People v. Tetter
People v. Tetter
Opinion
*24 ¶ 1 Defendant, age 21 at the time, began a relationship with S.K. who represented herself to be 18. A jury found that defendant continued this relationship after learning S.K. was 16 and convicted him of aggravated criminal sexual abuse ( 720 ILCS 5/11-1.60(d) (West 2012) ). After his conviction, the trial court sentenced defendant to 180 days in county jail, 4 years' sex offender probation, and mandatory lifetime sex offender registration.
¶ 2 On appeal, defendant seeks a new trial; he alleges the trial court erred in admitting and publishing a voicemail recording during defendant's cross-examination. Defendant also raises, for the first time on appeal, a constitutional challenge claiming the Illinois Sex Offender Registration *437 *25 Act (SORA) ( 730 ILCS 150/1 et seq. (West 2012) ), Sex Offender Community Notification Law (Notification Law) ( 730 ILCS 152/101 et seq. (West 2012) ), residence and presence restrictions within 500 feet of school zones or 100 feet of school bus stops ( 720 ILCS 5/11-9.3 (West 2012) ), residence and presence restrictions within 500 feet of a public park ( 720 ILCS 5/11-9.4-1 (West 2012) ), mandatory annual driver's license renewal ( 730 ILCS 5/5-5-3(o) (West 2012) ), and prohibiting defendant from petitioning to change his name ( 735 ILCS 5/21-101 (West 2012) ) impose disproportionate punishment as applied to him. We refer to these statutes collectively as "sex offender statutes" herein.
¶ 3 We affirm the trial court's evidentiary ruling regarding the voicemail recording. However, we find that defendant's lifetime subjection to the sex offender statutes constitutes grossly disproportionate punishment as applied to him. The facts underlying defendant's conviction do not suggest that he is a dangerous sexual predator who must be banned from areas near schools or public parks, or who must be monitored by law enforcement authorities and presented to the public as a dangerous sexual predator.
¶ 4 FACTS
¶ 5 On July 12, 2013, the State charged defendant with aggravated criminal sexual abuse, a Class 2 felony ( 720 ILCS 5/11-1.60(d) (West 2012) ). On October 4, 2013, defendant pled guilty in exchange for four years' sex offender probation and no jail time. On November 1, defendant submitted a motion to withdraw his guilty plea; he alleged that he did not know pleading guilty meant he would be subjected to the sex offender statutes' registration requirements and restrictions for life. Defendant's motion also alleged an affirmative defense-he reasonably believed S.K. to be 18 each time they had sex. The trial court granted defendant's motion on December 20. Defendant's trial began on January 13, 2015.
¶ 6 Sixteen-year-old S.K. testified that she registered for a social networking website called "MeetMe" sometime after July 2012. S.K.'s MeetMe profile represented to other users that she was 18. Defendant was 21 when she "met" him on MeetMe.
¶ 7 Defendant and S.K. also communicated through another online application called "Kik." They met in person for the first time in November 2012. Defendant picked S.K. up at her high school and took her home. Defendant asked S.K. to be his girlfriend, and she agreed.
¶ 8 They began having consensual sex in defendant's car after a few meetings in November 2012. Although she could not remember the date, S.K. testified that she and defendant had sex once at her house when her parents were away; she did not consent to this sexual encounter.
¶ 9 Sometime in January or February 2013, S.K. left defendant a voicemail wherein she referred to herself as "a stupid 16-year-old." She left the voicemail after learning that defendant still communicated with his ex-fiancée. S.K. testified that defendant responded to this voicemail with a text message, but she could not recall the substance of the message.
¶ 10 On March 26, 2013, S.K. ran away from home. She testified that she argued with her parents about photographs on her phone that she sent to defendant. Her parents confiscated her phone, and her mother told her to leave the house. S.K. then called defendant from Kmart to tell him she ran away. Police picked her up from the Kmart after she spoke with defendant.
*438 *26 ¶ 11 S.K. stated she and defendant had sex several times between March 26 and late April 2013. On June 8, 2013, an ultrasound confirmed that S.K. was approximately two months pregnant. When she informed defendant that she was pregnant, he asked her to choose him or the baby-her daughter was born December 31, 2013.
¶ 12 S.K.'s mother testified that she learned defendant was 21 after S.K. began meeting with him in November 2012. S.K.'s parents did not want her dating until she turned 18 and forbade her from having a relationship with defendant.
¶ 13 In December 2012, S.K.'s mother accompanied her to a local mall where she rang bells for the Salvation Army. When defendant arrived to see S.K., her mother confronted him. She informed defendant that her daughter was 16 and threatened to "ruin" him if he touched her. S.K.'s mother reported defendant to the police soon after learning S.K. was pregnant in June 2013.
