People v. Superior Court (Ramos)

Opinion

YEGAN, J.

—In these consolidated cases, we decide the issue of whether a trial court may lawfully give a statutorily classified “career criminal” an “indicated sentence.” We hold that the statutory scheme governing the prosecution of “career criminals,” Penal Code section 999b et seq., does not prohibit a trial court from indicating the sentence it will impose if a given set of facts is confirmed and the accused enters a guilty plea to all pending charges and admits all special allegations. As we shall explain, in both of these cases, each superior court judge thoroughly familiarized…