criminal proceeding.
¶ 48 The burden was on the defendant in the circuit court to prove that his statement to the probation agent was compelled and that use of the statement in this criminal proceeding violates the federal constitutional privilege against self-incrimination.
¶ 49 The circuit court and court of appeals ruled that the defendant did not meet his burden.
¶ 50 The Department of Corrections form upon which the defendant relies is not part of the circuit court record or part of the record before this court. The well-established rule is that appellate review is limited to the record presented.
¶ 51 No undisputed, agreed-upon facts by the parties or other evidence appears in the record to prove that the defendant signed the form or that the defendant was informed or knew of the contents of the form before he gave oral incriminating statements to his probation agent.
¶ 52 The circuit court made no findings of fact regarding the existence of the Department form or the conversation that occurred between the defendant and Agent Krause when the form was allegedly completed and signed.
¶ 53 Because the Department form is not in the record and nothing about the execution of the form is in the parties' undisputed, agreed-upon facts, the defendant's argument that the form immunized his statements fails.
¶ 54 We turn now to the defendant's claim that the statements to the probation agent were compelled by the threat of revocation of his conditional liberty. The defendant makes two arguments. He argues that the mere fact that he was required to appear and report truthfully to his probation agent is sufficient to establish compulsion. He also argues that the fact that he was required to take a polygraph test establishes compulsion. 1
¶ 55 The case law establishes that the mere requirement on a probationer to appear and speak "truthfully to his or her
¶ 56 The seminal case regarding probationers and self-incrimination is Minnesota v. Murphy, 465 U.S. 420, 104 S.Ct. 1136, 79 L.Ed.2d 409 (1984). The United States Supreme Court recognized that requiring Murphy, a probationer, to appear and answer questions truthfully was insufficient to establish compulsion.
¶ 57 As to Murphy, the Court concluded that the State of Minnesota did not go further than requiring Murphy to appear and give testimony. It did not "require[] him to choose between making incriminating statements and jeopardizing his conditional liberty by remaining silent."
¶ 58 In the present case, there is no evidence that the State, either expressly or by implication, told the defendant that his refusal to speak to his probation agent or his invocation of his privilege against self-incrimination would lead to the revocation of his probation. The defendant claims that he believed his probation would be revoked if he failed to tell his probation agent the truth, but there is no evidence in the record indicating that the defendant was informed of such potential revocation. The parties did not agree that revocation was a consequence or that the defendant believed his probation would have been revoked if he chose to remain silent.
¶ 59 Nothing in the record supports the defendant's claim that there was an explicit consequence of revocation for failing to tell the truth or that the defendant believed that probation would be revoked if he did not tell the truth. Thus, the probationer in the present case, like the probationer in Minnesota v. Murphy, has not proved his claim of compulsion.
¶ 60 The defendant appears to rest his claim of compulsion not only on the fact
¶ 61 Again, the defendant has not carried his burden of proving compulsion. Nothing in the record supports the defendant's claim of compulsion regarding the polygraph test.
¶ 62 The defendant's original rules of supervision, which the defendant asserts require a polygraph test, are not in the record. The requirement of a polygraph test is not an undisputed fact.
¶ 63 The circuit court could not and did not determine whether the defendant was required to take a mandatory polygraph test as a condition of his probation or that he had a mandatory polygraph test scheduled for January 13, 2007, which he knew he would fail. Nothing in the record describes the rules governing the polygraph test.
¶ 64 Without any evidence in the record, the defendant fails to demonstrate that his admission to the probation agent was compelled by his being required to take a polygraph test.
¶ 65 The fact that a probationer was required to take a polygraph test as a condition of probation played an important part in both State v. Peebles, 2010 WI App 156, 330 Wis.2d 243, 792 N.W.2d 212, and State v. Spaeth, 2012 WI 95, 343 Wis.2d 220, 819 N.W.2d 769, in the court's determining whether the probationers' statements were compelled.
¶ 66 The Peebles and Spaeth cases were decided after the circuit court's and court of appeals' decisions in the present case and did not guide these decisions.
¶ 67 In Peebles, the court of appeals was faced with determining whether a probationer's incriminating statements were compelled.
¶ 68 Peebles subsequently met with his probation agent and signed the Rules of Community Supervision and the Standard Sex Offender Rules, which were entered into the record. The rules warned him that his probation could be revoked if he violated the rules.
¶ 69 One requirement of Peebles' probation was that he take a polygraph test.
