No Revocation Solely for Conviction of a Class 3 Misdemeanor

When I talk about the “commit no criminal offense” probation condition, it’s almost always about one particular issue. May a pending charge (or even uncharged conduct) be considered as a violation of that condition? Or must there be a conviction for that offense before it may be considered? I talk about that issue at length in this prior post. It’s a longstanding question that matters more in a post–Justice Reinvestment world, where a new criminal offense is just about the only thing that can get someone revoked.

But sometimes even a conviction for a new criminal offense is not a proper basis for revocation. Under G.S. 15A-1344(d), a person’s probation “may not be revoked solely for conviction of a Class 3 misdemeanor.” Today’s post covers a few things about that rule.

First, it survived the Justice Reinvestment Act. The JRA’s rule making new criminal offenses one of the sole bases for revocation does not trump or even really conflict with the rule that probation may not be revoked solely for a Class 3 misdemeanor. Rather, the Class 3 misdemeanor provision is an exception to the general rule that probation may be revoked for a new criminal offense—just as it was previously an exception to the rule that probation could be revoked for any violation.

Second, though the Class 3 misdemeanor rule still stands, there is not universal agreement on exactly what it means. The principal point of debate is whether the word “solely” in G.S. 15A-1344(d) allows a person to be revoked for conviction of Class 3 misdemeanor when that conviction is not the defendant’s sole violation. For instance, may probation be revoked if a person has a Class 3 misdemeanor conviction plus some other technical violation, or perhaps multiple Class 3 misdemeanor convictions? I tend to think not, because I’m not persuaded that additional non-revocable violations accumulate to a tipping point of revocability. But there are no published cases on point. The argument surfaced in a recent unpublished case, State v. Brown, 2014 WL 1047374 (N.C. Ct. App. Mar. 18, 2014). The defendant-probationer in Brown had two Class 3 misdemeanor convictions, prompting the State to argue that “a court could revoke . . . for commission of two or more Class 3 misdemeanors or for commission of a Class 3 misdemeanor and other probation violations that would not alone be sufficient for revocation.” The court of appeals did not need to reach the issue, however, because the defendant also admitted to committing a Class 1 misdemeanor while on probation.

Third, the rule is likely to come into play more often now that more crimes are Class 3 misdemeanors. As part of a plan to reduce the state’s bill for appointed lawyers, the legislature last year reduced the offense class for many common offenses to Class 3. (Jeff listed most of them in this prior post.) Those changes were made effective for offenses committed on or after December 1, 2013. It seems to me that convictions for offenses committed before that date are revocation-eligible, even though they wouldn’t be if committed today. Cf. G.S. 15A-1340.14(c) (which includes a provision updating the offense class of a prior offense to the classification assigned as of the date of the offense now being sentenced).

Finally, with revocation off the table, there is the question of what probation response options are permissible for a Class 3 misdemeanor conviction. The statutory limit refers only to revocation, meaning other non-revocation options like a split sentence, contempt, or electronic house arrest are still permissible. Another impermissible option, though, is confinement in response to violation (CRV). Despite being ineligible for revocation, the new conviction is, after all, a violation of the “commit no criminal offense” probation condition. And the CRV statute says that CRV is permissible when the defendant has violated a condition of probation other than committing a new criminal offense or absconding. G.S. 15A-1344(d2).

 

6 thoughts on “No Revocation Solely for Conviction of a Class 3 Misdemeanor”

  1. Since the language barring revocation solely for a Class 3 misdemeanor survives from when any other violation was sufficient for violation, then the word “soley” meant “you can’t revoke for a Class 3 misdemeanor unless there is an alternative sufficient ground for revocation.” I do not think the language should now be interpreted to allow revocation by an interpretation that the drafters of the statute would have had no reason to foresee.

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  2. Is it a requirement when cited with one or more class 3 misdemeanors that due process be followed and rights to a lawyer.

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    • There is a statutory right to counsel at any probation violation hearing–even one at which revocation would not be a possible outcome. G.S. 15A-1345(e).

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  3. Jamie, if a violation report has two violations on it; one being a class 3 misdemeanor conviction and the second being a positive drug screen, would the fact that a class 3 misdemeanor conviction is “on” the violation report prevent a CRV or could a CRV be ordered based on the positive drug screen violation?

    If the bare fact that including a class 3 misdemeanor on a violation report prevents a CRV from being ordered, it would seem to be in a probation officers best interest to not alledge such convictions on a violation report as it would limit the courts ability to order a CRV even if other technical violations are alleged.

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  4. I have a 2 year misdemeanor probation sentence I am due for expiration on Sept 8 and as of today they have violated me due to a PENDInG class 3 poss less than half ounce of marijuana what are my options and I see an attorney on the 29th I have been in full compliance from day one and even submitted another negative drug screen today at the office visit

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