Court Opinion

ID: 9723009
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-26 09:59:56.463114+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:24:43.753663
License: Public Domain

Mr. JUSTICE REARDON, specially concurring: I can only conclude that the trial judge neglected to engage in the balancing test required by People v. Montgomery (1971), 47 Ill. 2d 510, 268 N.E.2d 695.1 agree with the result reached by the majority because the record reflects that the trial judge admitted the evidence of defendant’s prior criminal convictions, not to attack the defendant’s testimonial credibility, but to establish the defendant’s propensity to engage in violent crimes. I am of the opinion, however, that the proper interpretation of the rule stated in Montgomery is that any offense, the punishment for which could result in a penitentiary sentence of one year or more or a sentence of death, is presumed to relate to honesty and veracity. I further interpret the Montgomery rule to permit the introduction of convictions for lesser offenses when those offenses directly relate to dishonesty and false statement. In either case, the conviction may only be used in impeachment if its probative value outweighs its prejudicial effect and if the attempt to impeach occurs during the 10-year period defined in People v. Ray (1973), 54 Ill. 2d 377, 383, 297 N.E.2d 168, 171. It is my belief that any recent criminal conviction, be it for an infamous crime (Ill. Rev. Stat. 1975, ch. 38, par. 124 — 1), felony or misdemeanor, can and should be used to impeach a witness if its probative value outweighs its prejudicial effect. (Compare State v. West (1969), 285 Minn. 188, 193-94, 173 N.W.2d 468, 472, with Knowles v. Panopoulos (1977), 66 Ill. 2d 585, 363 N.E.2d 805, and Montgomery.) I view a witness in this posture — he comes before the jury after being sworn upon his solemn oath to tell the truth and he seeks to have the jury believe that to which he is testifying. His credibility, therefore, is essential to a proper interpretation of every word that he utters. A failure to inform the trier of facts of the defendant’s previous disrespect for societal orders denies to the jury the basis upon which credibility can be weighed and evaluated. As a result, I cannot agree that in the instant case the defendant’s record of prior transgressions has only zero probative value. I am of the further opinion that the trial judge should have permitted the defendant to show that he had pleaded guilty to the prior aggravated battery convictions. I do, however, agree with the majority that it is not required of us to rule on this question because the defendant has waived it by not raising it in his post-trial motion.