¶ 14 Detective Robert Mason testified that he arrested defendant on July 2, 2013. Defendant voluntarily turned over his cell phone and agreed to videotape his interview at the police station. Mason sent defendant's cell phone to the United States Secret Service Chicago Electronic Crimes Division (Secret Service) for forensic analysis. The Secret Service provided Mason with a thumb drive containing the evidence from defendant's phone. The trial court admitted the thumb drive into evidence, and the jury viewed defendant's videotaped interview.
¶ 15 During the interview, defendant stated that he believed S.K. was 18 based upon her MeetMe profile representation. He denied ever picking S.K. up from school; he claimed that they always met at a Subway restaurant. Defendant estimated that he and S.K. had sex approximately five or six times-always consensual and never at her house. He admitted to having sex with S.K. once after he learned that she was 16.
¶ 16 At trial, defendant testified on his own behalf. He stated that he lied about having sex with S.K. after learning her age during the police interview because he was scared and disoriented. He claimed that he never knew S.K. was 16 until he spoke with police on March 26, 2013. He never had sex with S.K. thereafter.
¶ 17 During cross-examination, the State played the February 2013 voicemail recording in which S.K. referred to herself as "a stupid 16-year-old." Defendant objected to the recording; he alleged the State failed to establish proper foundation. The State pointed out that S.K. testified during the prosecution's case-in-chief that she left the voicemail on defendant's phone. The State also assured the trial court that S.K. and Detective Mason would provide additional foundation on rebuttal. The trial court allowed the State to play the recording.
¶ 18 S.K. and Detective Mason testified during the prosecution's rebuttal. S.K. heard the recording during defendant's cross-examination; she identified her voice and confirmed that the recording accurately portrayed the voicemail she left on defendant's phone. She stated that she left the voicemail after an orchestra concert in February 2013. Although Mason identified the Secret Service thumb drive, he could not identify the Secret Service's methods used to extract defendant's cell phone information or verify the thumb drive's contents.
¶ 19 At the close of evidence, defense counsel moved for a mistrial. He alleged that the State failed to establish adequate foundation for the voicemail before or after playing it during defendant's cross-examination. Although S.K. identified her voice *439 *27 and verified that she left the voicemail on defendant's phone, defense counsel argued that the State failed to prove that the information on the thumb drive, including the voicemail, came from defendant's phone. The trial court denied the motion. The jury found defendant guilty.
¶ 20 At the sentencing hearing, the trial court heard and denied defendant's posttrial motion. Defendant's presentence report showed that he had no prior criminal convictions, other than minor traffic violations. The presentence report also contained defendant's sex offender psychological evaluation. The Kankakee County court referred defendant to Dr. Simone, a licensed clinical psychologist, for the evaluation. Simone determined that defendant presented a low risk to reoffend and recommended outpatient sex offender counseling. During the evaluation, defendant placed in the zero percentile (virtually no risk) on the child molestation scale, drug use scale, and alcoholism scale.
¶ 21 The trial court sentenced defendant to 180 days in county jail, 4 years' sex offender probation, and lifetime subjection to the sex offender statutes' registration and restrictions. After sentencing, defendant asked the trial court to prepare a notice of appeal and to appoint appellate counsel; the court agreed. Due to an administrative error, the deputy circuit clerk filed defendant's notice of appeal on April 13, 2015, well after the filing deadline. The clerk attached a letter asking this court to allow the late notice. On September 8, 2015, we allowed an agreed motion to treat the notice as timely and assumed jurisdiction over this appeal.
¶ 22 ANALYSIS
¶ 23 Defendant's appeal raises two distinct claims and seeks two separate forms of relief. First, he argues that the trial court abused its discretion by allowing the State to play S.K.'s voicemail during defendant's cross-examination. He claims that this error warrants a new trial. Second, defendant makes an as-applied constitutional challenge against the sex offender statutes. He argues that the sex offender statutes' requirements and restrictions, as applied to him, constitute disproportionate punishment under both the Illinois Constitution and United States Constitution. We address each issue separately below.
¶ 24 I. Authentication of the Voicemail Recording
¶ 25 Defendant asserts that he was denied a fair trial when the trial court allowed the State to play S.K.'s voicemail during his cross-examination. He argues the State failed to establish proper foundation before or after playing the recording. Defendant claims the State needed to present independent evidence to prove the thumb drive's contents, including the voicemail, came from his phone.