¶ 70 Peebles' probation was ultimately revoked based on comments he made in sex offender counseling and to the polygraph examiner immediately before a polygraph examination.
¶ 71 The court of appeals explained in Peebles that "a probationer's statements are compelled if he or she must choose between providing them or jeopardizing his or her conditional liberty by remaining silent."
¶ 72 The court of appeals concluded that Peebles' statements were compelled because the rules of his supervision, which were in the record, required that he be truthful, that he submit to polygraph tests, and that he fully cooperate with and successfully complete sex offender counseling. Peebles "then gave his statements, at least in part, because he was required to take lie detector tests."
¶ 73 In Spaeth, this court explained that the Peebles decision demonstrates how statements made to probation agents may be "compelled by way of probation rules." This court explained that based on Peebles' testimony about his subjective view of the consequences of failure to take a polygraph test, the court of appeals held that Peebles' statements were compelled.
¶ 74 The record before the court in the present case does not support the same conclusion as did the record in Peebles. In the present case, the defendant's probation rules are not in the record. The parties did not reach undisputed, agreed-upon facts regarding the defendant's knowledge or belief that his probation would be revoked unless he told the truth.
¶ 75 In the present case, the court is unable to determine what the probation rules required and what the defendant believed would be the consequences of his failing to tell the truth. Thus, the court is unable to conclude, from the record, that the defendant's probation rules required him to be truthful, required him to submit to polygraph tests, or required revocation of probation if he violated the rules.
¶ 76 In Spaeth, the State and Spaeth stipulated that Spaeth's participation in a polygraph test while on probation was compelled.
¶ 77 Before taking the polygraph test, Spaeth signed a "consent form" provided by the test administrator, but the form he signed was not, according to the court, an accurate statement of the law for this probationer because the form stated that his statement may be used against him at trial.
¶ 78 The results of the Spaeth polygraph test showed that he was being deceptive and his probation agent was so informed.
¶ 79 This court re-examined the fundamental principles of the privilege against self-incrimination guaranteed by the Fifth Amendment.
¶ 80 The Spaeth court concluded, based on the evidence in the record, the testimony of the defendant and the defendant's probation agent, and stipulations by the parties that the defendant's participation in the polygraph test was compelled and that any incriminating statements arising from it could not be used against him.
¶ 81 The present case does not provide the extensive record available in Spaeth. The record in the instant case does not include the probation rules, the polygraph requirements, or a finding about what the defendant knew or believed regarding the possible consequences of his incriminating statements.
¶ 82 The defendant has failed to provide sufficient evidence to support his legal argument of compulsion on the basis of the polygraph test. On this record, the court
¶ 83 In sum, the defendant has failed to meet his burden to prove that his initial, oral statements were compelled. Neither the circuit court nor this court can consider the Department of Corrections probation form that the defendant claims advised him that his incriminating statements cannot be used against him in criminal proceedings. The form is not in the record. The parties did not agree about its existence, the details of its use, or the defendant's knowledge of its contents before the defendant made his oral admissions.
¶ 84 The defendant has failed to put sufficient evidence into the record to show that the rules of his probation rendered his incriminating statements compelled. No documents, no testimony, and no undisputed, agreed-upon facts by the parties are in the record to evidence any compulsion of the defendant to admit possession of child pornography to his probation agent.
¶ 85 Because there is not sufficient evidence in the record to show compulsion, we affirm the decision of the court of appeals. The defendant's conviction is affirmed.
¶ 86 The decision of the court of appeals is affirmed.
¶ 87 PATIENCE DRAKE ROGGENSACK, J. (concurring).
Gregory Sahs' incriminating, oral statement to his probation agent, made when he was not in custody, was voluntarily made without the threat that he would be revoked if he did not speak. Accordingly, his statement was not compelled and his Fifth Amendment privilege against self-incrimination for the crime he disclosed was not self-executing. See Minnesota v. Murphy, 465 U.S. 420, 436, 104 S.Ct. 1136, 79 L.Ed.2d 409 (1984).
¶ 88 I write to confirm for the reader that the majority opinion does not rest on the Wisconsin Constitution, but rather, that the majority opinion is based solely on the Fifth Amendment of the United States Constitution, which is the only constitutional provision that the parties argued before us.
