People v. Young , 425 Ill. Dec. 639 ( 2018 )


Menu:
  •                                       
    2018 IL 122598
    IN THE
    SUPREME COURT
    OF
    THE STATE OF ILLINOIS
    (Docket No. 122598)
    THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, Appellee, v.
    NELSON YOUNG, Appellant.
    Opinion filed September 20, 2018.
    JUSTICE NEVILLE delivered the judgment of the court, with opinion.
    Chief Justice Karmeier and Justices Thomas, Kilbride, Garman, Burke, and
    Theis concurred in the judgment and opinion.
    OPINION
    ¶1       Defendant, Nelson Young, was convicted of first degree murder (720 ILCS
    5/9-1(a)(2) (West 2004)). The circuit court of Morgan County sentenced him to
    serve a term of 40 years in prison, with 215 days of presentence custody credit, and
    also imposed certain fines and fees. Defendant subsequently filed a successive
    postconviction petition, which was dismissed on the State’s motion. On appeal,
    defendant argued, inter alia, that the circuit court erred in failing to award him the
    correct amount of presentence custody credit as required by statute.
    ¶2       The appellate court declined to address defendant’s claim for additional
    presentence custody credit. 
    2017 IL App (4th) 150575-U
    . This court allowed
    defendant’s petition for leave to appeal. Ill. S. Ct. R. 315 (eff. July 1, 2017).
    ¶3                                    I. BACKGROUND
    ¶4        In July 2005, defendant was charged with first degree murder (720 ILCS
    5/9-1(a)(2) (West 2004)) for the stabbing death of his girlfriend, Eva Marie Davis.
    After undergoing a fitness examination, defendant was found unfit to stand trial in
    December 2005. He was temporarily transferred to the Department of Human
    Services for treatment and, following a second fitness hearing, was found fit for
    trial in March 2006. Defendant was tried and convicted by a jury, and the circuit
    court sentenced him to serve 40 years in prison, with 215 days of presentence
    custody credit. The court also ordered him to pay court costs and a DNA analysis
    fee. Sometime thereafter, the clerk of the circuit court recorded additional fines
    against defendant that had not been imposed by the circuit court as part of his
    sentence.
    ¶5       On direct appeal, defendant argued that the circuit court erred in admitting
    other-crimes evidence. The appellate court rejected that claim and affirmed his
    conviction and sentence. People v. Young, 
    381 Ill. App. 3d 595
    (2008).
    ¶6       In April 2009, defendant, pro se, filed a petition for postconviction relief under
    the Post-Conviction Hearing Act (725 ILCS 5/122-1 et seq. (West 2008)), asserting
    that his trial counsel was ineffective based on his counsel’s trial strategy, including
    decisions regarding the presentation of or objection to evidence and the failure to
    pursue defenses other than accident. The circuit court dismissed the petition as
    frivolous and patently without merit. See 
    id. § 122-2.1(a)(2).
    That judgment was
    affirmed on appeal. People v. Young, No. 4-09-0486 (2011) (unpublished order
    under Illinois Supreme Court Rule 23).
    ¶7      In October 2014, defendant pro se filed a petition seeking postjudgment relief
    under section 2-1401 of the Code of Civil Procedure (735 ILCS 5/2-1401 (West
    -2­
    2014)). In that petition, defendant alleged that his trial counsel was ineffective for
    failing to advise the circuit court of certain facts showing that he was unfit to stand
    trial. Defendant further asserted that his right to due process had been violated
    because he was unfit at the time of trial. As relief, defendant requested the court to
    order a psychological evaluation to determine whether he was fit at the time of trial.
    ¶8         The circuit court recharacterized the petition as a successive postconviction
    petition and advanced it to second-stage proceedings. 1 The court ultimately granted
    the State’s motion to dismiss. Defendant sought reconsideration, contending,
    inter alia, that the circuit court erred by recharacterizing his petition as a successive
    postconviction petition without notifying him. In addition, defendant requested that
    the court vacate the dismissal and appoint counsel to represent him at the
    second-stage proceedings. The circuit court denied defendant’s request for
    reconsideration.