¶ 26 The jury's verdict hinged on whether defendant reasonably believed S.K. was 18 during each sexual encounter. Conflicting testimony rendered witnesses' credibility key to this issue. Defendant claims that the court's erroneous admission and publication of the voicemail unfairly influenced the jury's verdict and tainted the trial.
¶ 27 The State argues that S.K.'s testimony established sufficient foundation for the voicemail when she identified her voice in the recording and testified that the recording was the voicemail she left on defendant's phone in February 2013. In the alternative, the State argues that any error was harmless. According to the State, other evidence and testimony proved defendant either knew S.K. was 16 prior to March 26, 2013, or had sex with her thereafter.
¶ 28 The trial court exercises its sound discretion in admitting evidence; the
*440
*28
court's judgment will not be reversed absent an abuse of this discretion.
People v. Taylor
,
¶ 29 As with any evidence, the party seeking admission of an audiotape must establish an adequate foundation.
People v. Williams
,
¶ 30 If no witness with personal knowledge is available, parties may authenticate recordings under the silent witness theory "if there is sufficient proof of the reliability of the process that produced the photograph or videotape."
People v. Vaden
,
¶ 31 The crux of defendant's argument is "that there was no evidence that the recording was actually retrieved from defendant's phone." He argues that the State could not establish "who recorded the message, when it was recorded, where it was recorded, or what was done with the recording since it was made. * * * For all we know, the recording was made of [S.K.'s] voice the day before trial began."
¶ 32 This argument champions the standard used under the silent witness theory. However, S.K. testified that the recording accurately reproduced the message she left on defendant's phone:
"Q. [S.K.], you were in the courtroom when I played an audio recording, is that correct?
A. Yes, ma'am.
Q. Did you recognize that audio recording?
A. Yes.
Q. And what did you recognize that to be?
A. It was a conversation that me and [defendant] had via text that was an argument. He stopped responding to me so I had called him.
Q. Okay. So what we heard was-who was the voice on the recording that we heard?
A. Me.
Q. Okay. And did you tell that directly to [defendant] or what did-how did that message get to [defendant]?
A. I just had called his cell phone and had left the message. It was directly-it was directed towards him.
Q. Okay. But it was on his voicemail?
A. Yes ma'am.
Q. Okay. And do you have any indication from [defendant] that he ever listened to it?
A. He had responded shortly thereafter via text.
* * *
Q. And do you recall when that conversation was-or when that voicemail was that you left him?
A. It would have been in February. I believe it was shortly after like an orchestra concert I had had and he was talking about the fact that his ex-fiancée *441 *29 had made a Facebook post regarding the fact that he had come to a high school orchestra.
Q. Okay. And that would be-that would have been February of what year?
A. Of 2013."
¶ 33 This testimony established adequate foundation for the recording. S.K. identified her own voice and stated that she left the voicemail on defendant's phone in February 2013. Defense counsel was free to challenge the thumb drive's source or S.K.'s credibility, but such impeachment would attack the voicemail's evidentiary weight, not its admissibility. Once S.K. identified her voice and provided context to the recording, it was admissible.
¶ 34 We hold that the trial court did not abuse its discretion by allowing the State to play the recording during defendant's cross-examination. We need not address the State's alternative harmless error argument. However, we note that during his police interview, defendant admitted that he had sex with S.K. once after learning her age. S.K. and her mother also testified that defendant knew S.K.'s age as early as December 2012. The State did not rely solely on the voicemail to prove defendant's guilt.
¶ 35 II. Constitutionality of Illinois Sex Offender Statutes as Applied to Defendant
¶ 36 Before addressing this claim's merits, we must address the State's position that defendant forfeited the claim when he failed to raise it with the trial court. Constitutional challenges may be raised at any time, including for the first time on appeal.
People v. McCarty
,
¶ 37 The State mistakenly relies upon
Reno v. Flores
,
*442
*30
¶ 38 Defendant asserts that his subjection to the sex offender statutes violates the United States Constitution's prohibition against cruel and unusual punishment ( U.S. Const., amend. VIII ) and the Illinois Constitution's proportionate penalties clause ( Ill. Const. 1970, art. I, § 11 ) as applied to him. A panel of this court recently held banning sex offenders from public parks ( 720 ILCS 5/11-9.4-1 (West 2012) ) to be facially unconstitutional.
People v. Pepitone
,
¶ 39 Like with the Illinois Constitution's proportionate penalties clause, "[t]he concept of proportionality is central to the Eighth Amendment."
Graham v. Florida
,
¶ 40 A. Whether Sex Offender Statutes Constitute Punishment
¶ 41 Our first question is whether the sex offender statutes are punitive or regulatory.