¶ 89 In 2007, Sahs was convicted of possession of child pornography, contrary to Wis. Stat. § 948.12(1m). This was Sahs' second conviction for possession of child pornography, the first one occurring in 2005. When the incriminating statements giving rise to the second conviction were made, Sahs was on probation for the 2005 conviction. He made the incriminating statements to his probation agent, Michael Krause.
¶ 90 Prior to making incriminating statements, Sahs called Krause and asked to come in and "talk about some things." Sahs set up an appointment to meet with
¶ 91 When Sahs appeared for his appointment, he told Krause that he had accessed child pornography through a computer he kept at a friend's house. Sahs does not allege that he made this oral statement in response to a question from Krause about either a pending charge or particular criminal activities, nor does he allege that Krause, or the conditions of his probation, threatened revocation of probation if Sahs refused to answer such questions. After Sahs orally incriminated himself of violating Wis. Stat. § 948.12(1m), Krause asked Sahs to provide a written statement on a standard Department of Corrections (DOC) form. Sahs did so; however, the DOC form is not in the record.
¶ 92 At the time of Sahs' incriminating oral statement to Krause, he alleged he was scheduled to take a polygraph test within a few days as part of his probation requirements for his 2005 conviction. Sahs alleges that this upcoming obligation generated his need to speak with Krause.
¶ 93 After Sahs made his oral and written incriminating statements, Krause initiated revocation proceedings. Krause also notified the West Allis Police Department, who took Sahs into custody. Detective Chevremont gave Sahs Miranda
¶ 94 As the matter proceeded before the circuit court, Sahs moved to suppress both the oral and written statements he made to Krause and his statements to Chevremont. The circuit court found that Sahs initiated the January 12, 2007 meeting with Krause, and that he volunteered that he had downloaded child pornography onto a computer he kept at a friend's home. The circuit court concluded that no Fifth Amendment violation occurred and denied Sahs' motion to suppress.
¶ 95 On appeal, as well as on this review, Sahs contends that his statements to Krause were compelled by the rules of probation to which he was subject because he was required to appear and give truthful answers to questions; and therefore, his Fifth Amendment privilege against self-incrimination was self-executing, requiring suppression of his incriminating statements. He also contends that the DOC form on which he provided a written admission of violating Wis. Stat. § 948.12(1m) notified him that his statement thereon would not be used in a subsequent criminal proceeding, thereby providing another ground upon which to suppress his incriminating statements. However, as I noted, that form is not in the record before us.
¶ 96 Whether a statement was testimonial, incriminating and compelled, are questions
¶ 97 The privilege, or right, to remain silent afforded by the Fifth Amendment comes into play when a defendant is compelled to give testimony that is incriminating. Murphy, 465 U.S. at 426, 104 S.Ct. 1136. A defendant does not lose the Fifth Amendment privilege against self-incrimination when he is convicted of a crime. Baxter v. Palmigiano, 425 U.S. 308, 316, 96 S.Ct. 1551, 47 L.Ed.2d 810 (1976).
¶ 98 Cases parsing a defendant's Fifth Amendment privilege against self-incrimination arise in two broad categories. Either the defendant remained silent, thereby maintaining his Fifth Amendment privilege and objected to the sanction imposed for his silence, or the defendant made a statement and then moved to suppress his statement.
¶ 99 Generally, a witness must remain silent rather than answer questions in order assert his Fifth Amendment privilege against self-incrimination. Murphy, 465 U.S. at 429, 104 S.Ct. 1136. However, a witness may be compelled to testify, notwithstanding the Fifth Amendment privilege, if he is granted use-immunity for his answers to questions that may incriminate him. Kastigar v. United States, 406 U.S. 441, 453, 92 S.Ct. 1653, 32 L.Ed.2d 212 (1972).
¶ 100 Only certain types of questions, for example, those that are related to pending charges or relevant to particular criminal activity, will implicate the Fifth Amendment if the probationer is required to answer rather than to remain silent. State v. Evans, 77 Wis.2d 225, 227-28, 252 N.W.2d 664 (1977). Stated otherwise, it is those types of questions that generate testimony that is incriminating. Id. Therefore, requiring answers to questions such as whether the probationer has been following the curfew requirements of his probation, generally are not sufficient to draw in the protections of the Fifth Amendment, even though they could lead to revocation of probation. See id. at 230, 252 N.W.2d 664 (explaining that a probationer enjoys a conditional liberty that is made possible by the legislature and the probationer's adhering to the rules of the probation).
