People v. Allen

323 N.E.2d 57, 25 Ill. App. 3d 800, 1975 Ill. App. LEXIS 3651
CourtAppellate Court of Illinois
DecidedFebruary 10, 1975
DocketNo. 73-244
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 323 N.E.2d 57 (People v. Allen) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Appellate Court of Illinois primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
People v. Allen, 323 N.E.2d 57, 25 Ill. App. 3d 800, 1975 Ill. App. LEXIS 3651 (Ill. Ct. App. 1975).

Opinion

Mr. PRESIDING JUSTICE RECHENMACHER

delivered the opinion of the court:

The defendant was charged with the offense of burglary. He waived indictment, entered a plea of guilty and was sentenced to not less than 1 year nor more than 3 years in the penitentiary. In this appeal the defendant contends his conviction should be reversed because the trial court failed to properly admonish him in accordance with Supreme Court Rule 401(b) before accepting the defendant’s waiver of indictment. Supreme Court Rule 401(b) (Ill. Rev. Stat. 1971, ch. 110A, par. 401 (b)) provides as follows:

“(b) Waiver of Indictment. Any waiver of indictment shall be in open court. The court shall not permit a waiver of indictment by a person accused of a crime punishable by imprisonment in the penitentiary unless he is represented by counsel or has waived counsel as provided in paragraph (a) of this rule and unless the court, by addressing the defendant personally in open court, has informed him of and determined that he understands the following:
(1) the nature of the charge;
(2) the minimum and maximum sentence prescribed by law, including, when applicable, the penalty to which the defendant may be subjected because of prior convictions or consecutive sentences; and
(3) that he can be prosecuted for the offense only after indictment by a grand jury unless he waives indictment.
Prosecution may proceed by information or complaint after waiver of indictment by the defendant if the State expressly concurs in the waiver in open court.”

It should be noted that the language of Rule 401 quoted above, while clear and definite as to the judge’s obligation in admonishing tire defendant, does not prescribe any particular language, nor does it require that the defendant himself use any particular form of acknowledgment of his understanding of the admonishment. All that is required is that the judge inform the defendant personally in open court of his rights and determine that the defendant understands such rights well enough to make a knowing and intelligent waiver of them. As long as the judge brings the question to the attention of the defendant in open court so that it becomes part of the common-law record and obtains from the defendant a response indicating to the judge’s satisfaction a knowing intention to relinquish such right, there is substantial compliance with the rule, People v. Loy, 52 Ill.2d 126; People v. Page, 38 Ill.2d 611, 615-616.

Prior to the waiver of indictment the defendant had made a written confession, which was on file with the police, describing the burglary in detail. No motion was made to suppress this confession, and it may therefore be deemed to have been voluntary. In the light of this prior confession it is clear that the following colloquy, which took place in open court, evidenced a knowing and voluntary waiver by the defendant of his right to indictment by the grand jury:

“THE COURT: Bradley Edward Allen, were you in the courtroom when I was explaining to the Behrendts what a waiver of the Grand Jury is?
THE DEFENDANT: Yes, your Honor.
Q. Could you hear me?
A. Yes.
Q. You understand what your lawyer is doing? He has made a motion to waive the Grand Jury. You are entitled to have your case presented to twenty-three citizens by the State’s Attorneys Office to see whether they think that is enough evidence to hold you to trial. You understand that you have that right?
A. Yes, your Honor.
Q. How far did you go in school?
A. Sophomore.
Q. You read and write English and you have had civics, so you know what you are doing?
A. Yes, your Honor.
Q. You want to waive the Grand Jury?
A. Yes.
Q. You have any questions before you waive or give up yóur right to a Grand Jury?
A. No, your Honor.”

In view of this colloquy there can be no doubt that the defendant was sufficiently informed as to the nature of the right he was waiving and that he understandingly waived it. While the rule provides that the court should also explain to the defendant, prior to accepting a waiver of indictment, the nature of the charge and the minimum and maximum sentences applicable, the fact that this was done immediately afterwards when the plea of guilty was accepted instead of immediately prior to waiving the grand jury is inconsequential in view of the admittedly voluntary plea of guilty made immediately thereafter following a thorough admonishment by the court. In view of his previous record the defendant could not possibly have been prejudiced by the order in which the admonishment as to minimum and maximum sentence and the nature of the charge were given with respect to the grand jury waiver, and the guilty plea following forthwith would have obviated a trial in any event. As was said by our supreme court in People v. Page, 38 Ill.2d 611, 615-16:

“In fact, the only conceivable manner in which defendant here could have been prejudiced by his waiver of indictment is to assume that a grand jury hearing the evidence against a defendant who has made an unchallenged, incriminatory statement [which the defendant in this case had made also] regarding an armed robbery might not indict him. To say that the existence of this highly improbable possibility constitutes sufficient cause to reverse the judgment and vacate the plea of guilty accepted only after a thorough explanation and admonition by the trial judge would be an exaltation of form over substance to which we cannot subscribe.”

The record taken as a whole in this case completely refutes the idea of any prejudice to the defendant resulting from his waiver of indictment by a grand jury. In the recent case of People v. Dudley, 58 Ill.2d 57, 60-61, our supreme court, in affirming a judgment of conviction, said:

“It does not follow, however, that the failure to comply with these provisions of Rule 402(b) must result in a reversal of the judgment of conviction. There is no claim that the plea of the defendant, who was represented by counsel, was not voluntary. There is no other claim of harm or prejudice to the defendant. * * * What we observed in People v. Morehead, 45 Ill.2d 326, 332, is appropriate her-e: ‘It is not the policy of this court to reverse a judgment of conviction merely because error was committed unless it appears that real justice has been denied * *

The defendant cites the case of People v. Roberts (4th Dist.), 5 Ill. App.3d 840, as establishing that lack of proper admonishment as to waiver of indictment negates a conviction even where there is a subsequent guilty plea. But that case is clearly distinguishable from the one before us.

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Related

People v. Brown
399 N.E.2d 1374 (Appellate Court of Illinois, 1980)
People v. Nunn
331 N.E.2d 8 (Appellate Court of Illinois, 1975)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
323 N.E.2d 57, 25 Ill. App. 3d 800, 1975 Ill. App. LEXIS 3651, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/people-v-allen-illappct-1975.