Smith v. Doe
,
¶ 42 During the second step's analysis, courts use as "useful guideposts" the factors set forth in
Kennedy v. Mendoza-Martinez
,
¶ 43 Our supreme court previously determined that the sex offender statutes do not constitute punishment.
People ex rel. Birkett v. Konetski
,
*443
Konetski
*31
addressed juvenile sex offender registration requirements, which allow juvenile offenders to petition for removal after five years-here, defendant has no such right. In
Malchow
, the court held that the Notification Law, as it existed in 1998, placed no affirmative disability or restraint on sex offenders; their movements and activities were in no way restricted.
Malchow
,
¶ 44 After
Malchow
, the United States Supreme Court held that Alaska's Sex Offender Registration Act (Alaska's SORA) (
"Probation and supervised release entail a series of mandatory conditions and allow the supervising officer to seek the revocation of probation or release in case of infraction. [Citations.] By contrast, offenders subject to the Alaska statute are free to move where they wish and to live and work as other citizens, with no supervision ." (Emphasis added.)Id.
¶ 45 Our legislature subsequently passed numerous amendments imposing additional requirements and restrictions upon sex offenders. Most importantly, it imposed specific restrictions on where sex offenders may be present or live. See 720 ILCS 5/11-9.3, 11-9.4-1 (West 2012). Sex offenders cannot have jobs where they work, at any time for any reason, within 500 feet of a school or public park or within 100 feet of a school bus stop.
¶ 46 In
Malchow
, our supreme court held that the Notification Law, on its face, reflects the legislature's intention to create a civil regulatory scheme that protects the public rather than a punitive scheme.
Malchow
,
¶ 47 1. Affirmative Disability or Restraint
¶ 48 Both
Malchow
and
Smith
found that the 1998 Illinois Notification Law and Alaska's SORA, respectively, did not affirmatively
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*32
disable or restrain offenders because they were free to live, work, and move about the community without restriction. Since
Malchow
and
Smith
, amendments to the sex offender statutes have stripped this freedom of movement from Illinois offenders. The sex offender statutes are now akin to probation or supervised release. Probation and other forms of supervised release are considered punishment.
Griffin v. Wisconsin
,
¶ 49 Non-sex-offender parolees are subject to parole conditions. Parolees must, among other conditions, not break the law in any jurisdiction; not possess a firearm or dangerous weapon; report to an agent of the Illinois Department of Corrections (DOC); permit a DOC agent to visit the parolee at home or place of employment; attend or reside in a facility established for the instruction or residence of persons on parole or mandatory supervised release (MSR); obtain the DOC's permission before leaving the state; obtain permission before changing residence or employment; consent to searches of the parolee's person, property, or residence; refrain from using narcotics and submit to urinalysis testing; not frequent places where controlled substances are illegally sold or used; not knowingly associate with others on MSR or parole; provide true and accurate information regarding the parolee's community integration and adjustment; and follow the parole agent's instructions. See 730 ILCS 5/3-3-7(a) (West 2014). Parolees may additionally be required to work, pursue education or vocational training, undergo treatment for medical issues or addiction, and/or support the parolee's dependents. 730 ILCS 5/3-3-7(b) (West 2012).
¶ 50 Sex offenders, like defendant, are subject to dozens of additional parole conditions. See 730 ILCS 5/3-3-7(a)(7.5)-(7.13), (b)(7.5)-(7.6), (b-1) (West 2014). These conditions include sex offender treatment, not living in the same residential unit (including apartments or condominiums) with other known sex offenders, wearing an electronic monitoring device, not communicating with or contacting people on the Internet whom the offender believes to be under 18, consenting to searches of all devices with Internet access, not possessing prescription medications for erectile dysfunction, not "scrubbing" or erasing data on any computer device, residing only at an approved location, obtaining approval prior to accepting employment or pursuing education, not being employed or participating in any volunteer activity involving contact with children, refraining from entering designated geographic areas without approval, neither possessing nor having access to pornography or sexually stimulating material, not patronizing any adult entertainment establishment or telephone hotline, not residing near or being present in places where minors may congregate without advance approval, taking an annual polygraph exam, maintaining a travel log, and other restrictions. See
¶ 51 After completing sex offender probation, offenders are subject to the sex offender statutes for either 10 years or life-defendant's conviction subjects him to lifetime registration. Under the sex offender statutes, off-parole sex offenders must register with the DOC, inform the DOC of certain life events (such as buying or using a new car, growing a beard, moving, or taking a vacation), consent to having Internet usage monitored, and most importantly, not live or be present near *445 *33 school zones, school bus stops, or public parks. Off-parole sex offenders are more restricted in many ways than non-sex-offender parolees. While non-sex-offender parolees are monitored and prohibited from committing crimes, off-parole sex offenders may not reside or be present near places where the legislature has deemed them more likely to recidivate.
