People v. Smith

342 N.E.2d 486, 35 Ill. App. 3d 786, 1976 Ill. App. LEXIS 1931
CourtAppellate Court of Illinois
DecidedFebruary 9, 1976
Docket74-347
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 342 N.E.2d 486 (People v. Smith) 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. Smith, 342 N.E.2d 486, 35 Ill. App. 3d 786, 1976 Ill. App. LEXIS 1931 (Ill. Ct. App. 1976).

Opinion

Mr. JUSTICE STENGEL

delivered the opinion of the court:

Defendant, Terry Smith, was indicted for one count of murder- and one count of voluntary manslaughter. In accordance with the terms of a negotiated plea, defendant plead guilty to voluntary manslaughter and was sentenced to a term of imprisonment for not less than 6% years nor more than 20 years. The murder count was dismissed ón motion of the State. The issues presented by this appeal are whether defendant’s guilty plea was involuntary due to a misrepresentation by the trial court and whether the sentence was excessive.

During the course of the guilty plea proceeding, the trial court admonished defendant pursuant to Supreme Court Rule 402 (Ill. Rev. Stat. 1973, ch. 110A, §402) and then made the following statement:

“Now, I must also say to you that you are eligible for parole after three years and you will be given credit for the time you have spent over here.”

In actuality, defendant will not be eligible for parole until after serving approximately 4 years and 7 months. Defendant contends that, although the trial court was not obligated to provide him with this information, nevertheless, the misrepresentation rendered his guilty plea involuntary and unintelligent.

A guilty plea must be shown to have been entered voluntarily and with knowledge of the consequences of the plea. (Boykin v. Alabama (1969), 395 U.S. 238, 23 L. Ed. 2d 274, 89 S. Ct. 1709.) Although compliance with Supreme Court Rule 402 is normally sufficient to demonstrate a valid plea, a guilty plea will be reversed if it appears that the plea was obtained by unfulfilled promises of a reduced sentence or by misrepresentations as to the sentence to be imposed. (People v. Washington (1967), 38 Ill. 2d 446, 232 N.E.2d 738.) However, this court will not reverse a judgment of conviction merely because error was committed unless it appears that real justice has been denied. People v. Dudley (1974), 58 Ill. 2d 57, 316 N.E.2d 773.

For example, in People v. Brooks (4th Dist. 1972), 4 Ill. App. 3d 835, 282 N.E.2d 187, the trial court understated the minimum sentence for armed robbery before accepting the defendant’s guilty plea. Although at that time the rule governing guilty pleas did not require admonition as to the minimum sentence (Ill. Rev. Stat. 1969, ch. 110A, §401(b)), the defendant contended that this misstatement rendered his plea involuntary. After reviewing the record, the court held that error was not prejudicial because there was no indication that the defendant had entered his plea in reliance on this misrepresentation, citing People v. Carter (2d Dist. 1969), 107 Ill. App. 2d 474, 246 N.E.2d 320, cert. denied (1970), 397 U.S. 1008, 25 L. Ed. 2d 421, 90 S. Ct. 1236. See also People v. Hartman (2d Dist. 1972), 6 Ill. App. 3d 543, 285 N.E.2d 600.

In the instant case a negotiated plea was tendered to the court after months of negotiations between the parties. The record shows full and complete compliance with Supreme Court Rule 402. We note the statement by defense counsel to the trial court that:

“I would add this matter and this decision comes after many months of discussion with Mr. Smith * * * and also after

discussions with members of Mr. Smith’s immediate family.” During the court proceedings, the following colloquy occurred:

“THE COURT: Do you understand the Negotiated Plea that’s being presented here?
THE DEFENDANT: Yeah.
THE COURT: And do you agree so far?
THE DEFENDANT: Yeah.”

Further referring to defense counsel, the court asked the defendant:

“THE COURT: Are you satisfied with the terms and services rendered and things done by him?
THE DEFENDANT: Yeah.”

Finally the court stated:

“[U]pon agreement reached between the defendant and his counsel and the Prosecutor and concurs in and is accepted by the Court be and the defendant is sentenced to imprisonment for a period of not less than 6% years and not more than 20 years with a right to parole as provided by law.”

Parole eligibility is a collateral consequence, and a defendant need not be admonished as to all the collateral consequences of his plea. (People v. Warship (1974), 59 Ill. 2d 125, 319 N.E. 507; People v. Hawkins (1973), 54 Ill. 2d 247, 296 N.E.2d 725.) In Hawkins, a statement was prepared by the prosecution and trial court after sentencing which recommended to the Parole Board that defendant not be released at his earliest parole eligibility. Our supreme court held that the failure to advise defendant of this statement did not affect the voluntariness of his plea. Parole is a matter of grace and clemency, and a prisoner may not demand his discharge before the maximum term of his sentence has expired. Numerous factors, including defendant’s conduct in prison, are considered by the Pardon and Parole Board in determining when and if parole should be granted. People v. Robinson (3d Dist. 1974), 20 Ill. App. 3d 112, 312 N.E.2d 703.

Considering the totality of the circumstances, defendant’s bare allegation that his plea was involuntary must fail. Defendant has not demonstrated any prejudice, nor does he suggest that his conduct would have been different had he been correctly advised or not advised at aü. (People v. Warship; People v. Dudley.) This was a totally negotiated plea, with defendant receiving exactly the sentence for which he had bargained over a period of several months. Under these circumstances, we are not persuaded by defendant’s claim that his plea was involuntary where that claim is unsupported by any facts other than the trial court’s misstatement. People v. Long (3d Dist. 1975), 27 Ill. App. 3d 457, 326 N.E.2d 204.

In People v. Ellis (1974), 59 Ill. 2d 255, 320 N.E.2d 15, defendant contended that the failure of the trial court to determine whether Ms plea had been induced by force, tMeats or promises apart from the plea agreement constituted reversible error. Our supreme court stated:

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

State v. Jimenez
987 S.W.2d 886 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Texas, 1999)
People v. Young
367 N.E.2d 976 (Appellate Court of Illinois, 1977)
People v. Menssen
355 N.E.2d 36 (Appellate Court of Illinois, 1976)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
342 N.E.2d 486, 35 Ill. App. 3d 786, 1976 Ill. App. LEXIS 1931, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/people-v-smith-illappct-1976.