Opinion ID: 2135771
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: Application of Bullington v. Missouri

Text: Defendants assert that the sentencing procedures under the Habitual Criminal Act (Act) (Ill.Rev.Stat.1991, ch. 38, par. 33A1) and the Class X sentencing provision (Ill.Rev.Stat.1991, ch. 38, par. 1005 53(c)(8)) closely resemble the sentencing procedure in Bullington. Thus, they entreat us to extend the Bullington exception to these noncapital recidivist sentencing procedures. For reasons which follow, we decline to do so. The Court in Bullington did not address whether the presence of any one of the three trial-like factors upon which it relied would have been sufficient, alone, to support its trial analogy. Further, the Court seemingly did not place greater significance on any one factor over another. We believe, however, that it was the combined force of all three factors which supported the Court's analogy. A review of Federal decisional law in this area confirms our view. In cases where the Bullington exception has been extended to noncapital sentencing procedures, all three factors have been present. See, e.g., Durosko v. Lewis (9th Cir.1989), 882 F.2d 357 (habitual-criminal sentencing is tried to a jury, prior convictions must be proved beyond a reasonable doubt, and sentencer must sentence defendant to natural life); Bullard v. Estelle (5th Cir.1982), 665 F.2d 1347, 1357-58 (State required to prove at trial that defendant committed two prior felony offenses, allegations of prior offense must be proved beyond a reasonable doubt, and sentencer has no discretion in sentencing third-time felony offenders); Bohlen v. Caspari (8th Cir.1992), 979 F.2d 109 (defendant has rights of confrontation, cross-examination and the opportunity to present evidence, State must prove facts pleaded beyond a reasonable doubt, and trial court has two alternatives: to find that the defendant is a persistent offender or not). We, likewise, tailor our analysis to correspond with the analyses applied in Bullington and its progeny. Accordingly, we hold that for Bullington to apply, all three trial-like factors must be present. The absence of any one will defeat the analogy.