¶ 52 Sex offender statutes restrict where defendant may live, work, or be present, in addition to the numerous obstacles imposed by the registration requirements. These requirements and restrictions, collectively, constitute an affirmative disability and restraint-defendant is restricted in most aspects of his daily life. Specifically, "safe zones" surrounding schools, school bus stops, and public parks, significantly restrict defendant's lawful movement within the community. These zones restrict where he may live, drive, work, visit, or attend any social function for life. Although not to the same degree as prison, the sex offender statutes' restrictions affirmatively disable and restrain offenders such as defendant. Therefore, this factor suggests that the sex offender statutes constitute punishment.
¶ 53 2. History and Tradition as Punishment
¶ 54 The
Smith
majority found that Alaska's SORA did not resemble a historically-recognized form of punishment-it merely disseminated accurate, already-public information.
Smith
,
¶ 55 Our current sex offender statutes are more similar to Michigan's SORA addressed in Snyder than Alaska's SORA in Smith or our 1998 Notification Law in Malchow . Arguably, our current sex offender statutes are more restrictive than Michigan's SORA deemed punishment in Snyder . Although Michigan's SORA imposed larger school safety zones than our sex offender statutes (1000 feet as opposed to 500 feet), our sex offender statutes impose a 500-foot zone around public parks and a 100-feet zone around school bus stops that Michigan's SORA did not impose. Michigan's SORA did not "prohibit the registrant from setting foot in the school zones." Id. at 701. Our sex offender statutes do. 720 ILCS 5/11-9.3, 11-9.4-1 (West 2012).
¶ 56 Our sex offender statutes satisfy the traditional definition of punishment. Citing published legal philosophy, the
Snyder
court defined "punishment" as involving pain or unpleasant consequences following from an offense against the law, applying to the offender, being intentionally administered by people other than the offender, and being imposed and administered
*446
*34
by an authority constituted by a legal system against which the offense was committed.
Snyder
,
¶ 57 3. Traditional Aims of Punishment
¶ 58 The traditional aims of punishment are incapacitation, retribution, and deterrence. Our legislature implemented the sex offender statutes to deter future sex crimes and protect the public. If the sex offender statutes are not meant to deter sex crimes, then they do not protect the public at all. As the Court noted in
Smith
, however, civil regulations can deter crime: "To hold that the mere presence of a deterrent purpose renders such sanctions criminal * * * would severely undermine the Government's ability to engage in effective regulation." (Internal quotation marks omitted.)
Smith
,
¶ 59 Our sex offender statutes do not merely deter recidivism; they incapacitate convicted sex offenders and serve as retribution for sex crimes committed. The sex offender statutes' residence and presence restrictions, at work or otherwise, incapacitate sex offenders by banning them from places where children routinely congregate. Restricting offenders' liberty of residence and movement, as well as monitoring their daily lives solely because of certain convictions, emits a strong scent of retribution, for better or worse. In sum, our sex offender statutes satisfy all three traditional aims of punishment. We find that this factor suggests that the sex offender statutes constitute punishment.
¶ 60 4. Rational Relation to a Nonpunitive Purpose and Excessive Application
¶ 61 We assess the final two Mendoza-Martinez factors relevant to sex crimes in tandem. These factors instruct us to determine whether the sex offender statutes' restrictions are rationally related to their nonpunitive purpose of protecting the public and, if so, whether the application of the sex offender statutes is excessive with respect to serving its nonpunitive purpose.
¶ 62
Smith
held that Alaska's SORA was rationally related to protecting the public from sex offenders, a nonpunitive regulatory purpose, primarily due to their high risk of recidivism.
¶ 63 In his concurrence, Justice Souter questioned whether Alaska's SORA's excessive application undermined its nonpunitive purpose. He observed that not all sex offenders threaten public safety and "when a legislature uses prior convictions to impose burdens that outpace the law's stated civil aims, there is room for serious argument that the ulterior purpose is to revisit past crimes, not prevent future ones."
¶ 64 Here, even if the sex offender statutes are rationally related to a nonpunitive purpose, their broad application and harsh liberty restrictions extend far beyond the purpose's purview. To determine whether a statute's application is excessive with respect to its nonpunitive purpose, "[t]he
*447
*35
question is whether the regulatory means chosen are reasonable in light of the nonpunitive objective."
