People v. Peach

350 N.E.2d 583, 39 Ill. App. 3d 757, 1976 Ill. App. LEXIS 2650
CourtAppellate Court of Illinois
DecidedJune 30, 1976
Docket75-278
StatusPublished
Cited by15 cases

This text of 350 N.E.2d 583 (People v. Peach) 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. Peach, 350 N.E.2d 583, 39 Ill. App. 3d 757, 1976 Ill. App. LEXIS 2650 (Ill. Ct. App. 1976).

Opinions

Mr. JUSTICE BARRY

delivered the opinion of the court:

Defendant, Jerry Peach, pled guilty to a charge of burglary in the Circuit Court of Henry County and was sentenced on May 23, 1972, to three years’ probation, to make restitution and to spend the first 90 days in the county jail. On April 18, 1975, a petition was filed by the State requiring defendant to show cause why his probation should not be revoked. A hearing on the petition was held on April 25, 1975, and subsequently his probation was revoked. The court then sentenced him to the Department of Corrections for a period of not less than three years nor more than ten years plus three years’ mandatory parole. The court further ordered that the time defendant had already served on probation was not to be credited upon the term of imprisonment.

The revocation of defendant’s probation was based upon the allegation that he had committed the offense of contributing to the sexual delinquency of a minor while on probation. The record of the hearing shows an adequate factual basis to support revoking Peach’s probation.

He complains on appeal that in the sentence imposed for burglary after his probation was revoked he was not given credit for time served on probation and time actually spent in custody.

The State argues that the trial court could within its discretion refuse to allow defendant credit for time served on probation. People v. Johnson, 25 Ill. App. 3d 503, 323 N.E.2d 539 (1975). The statute involved is section 5 — 6—4(h) of the Unified Code of Corrections (Ill. Rev. Stat. 1973, ch. 38, par. 1005 — 6—4(h)) which provides: “Resentencing after revocation of probation or of conditional discharge shaU be under Article 4. Time served on probation or conditional discharge shall be credited against a sentence of imprisonment or periodic imprisonment ° 0 (Emphasis added.) That section of the statute became effective on January 1,1973, while defendant was on probation. Subsequent to defendant’s sentence of probation and before probation was revoked said statute was amended by Public Act 78 — 939 (Ill. Rev. Stat. 1973, ch. 38, par. 1005 — 6—4(h)), to read: “Resentencing after revocation of probation or of conditional discharge shall be under Article 4. Time served on probation or conditional discharge shall be credited by the court against a sentence of imprisonment or periodic imprisonment unless the court orders otherwise.” (Emphasis added.) The amendment permitted judicial discretion in the matter and became effective July 1, 1974. People v. Robinson, 20 Ill. App. 3d 152, 313 N.E.2d 213 (1974).

It is defendant’s contention that section 5 — 6—4(h) of the Unified Code of Corrections (Ill. Rev. Stat. 1973, ch. 38, par. 1005 — 6—4(h)) as amended is unconstitutional as applied to him because it is an ex post facto law. Both the constitutions of the United States and Illinois contain prohibitions against ex post facto laws. Under the generally accepted notions regarding ex post facto laws, a statutory enactment would be constitutionally infirm if it increased the punishment for a crime committed prior to the effective date of the statute. In deciding whether the trial court erred in refusing to give defendant credit for time served while sentenced to probation we must necessarily consider whether the trial court applied this statute to the defendant in an unconstitutional manner.

We have been cited to several cases referring generally to the subject matter of credit on a sentence for time served on probation. In all these cases probation was revoked prior to the effective date of the discretionary amendment of section 5 — 6—4(h) (Ill. Rev. Stat., ch. 38, par. 1005 — 6—4(h)) by Public Act 78 — 939. In People v. Haak, 26 Ill. App. 3d 1031, 325 N.E.2d 423 (1975), and in People v. Houston, 27 Ill. App. 3d 834, 327 N.E.2d 314 (1975), the court held that the provisions of the Unified Code of Corrections as originally enacted was effective on the date probation was revoked and the sentence was imposed because the mandatory credit provisions controlled the case.

The issue of the ex post facto application of the amendment and its constitutionality has not been adjudicated by the Illinois courts. Several opinions have indicated by way of dicta that the amendment to section 5 — 6—4(h) was constitutional. The court in People v. Houston stated, “Had Public Act 78 — 939 been effective on the date the defendant’s probation was revoked and sentence imposed, the order of the court [here] would preclude the defendant from any additional credit for time served on probation.” (27 Ill. App. 3d 834, 837, 327 N.E.2d 314, 316.) In that case defendant Houston’s probation was revoked prior to July 1, 1974, the effective date of the amendment. Defendant Peach’s probation was revoked after July 1, 1974, and the amended section of the Unified Code of Correction granting the trial judge the discretion to give credit for time served on probation is directly applicable.

In People v. Johnson, the court held that the amended section applied to a judgment that was not finally adjudicated because it was pending on appeal and ordered the cause to be remanded for the trial court to determine the amount of time spent on probation to be credited on defendant Johnson’s sentence “* * 0 unless it orders otherwise * * *.”25 Ill. App. 3d 503, 506, 323 N.E.2d 533, 541.

The Unified Code of Corrections provides that probation is a sentence. (See People v. Boucher, 57 Ill. 2d 225, 311 N.E.2d 679 (1974).) The sentencing provisions of the Code apply to cases pending on direct appeal if the Code prescribes a lesser penalty. Ill. Rev. Stat. 1975, ch. 38, par. 1008 — 2—4; People v. Harvey, 53 Ill. 2d 585, 590, 294 N.E.2d 269 (1973).

We believe the comments of the appellate court in People v. Taylor, 21 Ill. App. 3d 702, 315 N.E.2d 914 (1974), express the better view. In that case the amendment involved here was not effective at the time the defendant’s probation was revoked, but the court stated of the amendment, “Moreover, even if it were effective, this amendment could not be applied here because such application would violate the constitutional prohibition against ex post facto laws.” (Emphasis added.) (21 Ill. App. 3d 702, 704, 315 N.E.2d 914, 916.) As applied to the case at bar, the amendment increases the punishment Peach received for the offense of burglary by failing to give him credit for time served on probation. “It is clear that punishment for the offense cannot be increased by an amendatory act taking effect after the offense has been committed within the constitutional prohibition against ex post facto laws.” (People v. Wyckoff, 106 Ill. App. 2d 360, 364, 245 N.E.2d 316

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Bluebook (online)
350 N.E.2d 583, 39 Ill. App. 3d 757, 1976 Ill. App. LEXIS 2650, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/people-v-peach-illappct-1976.