People v. Smith

Defendant was convicted, after bench trial, of escape. Defendant failed to overcome presumption that trial judge knew the law and applied it correctly in sentencing Defendant to extended term. Charge of $50 imposed by County under Section 5-1101(c) of Counties Code is a fine as it is essentially punitive and not compensatory. That amount of assessment is correlated directly with severity of offense shows that assessment is punitive and not compensatory.(BIRKETT and SPENCE, concurring.)