¶ 65 Our sex offender statutes, unlike Alaska's SORA in
Smith
, restrict all sex offenders' (not just dangerous ones') liberty of movement in society. Although we must not question "whether the legislature has made the best choice possible to address the problem it seeks to remedy" (
¶ 66 The sex offender statutes' broad application also greatly exceeds their nonpunitive purpose. The
Snyder
court found that indiscriminate restrictions on sex offenders' residence or presence in certain areas have, "at best, no impact on recidivism" because Michigan's SORA made "no provision for individualized assessments of proclivities or dangerousness, even though the danger to children posed by some * * * is doubtless far less than that posed by a serial child molester."
Snyder
,
¶ 67 Defendant is simply not the person at whom the sex offender statutes' purposes are aimed. Its statutes are not tailored to regulate only dangerous offenders, those likely to recidivate, or those with little or no potential for rehabilitation; therefore, offenders like defendant must endure the statutes' restrictions without society reaping any benefit. These statutes go well beyond the dissemination of accurate, already-public information and are not "analogous to a visit to an official archive of criminal records."
Smith
,
"I can only say his life will never be the same. He will go through life now as a predator. He will be labeled a predator in every way. He-it will be very difficult to get a job. He'll not be able to have a cell phone, use those apps that he uses or be on the Internet. He won't be able to live where he wants to live. He won't be able to associate with who he wants to be [ sic ]. His life will-will never be the same and-and in effect that is great punishment."
¶ 68 If the sex offender statutes' application were not
irrevocable
, our analysis might be different. See
Konetski
,
¶ 69 Although the sex offender statutes' restrictions may present fair and just punishment in many or most cases, they nonetheless constitute punishment. Most notably, sex offender statutes punish sex offenders by restricting their liberty to live where they wish and move about the community. The sex offender statutes' liberty restrictions fall within the "continuum of possible punishments ranging from solitary confinement in a maximum-security facility to a few hours of mandatory community service." See
Griffin
,
¶ 70 B. Whether Defendant's Punishment is Disproportionate
¶ 71 Article I, section 11 of the Illinois Constitution provides, "[a]ll penalties shall be determined both according to the seriousness of the offense and with the objective of restoring the offender to useful citizenship." Ill. Const. 1970, art. I, § 11. "A proportionality challenge contends that the penalty in question was not determined according to the seriousness of the offense * * *."
People v. Sharpe
,
¶ 72 The eighth amendment allows defendants to challenge sentences as disproportionate "given all the circumstances in a particular case."
Graham
,
¶ 73 The long-recognized eighth amendment proportionality principle applies to all punishments, including both capital and noncapital sentences. See
*449
*37
Coker v. Georgia
,
¶ 74 First, we must determine the gravity of defendant's crime in relation to the sex offender statutes' restrictions. Certainly, the sex offender statutes' restrictions are less severe than a prison sentence; nonetheless, they can be grossly disproportionate, especially viewing them in correlation with defendant's jail sentence and sex offender probation term. Defendant also must bear the sex offender statutes' restrictions for life. In many ways, these restrictions will prevent defendant from reestablishing himself in society and permanently impact his life.
¶ 75 To assess the gravity of defendant's offense, we first turn to the crime's classification in the Criminal Code of 2012. Section 11-1.60 renders defendant's crime a Class 2 felony. 720 ILCS 5/11-1.60(g) (West 2012). Many other sex crimes are more serious Class 1 felonies or Class X felonies ( id. §§ 11-1.20, 11-1.30, 11-1.40). Some others are less serious Class A misdemeanors or Class 4 felonies ( id. § 11-1.50). Class 2 felonies are punishable by three to seven years' imprisonment ( 730 ILCS 5/5-4.5-35 (West 2014) ), but the trial court sentenced defendant to 180 days in jail, 4 years of sex offender probation, and lifetime SORA registration. Apparently, the court determined that the circumstances underlying defendant's conviction did not warrant the statutory minimum; nor did the State seek a writ of mandamus to increase defendant's sentence. It seems everyone below agrees that defendant is not sexually dangerous, to children or anyone else.
¶ 76 We cannot accurately assess a sex crime's gravity without considering the risk of recidivism. Recidivism concerns are legitimate considerations in determining whether a sentence is grossly disproportionate. See
Ewing v. California
,
¶ 77 Defendant here is not Williams. Defendant was 21 and initially believed S.K. to be 18, according to her MeetMe profile-no trial evidence suggested defendant intentionally preyed upon underage girls. Defendant and S.K. had a relationship. While this relationship resulted in defendant's illegal conduct for which he was convicted, these facts share little or no common ground with Williams or other cases involving violent sex crimes or child molestation. After his arrest, defendant's evaluation placed him at virtually zero risk to recidivate. He had no prior criminal offenses, other than minor traffic tickets. In fact, the trial judge sentenced him to far less prison time than the minimum Class 2 felony term. The circumstances underlying defendant's conviction, along with his evaluation, suggest that his lifetime subjection to the sex offender statutes' registration and restrictions, on top of his jail sentence and sex offender probation period, is grossly disproportionate to the crime for which he was convicted.