¶ 101 A probationer may be forced to relinquish his right to silence and be compelled to answer questions that were "prompted by pending charges or accusations of particular criminal activity" if he is
¶ 102 However, not all penalties levied when a defendant refuses to speak are significant enough to implicate the Fifth Amendment. See McKune v. Lile, 536 U.S. 24, 36, 122 S.Ct. 2017, 153 L.Ed.2d 47 (2002) (explaining that a prison inmate's silence resulting in dismissal from sex-offender treatment program and the subsequent transfer to a less desirable penal institution were not adverse consequences significant enough to affect a defendant's Fifth Amendment privilege).
¶ 103 State v. Thompson, 142 Wis.2d 821, 419 N.W.2d 564 (Ct.App.1987), abrogated on other grounds by Arizona v. Fulminante, 499 U.S. 279, 111 S.Ct. 1246, 113 L.Ed.2d 302 (1991), provides a helpful discussion, but it requires careful reading and an understanding of the cases on which Thompson relies. Thompson, while in custody and without being given Miranda warnings, initially refused to answer questions posed by his probation agent about his whereabouts on the day of a robbery and shooting. Id. at 826, 419 N.W.2d 564. While still in custody and after being served with notice of a revocation hearing, Thompson was again questioned and made incriminating statements. Id. at 826-27, 419 N.W.2d 564. Thompson's answers were later used at trial. Id. at 827, 419 N.W.2d 564.
¶ 104 Although there are some sweeping statements in the Thompson decision that could be read to expand the principles established in Murphy, Thompson's holding is proscribed by three requirements: First, Thompson is based on the Fifth Amendment and therefore, it must follow United States Supreme Court precedent; second, the questions inquired about pending charges or particular criminal activity, id. at 830-31, 419 N.W.2d 564; and third, the questioning occurred while Thompson was in custody and without the benefit of Miranda warnings, id. at 826-27, 419 N.W.2d 564. The failure to give Miranda warnings prior to a custodial interrogation is sufficient, standing alone, to suppress Thompson's incriminating statements as compelled self-incrimination, according to Murphy. See Murphy, 465 U.S. at 429-30, 104 S.Ct. 1136.
¶ 105 Our decision in Tate v. Schwarz, 2002 WI 127, 257 Wis.2d 40, 654 N.W.2d 438, presents another facet of the Fifth Amendment privilege against self-incrimination. "Tate was convicted of repeated sexual assault of a child after a jury trial in which he testified and denied the offense." Id., ¶ 2. The procedural posture of the case was critical to the conclusions we reached. To explain, Tate was placed on probation and ordered to attend a sex-offender treatment program, which required him to admit the sexual assaults at a time when his conviction was up on appeal. Id. He refused, asserting his Fifth Amendment privilege. Id. He was terminated from the program and his probation was revoked. Id.
¶ 106 Tate objected to the termination of probation. He asserted that he had not been offered use-immunity, and he had not been told that statements made in treatment would not be used against him in the
¶ 107 As set out above, it is the general rule that a witness must remain silent rather than answer questions if he chooses to assert his Fifth Amendment privilege against self-incrimination. Murphy, 465 U.S. at 429, 104 S.Ct. 1136. However, Murphy established certain situations where the application of this general rule does not pertain, e.g., when the witness is in custody and has not received Miranda warnings. Id.; see also Thompson, 142 Wis.2d at 827, 419 N.W.2d 564. This exception for custodial questioning from the general rule that the Fifth Amendment privilege must be asserted, is driven by the inherently coercive nature of police custody. Murphy, 465 U.S. at 429-30, 104 S.Ct. 1136.
¶ 108 It was argued in Murphy that the five factors set out below could result in a custody-like coercive setting for probationers that should result in exceptions from the obligation to remain silent when asserting the Fifth Amendment privilege: (1) that the probation officer "could compel [] attendance and truthful answers;" (2) that "the probation officer consciously sought incriminating evidence;" (3) that probationer "did not expect questions about prior criminal conduct and could not seek counsel before attending the meeting;" (4) that "there were no observers to guard against abuse or trickery;" and (5) "interrogator's insinuations that the interrogation will continue until a confession is obtained." Id. at 431-33, 104 S.Ct. 1136. However, the Supreme Court concluded that those factors, either individually or taken all together, are insufficient to excuse the failure to "claim the privilege in a timely manner" by remaining silent. Id. at 431, 104 S.Ct. 1136.
