Court Opinion

ID: 9534951
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-07 04:44:02.751578+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T13:33:08.658457
License: Public Domain

Mr. JUSTICE CRAVEN, dissenting: I dissent from that portion of the opinion affirming the defendant’s sentence. Class 2 felonies such as burglary permit the trial judge to impose a sentence of imprisonment ranging between 3 and 7 years (Ill. Rev. Stat. 1979, ch. 38, par. 1005 — 8—1(a)(5)). The defendant was sentenced to 4 years’ imprisonment for his conviction, which was based entirely upon his accountability for Jones’ actions. No one disputes that Jones and not the defendant stole the CB radio from the parked car. The defendant was convicted of burglary only because he drove Jones to and from the scene of the crime. Jones pleaded guilty to misdemeanor theft and was sentenced to one year of probation. The transcript of the sentencing hearing shows that the trial court considered the following mitigating factors: The defendant’s conduct neither caused nor threatened serious physical harm; the defendant did not contemplate that his conduct would cause or threaten serious physical harm; the defendant’s conduct was induced or facilitated by another person (Ill. Rev. Stat. 1979, ch. 38, par. 1005 — 5—3.1(a)(1), (2), (5)). The court did not consider whether imprisonment would entail excessive hardship to his dependents. The record does not show whether the defendant was willing to compensate the victim for the harm caused, although- the victim’s insurance carrier had already paid the claim arising from the damage done to the car, and the police had recovered the CB radio. The only aggravating factor considered by the court was the defendant’s history of prior criminal activity (Ill. Rev. Stat 1979, ch. 38, par. 1005 — 5—3.2(a)(3)). The presentence investigation report said that the defendant was 22 years old. He got married during September 1977; his wife already had a child when she married the defendant. Furthermore, at the time of the sentencing hearing the wife was pregnant, expecting the second child in April 1979. The wife testified at the sentencing hearing that she had a good relationship with the defendant and relied on him greatly for emotional support; he was a good husband and father. The report indicated that the defendant had warm relationships with his parents. The parents recognized their son’s personal strengths and weaknesses: Although the defendant was a follower, trusting his friends too greatly,-he had never been a discipline problem and was extremely good-hearted. The parents also said that the defendant had no drug or alcohol problems and had a good relationship with his wife. The defendant had dropped out of high school during the 10th grade; he never served in the military. The majority correctly points out that Horatio Alger would not have approved the defendant’s record of employment. The defendant was not working at the time of his arrest; in the past he had worked sporadically, and all his former employers said that they would not rehire him. Yet the character letters concerning the defendant were quite positive. Confirming the parents’ assessment, the letters said that the defendant tended to follow others but was goodnatured and very kind. The defendant had received concurrent 5-year terms for theft and burglary in Missouri in 1975; he was paroled after one year in prison. The parole officer had found the defendant very cooperative; this offense was his first violation of the terms of his parole. The parole officer feared that the defendant lacked a sense of responsibility. The presentence report recommended work release rather than imprisonment. As the majority opinion says, Jones’ presentencing report is more cheerful than the defendant’s. Jones has a slightly better work record, and his only conviction of any consequence did not result in imprisonment. Jones’ report recommended probation. The majority ignores, however, the vast difference in the degree of Jones’ and the defendant’s participation in the crime here. Jones committed the act for which the defendant was found accountable. The prison term imposed here seems more related to penalizing the defendant for exercising his right to a trial than to punishing socially unacceptable actions.