Coleman v. State, 405, 1998.
Decision Date | 28 May 1999 |
Docket Number | No. 405, 1998.,405, 1998. |
Citation | 729 A.2d 847 |
Parties | Michael J. COLEMAN, Defendant Below, Appellant, v. STATE of Delaware, Plaintiff Below, Appellee. |
Court | United States State Supreme Court of Delaware |
James D. Nutter, Office of the Public Defender, Wilmington, Delaware, for appellant.
William E. Molchen, Deputy Attorney General, Wilmington, Delaware, for appellee.
Before VEASEY, Chief Justice, WALSH, and HOLLAND, Justices. HOLLAND, Justice:
This is a direct appeal from final judgments that were entered by the Superior Court in a criminal proceeding. The defendant-appellant, Michael Coleman ("Coleman"), pled guilty to two counts of Unlawful Sexual Contact in the Third Degree. At the time of sentencing, the Superior Court ordered Coleman to be registered as a sex offender pursuant to 11 Del. C. § 4120 ("Section 4120") and 11 Del. C. § 4336.1
In this appeal, Coleman argues that the Superior Court erroneously interpreted Section 4120 as requiring mandatory registration for all persons who are convicted of certain specified sexual offenses. We have concluded that Coleman's argument is without merit. We hold that Section 4120 mandates registration, when the trial judge determines at sentencing that the charge for which a defendant was convicted is one of the enumerated sexual offenses.
On February 17, 1998, Coleman was indicted on charges of Unlawful Sexual Contact in the Second Degree,2 Unlawful Sexual Penetration in the Third Degree,3 and Endangering the Welfare of a Child.4 The charges arose from an incident that occurred when Coleman was 18 years of age. On December 27, 1997, Coleman and a 13-year old female used heroin and marijuana and engaged in consensual sexual contact.
In May 1998, Coleman pled guilty to two counts of Unlawful Sexual Contact in the Third Degree5 and Unlawful Sexual Penetration in the Third Degree. The State nolle prossed the remaining count of Endangering the Welfare of a Child. Coleman was sentenced in August 1998 to two years at Level V incarceration, suspended for two years of decreasing levels of probation.
The Superior Court then determined that Coleman had pled guilty to an offense specified in Section 4120(a). Rejecting Coleman's contention that registration was discretionary, the Superior Court ruled that it was mandatory. The trial judge ordered Coleman to be registered as a sex offender.
The Delaware statute that provides for the registration of convicted sex offenders was enacted on June 27, 1994. Section 4120 was incorporated into Title 11 under a new Subchapter III of Chapter 41 entitled "Registration of Sexual Offenders." As originally enacted, registration pursuant to Section 4120 was mandatory.
Section 4120 was amended by House Bill No. 352, subsequently designated 71 Del. Laws, c. 203, effective July 17, 1997. The synopsis to the amending legislation included the following statement: "This will bring Delaware into compliance with Title 42 United States Code § 14271, The Jacob Wetterling Crimes Against Children and Sexually Violent Offender Registration Program, by the September 13, 1997 compliance deadline."6 Compliance with the federal statute made Delaware eligible to receive federal funding.
The Delaware sex offender registration statute was redrafted and amended in 1998. The new provisions became effective March 1, 1999 and are divided into two sections. Section 4120 is entitled "Registration of sex offenders" and Section 4121 is entitled "Community notification of sex offender on probation, parole, conditional release or release from confinement." As amended, Section 4121(a)(4) requires that the following persons register as a sex offender:
The 1998 amendments allow certain convicted sex offenders to petition the sentencing court for relief from registration if three criteria are met. 11 Del. C. § 4121(e)(6) provides:
Coleman acknowledges that the 1998 amendments do not apply to him.
At the time of Coleman's sentencing 11 Del. C. § 4120(a) provided in relevant part:
(Emphasis supplied).
The provisions of a penal statute "must be construed according to the fair import of their terms to promote justice and effect the purposes of the law."7 Statutory enactments must be read as a whole and not in parts.8 "Consequently, each part of the statute must be read in context to produce a harmonious whole."9
A fundamental principle in statutory interpretation is to "ascertain and to give effect to the intent of the legislature."10 "If there is no reasonable doubt as to the meaning of the words used, the statute is unambiguous and the Court's role is limited to an application of the literal meaning of the words."11 We have concluded that the language at issue in Section 4210 is unambiguous.
Section 4120 provides that any...
To continue reading
Request your trial-
Helman v. State
...statutory scheme includes both registration and notification provisions. See 11 Del.C. §§ 4120 & 4121; see also Coleman v. State, Del.Supr., 729 A.2d 847, 849 (1999). Generally, registration statutes require released sex offenders to register with law enforcement agencies in their community......
-
State v. Ismaaeel
...is given to words used in a statute unless the terms are ambiguous or reasonable doubt exists about what is meant. See Coleman v. State, 729 A.2d 847, 851 (Del.1999). Where technical words have acquired a distinctive meaning, they "shall be construed and understood according to such peculia......
-
Div. of Family Servs. v. O'Bryan
...Ass'n of Tex. v. Timbers of Inwood Forest Assoc., 484 U.S. 365, 371, 108 S.Ct. 626, 98 L.Ed.2d 740 (1988) ); see also Coleman v. State, 729 A.2d 847, 851 (Del. 1999) ("Statutory enactments must be read as a whole and not in parts. ‘Consequently, each part of the statute must be read in cont......
-
Clark v. State, No. 585, 2007 (Del. 8/26/2008), 585, 2007
...not a particular juvenile adjudicated delinquent of an enumerated offense is required to register as a sex offender. See Coleman v. State, 729 A.2d 847, 851 (Del. 1999) (holding that "[i]f the sentencing judge determines that the conviction was for one of the offenses enumerated in the stat......