Court Opinion

ID: 9745018
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-26 22:28:40.713715+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T07:24:54.745234
License: Public Domain

Mr. JUSTICE GEORGE J. MORAN, dissenting: In People v. Hamby, 6 Ill. 2d 559, 563, the supreme court held that no error occurred in the denial of probation where the trial judge denied probation because of his personal belief that sellers of narcotics “are certainly never entitled to probation.” In People v. Bolyard, 61 Ill. 2d 583, the supreme court rescinded its holding in Hamby, saying: “We do not believe, however, that the basis for the trial judge’s summary denial of probation as detailed in Hamby is consistent with present concepts of sentencing procedures and alternative sentences under the Unified Code of Corrections.” 61 Ill. 2d 583, 587. In Bolyard the defendant was convicted of indecent liberties and the trial judge in denying probation expressed his personal opinion that the perpetrator of such a crime should never receive probation. The supreme court in Bolyard held that the trial judge acted arbitrarily in denying probation for this reason. In the present case the trial court was concerned only with its personal belief that those among us who have lived exemplary lives and who have acquired an education should never be entitled to probation. This is exemplified by the following statement of the trial judge. “The second factor is the very prominence of this man. His closeness to the youth of the community and the fact that he was a teacher and principal. Probation for such a man would be bound to have quite an impact on the young people that knew him. The future temptations that might be afforded to youth that knew of this instance, if probation were granted, would be, might be too great. His position as a leader of the community. In view of your small size, I suppose he might be considered somewhat of a victim of the times. But we can’t have a system of law whereby only the friendless go to jail. Or the followers or the uneducated or the poor. But as I say, Mr. Waud is an educated man. This is an educated crime. I believe if we had a man in the community that embezzled money from a bank six different times the people would have the idea that if such a man got probation that almost anybody could get probation.” For the foregoing reasons, I would remand this case to the trial court for a new sentencing hearing.