¶ 109 An exception to the obligation to remain silent in order to invoke the Fifth Amendment privilege against self-incrimination, in addition to that set out in Murphy, occurs when a probationer is required to appear and respond to questions and the state seeks "to induce the [probationer] to forgo his Fifth Amendment privilege by threatening to impose economic or other sanctions `capable of forcing the self-incrimination which the Amendment forbids.'" Id. at 434, 104 S.Ct. 1136 (quoting Lefkowitz v. Cunningham, 431 U.S. 801, 806, 97 S.Ct. 2132, 53 L.Ed.2d 1 (1977)).
¶ 110 To explain further, Cunningham arose in the context of attempted enforcement of a New York statute that automatically removed political office-holders from office for refusing to sign a document waiving the Fifth Amendment privilege against self-incrimination prior to being questioned before a grand jury. Cunningham, 431 U.S. at 802-03, 97 S.Ct. 2132. The Supreme Court concluded that because of the statutory, automatic removal from office that resulted from refusing to waive the Fifth Amendment privilege to remain silent, the questioning involved an unconstitutional threat unless use-immunity was provided in exchange for the waiver
¶ 111 When a state's parole revocation statute does not automatically afford revocation, even when the probation agent seeks revocation, the presence of such a statute, without more, is not sufficient to constitute a threat of the type that results in compelled testimony violative of the Fifth Amendment. See Murphy, 465 U.S. at 437, 104 S.Ct. 1136 (explaining that "[o]n its face, Murphy's probation condition proscribed only false statements; it said nothing about his freedom to decline to answer particular questions and certainly contained no suggestion that his probation was conditional on his waiving his Fifth Amendment privilege"). Therefore, in regard to an obligation to appear and to give truthful testimony,
¶ 112 We have recently reaffirmed that generally, the Fifth Amendment privilege against self-incrimination is not self-executing and must be invoked. State v. Mark, 2006 WI 78, ¶ 2, 292 Wis.2d 1, 718 N.W.2d 90. "The answers of [a probationer] to questions put to him are not compelled within the meaning of the Fifth Amendment unless the witness is required to answer over his valid claim of the privilege." Id., ¶ 26, 718 N.W.2d 90. If a probationer speaks, we examine whether the statements were incriminating and compelled because the Fifth Amendment's protection against self-incrimination will not lie unless there is testimony that is incriminating and compelled. Id., ¶ 16, 718 N.W.2d 90 (further citations omitted).
¶ 113 In Mark, use-immunity was granted for prosecution of future crimes so the statements that resulted in revocation were not incriminating, i.e., Mark's statement did not incriminate him in a crime that could be prosecuted. Therefore, the Fifth Amendment did not come into play. In addition, the statements were used in a ch. 980 commitment, which is not a criminal proceeding.
¶ 114 In addition, according to the Supreme Court's decision in Murphy, being revoked for a voluntary statement does not violate the Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination. Murphy, 465 U.S. at 440, 104 S.Ct. 1136. All choices that a defendant makes are not choices that result in compelled, rather than voluntary, testimony.
¶ 115 An interesting example of such a choice is found in N. Carolina v. Alford, 400 U.S. 25, 91 S.Ct. 160, 27 L.Ed.2d 162 (1970). There, Alford pled to second-degree murder, rather than standing trial for the charged offense, first-degree murder, in order to avoid the possibility of being subjected to the death penalty if convicted of first-degree murder. Id. at 26-27, 91 S.Ct. 160. The Supreme Court concluded that the availability of such a choice and Alford's plea to second-degree murder did
¶ 116 A recent court of appeals case, State v. Peebles, 2010 WI App 156, 330 Wis.2d 243, 792 N.W.2d 212, greatly expanded Fifth Amendment protections for probationers, above the Fifth Amendment protections accorded to one who has never been convicted of a crime. In Peebles, the court concluded that Peebles was compelled
¶ 117 Peebles is wrongly decided because it grants blanket, self-executing use-immunity to probationers simply because they could be revoked if they did not answer an agent's questions, thereby omitting the obligation to raise the Fifth Amendment privilege as Murphy has required. See Murphy, 465 U.S. at 431, 104 S.Ct. 1136 (explaining that a probationer's obligation to appear and to answer truthfully does not remove a probationer's obligation to raise his Fifth Amendment privilege). Peebles cites Evans, 77 Wis.2d at 235-36, 252 N.W.2d 664, for its holding. Peebles, 330 Wis.2d 243, ¶ 13, 792 N.W.2d 212. However, in so doing, Peebles incorrectly states the legal conclusions of Evans, and it is inconsistent with the Supreme Court's holdings in Murphy.
