The People of the State of Illinois, Plaintiff-Appellee, v. Antonio Sanchez, Defendant-Appellant

The trial court ruled that defendant was statutorily ineligible for mental health court based on the charges. Defense counsel sought to have defendant sentenced to Swift, Certain, and Fair (SCF) probation,* but the State indicated that it would not support such sentencing despite a report from the probation department finding that defendant was an acceptable candidate for that program. The court, over the State’s objection, allowed defendant a furlough to receive extended inpatient substance abuse treatment. Defendant then spent five months in an inpatient substance abuse treatment program.
*SCF probation is a DeKalb County initiative under which an offender receives immediate prespecified sanctions for specific violations.