People v. Hedenberg

158 N.E.2d 417, 21 Ill. App. 2d 504, 1959 Ill. App. LEXIS 362
CourtAppellate Court of Illinois
DecidedMay 15, 1959
DocketGen. No. 10,239
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 158 N.E.2d 417 (People v. Hedenberg) 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. Hedenberg, 158 N.E.2d 417, 21 Ill. App. 2d 504, 1959 Ill. App. LEXIS 362 (Ill. Ct. App. 1959).

Opinion

JUDGE CARROLL

delivered the opinion of the court.

On March 19, 1958, a jury in the Circuit Court of Logan County found defendant guilty of attempting to set fire to or burn a motor vehicle and fixed his fine at $1000. The court entered judgment of conviction on the verdict hut stayed the issuance of execution and mittimus pending disposition of post-trial motions.

On May 22,1958, the court ordered that execution for the amount of the fine issue 30 days from said date and further ordered that defendant work out said fine and costs in the county jail under the sheriff at the rate of $5 per day for each day’s work; and that the sheriff confine the defendant in jail until said fine and costs had been worked out or paid. Issuance of tbe mittimus was again stayed until June 21 on wbicb date defendant was imprisoned in tbe county jail. Execution for tbe fine and costs also issued on said date.

On June 24, 1958, defendant filed a petition praying the court for an order discharging him from custody alleging therein that on June 21, 1958 be was committed to the County Jail of Logan County for failure to pay tbe fine and costs assessed against him; that be is without funds or money with wbicb to pay said fine and costs; that be has no estate out of wbicb to pay tbe same; that be is suffering from gallstones and unable to perform any ordinary physical labor and is therefore unable to work out bis fine and costs as ordered by the court; that all legal means to collect said fine and costs have been exhausted; and that defendant is a pauper within tbe meaning and intent of Section 766, Chap. 38, Illinois Revised Statutes. Attached to the petition is an affidavit of tbe defendant stating that be is a pauper and without money or property to pay bis said fine. Also attached to tbe petition is tbe affidavit of Wayne J. Schall, a physician and surgeon, in wbicb be avers that defendant is suffering from gallstones; that affiant has recommended that defendant undergo surgery; that as tbe result of bis gallstone condition defendant is incapable of performing physical labor or working at any occupation involving physical labor.

Tbe court denied a motion to strike said petition and after bearing evidence ordered tbe defendant discharged from custody. Tbe People have appealed.

Tbe principal ground rebed upon for reversal is that tbe Circuit Court lacked jurisdiction to entertain defendant’s petition for discharge from custody.

It is argued that under Section 82, Chap. 77, Illinois Revised Statutes, 1957, tbe court could not take jurisdiction of the petition. unless it was filed within 30 days after the entry of the commitment order of May 22, 1958 and prior to the time defendant commenced his sentence. Cited as supporting such contention are a number of Illinois cases including People v. Turney, 273 Ill. 546; People v. Hamel, 392 Ill. 415; and People v. Mangano, 354 Ill. 329.

The authority of the court to sentence defendant to work out the fine imposed is found in Paragraphs 762 and 391, Chap. 38, Illinois Revised Statutes, 1957. Par. 762 reads as follows:

“When a fine is inflicted, the court may order, as a part of the judgment, that the offender be committed to jail, there to remain until the fine and costs are fully paid or he is discharged according to law.”

Par. 391 reads as follows:

“Any person convicted of petit larceny, or any misdemeanor punishable under the laws of this state, in whole, or in part, by fine may be required by the order of the court, in which the conviction is had, to work out such fine and all costs, in the work-house or jail of the city, town or county, or in the streets and alleys of any city or town, or on the public roads in the county, under the proper person in charge of such work-house, jail, streets, alleys, or public roads, at the rate of $5.00 per day for each day’s work.”

Par. 766, Chap. 38 Illinois Revised Statutes, 1957 under which defendant invokes the exercise of the court’s authority to discharge him is as follows:

“Whenever it shall be made satisfactorily to appear to the court, after all legal means have been exhausted, that any person who is confined in jail for any fine or costs of prosecution, for any criminal offense, hath no estate wherewith to pay such fine and costs, or costs only, it shall be the duty of the said court to discharge such person from further imprisonment for such fine and costs, which discharge shall operate as a complete release of such, fine and costs: Provided, that nothing herein shall authorize any person to be discharged from imprisonment before the expiration of the time for which he may be sentenced to be imprisoned, as part of his punishment.”

The latter Statute expressly confers power upon the committing court to discharge a pauper criminal “whenever” the requirements thereof are satisfied. In granting relief thereunder, the court does not modify, alter or amend the sentence. In the cases relied upon by the People, it was held that where a person has been committed and delivered to the proper authorities by commitment of the court wherein he was convicted, or after expiration of the term at which sentence was pronounced, that court has no subsequent authority to vacate or modify the judgment fixing sentence. This rule is not applicable to the situation in the instant case where defendant seeks to be discharged under Par. 766 for the simple reason that any order entered thereunder would not disturb the judgment under which the petitioner was committed. For the same reason, Sections 82 and 83 of Chapter 77 are likewise not applicable. These Sections limited the time during which a court may exercise power over its judgments to 30 days following their entry. Prior to the enactment of said provisions, the court had power to vacate or modify a judgment during the term at which the same was entered. The source of the court’s jurisdiction to entertain defendant’s petition is Paragraph 766 which plainly states that at any time after confinement upon a showing which meets the requirements of said Paragraph, the committing court has power to release a prisoner. Were it not so, the purpose of the Statute would be defeated. For example, under the People’s theory, a pauper sentenced to serve a jail sentence and to pay a fine in addition thereto, although unable to pay the fine, could not avail himself of the provisions of Par. 766 if 30 days had elapsed prior to the completion of the jail sentence.

The commitment order in this case is in conformity with the provisions of the above quoted Par. 391 and recites that the defendant “be and is hereby required to work out such fine and costs in the jail of said county under the sheriff of said county at the rate of $5.00 per day for each day’s work” . . . and further provides that the sheriff “is hereby required and commanded ... to confine the body of said defendant in said jail until said fine and costs have been worked out or paid by said defendant . . .”

In order to entitle defendant to be released on his pauper petition, he was required not only to show that he possessed no estate with which to pay the fine and costs, but also that he was physically unfit to work out said fine and costs at the daily rate stipulated in the order. People v. Jaraslowski, 254 Ill. 299; People v. Herman, 245 Ill. App. 94.

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The PEOPLE v. Williams
244 N.E.2d 197 (Illinois Supreme Court, 1969)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
158 N.E.2d 417, 21 Ill. App. 2d 504, 1959 Ill. App. LEXIS 362, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/people-v-hedenberg-illappct-1959.