¶ 118 To explain, Evans arose out of a probationer's silence, not a probationer's statement. Evans, 77 Wis.2d at 236, 252 N.W.2d 664. In contrast with Evans, Peebles spoke and then sought to suppress his statement. While Evans is based on the Fifth Amendment, it preceded Murphy, which explained Fifth Amendment principles more fully than Evans. Therefore, unless the probationer falls within one of Murphy's or Cunningham's exceptions, a probationer must raise the privilege to remain silent and be given use-immunity before he can be held to have been compelled to speak. Murphy, 465 U.S. at 427, 104 S.Ct. 1136;
¶ 119 Peebles' omission of a defendant's requirement to raise the Fifth Amendment
¶ 120 The problems created by Peebles' omission of a probationer's obligation to raise the Fifth Amendment privilege have been compounded by State v. Spaeth, 2012 WI 95, 343 Wis.2d 220, 819 N.W.2d 769, which relied in part on Peebles, even though the State conceded that Spaeth's statements had been compelled and never briefed the issue of compulsion for us. See id., ¶¶ 57-58. The mistaken reasoning in Peebles is further compounded by the majority opinion herein, which repeatedly mentions Peebles' overly broad statements.
¶ 121 This case turns on Sahs' statements. Therefore, he falls into the second broad category of Fifth Amendment privilege cases, i.e., those defendants who speak and then seek to have their statements suppressed.
¶ 122 If Sahs' statement was voluntarily made, no self-executing Fifth Amendment privilege arises that precludes the statement's use in a subsequent criminal case, unless the circumstances under which the statement was made meet one of Murphy's or Cunningham's well-defined exceptions to the obligation to raise the privilege. See Murphy, 465 U.S. at 427, 104 S.Ct. 1136. The Murphy/Cunningham exceptions are: (1) a probationer is in custody while questioned without Miranda warnings; (2) a probationer is threatened with significant sanctions if he remains silent.
¶ 123 I conclude that Sahs' oral statement to Krause was voluntarily made. There is nothing in the record that supports the conclusion that Sahs' oral statement to Krause was compelled. First, Sahs contacted Krause and asked to meet with him. Second, their meeting was scheduled on a mutually convenient date. Third, they met in Krause's office and Sahs was not in custody. Fourth, there is nothing in the record to show that Sahs' statements were made in response to Krause's questions about pending charges or accusations of particular criminal activity. Fifth, there is nothing in the record to show that Sahs raised his privilege and that Krause threatened to impose economic or other sanctions capable of forcing self-incrimination. Sixth, there is nothing in the record to show that Sahs' probation was conditioned on his waiving his Fifth Amendment privilege.
¶ 124 That Sahs was required by the conditions of probation to give truthful answers, if he chose to speak, is no different from the obligations one has when subpoenaed to appear before a grand jury. If one chooses to speak before a grand jury to which he has been subpoenaed, one must speak truthfully. Accordingly, I conclude that Sahs' oral statement to his probation agent was voluntarily made and may be used against him in a subsequent criminal case.
¶ 125 Sahs' incriminating, oral statement to his probation agent, made when he was
¶ 126 In conclusion, I write to confirm for the reader that the majority opinion does not rest on the Wisconsin Constitution, but rather, that it is based solely on the Fifth Amendment of the United States Constitution, which is the only constitutional provision that the parties argued before us. I also write to draw together foundational principles that control when the Fifth Amendment privilege against self-incrimination becomes self-executing for probationers and to draw attention to unduly broad statements in some opinions that could cause confusion if the statements were applied without a thorough consideration of all underlying legal principles. Because my analysis differs from the majority opinion's analysis but also results in the conclusion that Sahs' oral statement was not compelled, I do not join the majority opinion, but respectfully concur.
The privilege against self-incrimination is applied to the states through the Fourteenth Amendment's due process clause. Malloy v. Hogan, 378 U.S. 1, 6, 84 S.Ct. 1489, 12 L.Ed.2d 653 (1964).
The Court explained further in Murphy, 465 U.S. at 437, 104 S.Ct. 1136, as follows:
The Spaeth court concluded:
Spaeth, 343 Wis.2d 220, ¶ 58, 819 N.W.2d 769.
Murphy, 465 U.S. at 427, 104 S.Ct. 1136 (emphasis added).