¶ 78 Defendant's argument is further bolstered when we compare his punishment to others in Illinois. A chasm of culpability and community concern lies between defendant and violent sex offenders or serial child molesters. Violent sex crimes and child sex crimes are classified as more serious Class 1 or Class X felonies in Illinois. 720 ILCS 5/11-1.20, 11-1.30, 11-1.40 (West 2012). Nonetheless, defendant is forever restricted as to where he can live, work, and move about the community, no differently than offenders fitting a far more dangerous criminal profile.
¶ 79 Additionally, the sex offender statutes' restrictions apply to defendant no differently than offenders deemed a high risk to recidivate. The State initially offered defendant a plea agreement in which he would be subject to the sex offender statutes for life but serve no jail time. We hope that the State does not rely solely upon the sex offender statutes' restrictions to protect the public from dangerous sex offenders. We build and maintain prisons to incarcerate dangerous criminals; we should not delegate public protection to citizens by giving them access to a registry and wishing them luck. Furthermore, if a sex offender is so potentially dangerous as to require the sex offender statutes' restrictions at issue here, we question the wisdom of releasing the offender at all. We have procedures available under the Sexually Dangerous Persons Act ( 725 ILCS 205/0.01 et seq. (West 2012) ) and Sexually Violent Persons Commitment Act ( 725 ILCS 207/1 et seq. (West 2012) ) to keep dangerous sex offenders where they cannot harm others, including children.
¶ 80 Given the circumstances of this case, defendant's background, and his virtually zero risk to recidivate, we hold that his lifetime subjection to the sex offender statutes is grossly disproportionate to his crime. As applied to him, lifetime subjection to the sex offender statutes' registration requirements and restrictions violates the Illinois Constitution's proportional penalties clause and the United States Constitution's eighth amendment.
¶ 81 In its petition for rehearing, the State argues that we should narrowly tailor our decision and uphold or modify some, if not all, SORA restrictions on defendant. Instead of deeming SORA's restrictions unconstitutional as applied to defendant, the State claims (for the first time in its petition) that we should shorten the term of defendant's subjection to SORA or determine the individual restrictions to which defendant may be constitutionally subjected. We reject the State's argument and deny its petition. Prior to the petition for rehearing, the State took an "all or
*39
*451
nothing" approach. Parties may not raise arguments for the first time in a petition for rehearing. Ill. S. Ct. R. 341(h)(7) (eff. Nov. 1, 2017);
People v. Grigorov
,
¶ 82 CONCLUSION
¶ 83 For the foregoing reasons, we affirm defendant's conviction, jail sentence, and probation term. We vacate defendant's subjection to the sex offender statutes' registration requirements and restrictions.
¶ 84 Affirmed in part, reversed in part.
Justice Lytton concurred in the judgment and opinion.
Justice Wright concurred in part and dissented in part, with opinion.
¶ 85 JUSTICE WRIGHT, concurring in part and dissenting in part:
¶ 86 I concur with the resolution of the issues addressed by the majority, with the exception of the holding regarding the adequacy of this record to address a constitutional challenge and the majority's determination that SORA, the Notification Law, and four other challenged sex offender laws are punitive. I also disagree that these sex offender laws, as applied, are unconstitutional.
¶ 87 I. Insufficient Record
¶ 88 It is well established that "[A]n as-applied constitutional challenge is dependent on the particular circumstances and facts of the individual defendant or petitioner. Therefore, it is paramount that the record be sufficiently developed in terms of those facts and circumstances for purposes of appellate review."
People v. Thompson
,
¶ 89 II. The Punitive Nature of SORA, the Notification Law, and the Sex Offender Laws
¶ 90 Assuming the majority is correct and the record is sufficient to consider defendant's as-applied challenge under
People v. Cleary
,
¶ 91 In 2013, our supreme court stated, "To begin with, it is worth repeating that sex offender registration is not punishment."
People v. Cardona
,
¶ 92 III. Eighth Amendment and the Proportionate Penalties Clause
¶ 93 I do not share the majority's conclusions concerning defendant's challenge based on the eighth amendment and the proportionate penalties clause of the Illinois Constitution. These contentions must be resolved by considering objective criteria, including the gravity of the offense, the harshness of the penalty, and the sentences imposed on other criminals in the same jurisdiction.
