Opinion

Brown v. State

  • 177 P.3d 577
  • 2008 OK CR 3
  • 2008 Okla. Crim. App. LEXIS 3
  • 2008 WL 186207
Court
Court of Criminal Appeals of Oklahoma
Filed
Jan 23, 2008
Status
Published
Author
Lumpkin
On the bench
Johnson, Chapel, Lewis, Lumpkin
Cited by
12 cases
Authority
More cited than 11.1%

The opinion

LUMPKIN, Presiding Judge,

concurring in results.

¶ 1 As the U.S. Supreme Court enunciated in Missouri v. Hunter, 459 U.S. 359 , 103 S.Ct. 673 , 74 L.Ed.2d 535 (1983), “legislatures, not courts, prescribe the scope of punishment.” The Court’s decision in this case is dictated by the language of 21 O.S.2001, § 1024.1. The Legislature could have, but did not, make each individual image on a “CD-ROM” or in a “magnetic disk memory” a separate offense under the statute. Because such Legislative intent was not expressed by the language of the current statute, the cumulative images on a “CD-ROM” or in a “magnetic disk memory” constitute but a single offense. This does not seem consistent with the rest of the statute however as the statute does delineate that each separate photograph is a separate item subject to prosecution. This Court is required to apply the plain language of the statute. Under the present statutory language, this Court must reverse those counts that do not constitute a separate act. As a matter of public policy the Legislature could make the possession of each individual image a separate offense, but until they do so the present language of the statute controls. I therefore concur in the Court’s decision.

This is a copy of a public record, reproduced as it was published. It is not legal advice, and it may not be the version a court would rely on. Check the official source before you cite it.

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