Solem v. Helm
,
¶ 94 I am not troubled by the fact that defendant's conviction for a Class 2 felony subjects this defendant to the same classifications and obligations as sex offenders convicted of Class 1 or Class X felonies. I believe defendant's crime, regardless of its classification, remains disturbingly serious.
¶ 95 The majority minimizes the seriousness by noting defendant had a "relationship" with the victim that began when the victim posted her photo on MeetMe, a site restricted to adults only. These observations seem to unfairly shame or blame the victim and are not persuasive. Familiarity makes it easier to convince underage victims to cooperate with unlawful sex acts, making violence unnecessary. The fact that defendant was not a stranger to the victim and did not violently assault the victim does not diminish the gravity of the offense in my view.
¶ 96 I also disagree with the majority's statement that defendant's "lifetime subjection to sex offender laws is grossly disproportionate to [defendant's] crime." Not every act of criminal sexual abuse will result in the pregnancy of a minor. Certainly, any restrictions or inconvenience to this defendant, arising from the application of the sex offender laws at issue, pales in comparison to the life-altering and permanent changes the teenaged victim experienced. Here, the victim experienced nine months of pregnancy during high school, child birth, and the reality that she would be responsible for another life for the rest of her life.
¶ 97 Respectfully, I do not find laws that restrict this defendant from working within 500 feet of a school or public park, or within 100 feet of a school bus stop particularly disproportionate to this offense. The record does not indicate defendant is a student, will be a student, or has any reason to be present near a school. I also find it reassuring that this convicted sex offender must disclose his e-mail addresses, cyber identities, and instant message accounts as part of the registration requirements set forth in the sex offender laws. These restrictions, and others, will protect underage targets that defendant might attempt to win over with his sweet-talking, manipulative, communications in the future.
¶ 98 The requirement that defendant must notify law enforcement when he is away from home for three or more days does not appear to be burdensome to this *453 *41 defendant. The record does not contain any information that defendant travels frequently or is away from his residence for days at a time. Based on this record, I do not agree the regulations and restrictions defendant claims are unconstitutional in effect actually create any permanent disability for this defendant. He may still travel about, have a social life, have access to the Internet, find employment, and maintain appropriate sexual relationships with other adults.
¶ 99 Lastly, due to the paucity of the facts of record directly pertaining to the circumstances of this defendant, it is impossible for a reviewing court to accurately predict this defendant's risk to reoffend. Simply stated, this record does not support the conclusion that defendant is unlikely to reoffend.
¶ 100 Defendant's recidivist potential is evident in the circumstances of this offense. Once was not enough. Here, defendant repeatedly had sexual intercourse with a teenager on multiple occasions. In my view, defendant has already demonstrated his propensity to repeat the same criminal acts, again and again.
¶ 101 Respectfully, I observe that defendant's propensities did not go unnoticed by the trial court. After viewing defendant's demeanor during his recorded interview and his trial testimony, the trial court did not make a finding that defendant was unlikely to reoffend in the future. Nonetheless, the majority reaches a conclusion that defendant will not reoffend, where the trial court did not make the same finding based on the same information.
¶ 102 Finally, the sex offender evaluation in this record reveals defendant engaged in "a purposeful attempt to deceive the examiner." The evaluator also expressed concerns that defendant had a "tendency to not disclose information," and provided "erratic and inconsistent physiological responses" to several relevant questions. Surely, if defendant was not at risk to repeat this criminal misconduct, sex offender treatment would not be recommended in this case. Based on this record, I conclude defendant's eighth amendment and proportionality challenge under the Illinois Constitution are meritless because the consequences of his criminal conduct did not exceed the gravity of this offense.
¶ 103 IV. Summary
¶ 104 To summarize, I dissent because I believe this court should not address the constitutional issue at this time due to the incomplete record submitted to our court. Next, even if the record is sufficient to evaluate defendant's constitutional claim, existing precedent from this court and other courts, requires our court to conclude that SORA, the Notification Law, and the sex offender laws are not punitive. Finally, I reject the notion that the punishment defendant received is disproportionate to the gravity of his crime and conclude the record does not conclusively establish that this defendant will not reoffend when the opportunity arises.
¶ 105 Consequently, I concur in part and dissent in part.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- The PEOPLE of the State of Illinois, Plaintiff-Appellee, v. Kyle J. TETTER, Defendant-Appellant.
- Cited By
- 1 case
- Status
- Unpublished