    ¶9         On appeal, defendant raised three issues. First, he argued that the circuit court
    erred by recharacterizing his petition for relief from judgment as a successive
    postconviction petition without first admonishing him in accordance with People v.
    Pearson, 
    216 Ill. 2d 58
    (2005). Second, he requested that the appellate court vacate
    certain fines recorded against him by the circuit clerk because they had not been
    imposed by the court as part of his sentence. Third, defendant asserted that the
    circuit court erred in calculating the amount of presentence custody credit to which
    he was entitled under section 5-4.5-100 of the Unified Code of Corrections (730
    ILCS 5/5-4.5-100 (West 2014)). With regard to this contention, defendant
    requested that the appellate court grant him 183 days of additional credit based on
    the amount of time he was held in custody prior to the imposition of his sentence.
    ¶ 10       The appellate court agreed with defendant on the first two issues. Accordingly,
    the appellate court vacated the dismissal of his successive postconviction petition
    and remanded the case for proper admonishments in compliance with Pearson.
    
    2017 IL App (4th) 150575-U
    , ¶¶ 34-38. The appellate court also vacated three fines
    that were recorded against defendant by the circuit clerk but were not included as
    part of the circuit court’s judgment. 
    Id. ¶ 46.
    With regard to defendant’s request for
    1
    Although the petition was advanced to second-stage proceedings, the circuit court did
    not appoint counsel to represent defendant.
    -3­
    additional presentence custody credit, the appellate court concluded that it lacked
    jurisdiction to consider the issue because it determined that such a claim cannot be
    raised for the first time on appeal from postconviction proceedings. As a result, the
    appellate court declined to address the merits of defendant’s claim. 
    Id. ¶¶ 42-44.
    ¶ 11       Defendant appeals to this court. Additional pertinent facts will be discussed in
    the context of the issues raised on appeal.
    ¶ 12                                      II. ANALYSIS
    ¶ 13       The central issue in this appeal is whether defendant’s claim for presentence
    custody credit under section 5-4.5-100 of the Unified Code of Corrections (730
    ILCS 5/5-4.5-100 (West 2014)) is procedurally defaulted because it was asserted
    for the first time on appeal from postconviction proceedings. The determination of
    whether a claim is procedurally barred presents a question of law subject to de novo
    review. People v. Thompson, 
    2015 IL 118151
    , ¶ 25. In addition, our resolution of
    this issue requires statutory construction, which also presents a question of law that
    we review de novo. See People v. Manning, 
    2018 IL 122081
    , ¶ 16.
    ¶ 14       As an initial matter, we address the appellate court’s assessment of its
    jurisdiction to address defendant’s claim for presentence custody credit. See
    Thompson, 
    2015 IL 118151
    , ¶ 26 (noting that a court of review has an independent
    duty to consider jurisdiction). The appellate court refused to consider the
    custody-credit claim, stating that it “lack[ed] jurisdiction” to do so. 2017 IL App
    (4th) 150575-U, ¶ 43. That determination was mistaken. The appellate court
    obtained jurisdiction in this matter when defendant timely filed a notice of appeal
    from the dismissal of his successive postconviction petition. See Thompson, 
    2015 IL 118151
    , ¶ 26. Although the appellate court’s statement regarding its jurisdiction
    was inaccurate, the court ultimately determined that defendant’s request for
    presentence custody credit was not properly presented because such a claim could
    not be raised for the first time on appeal from postconviction proceedings. 2017 IL
    App (4th) 150575-U, ¶ 44. We, therefore, address the parties’ arguments as to the
    propriety of that conclusion.
    ¶ 15      Defendant argues that the appellate court erred in refusing to grant him an
    additional 183 days of presentence custody credit based on his failure to assert that
    -4­
    claim in prior proceedings. The State responds that the appellate court properly
    declined to address the sentence-credit claim because it had been forfeited. 2
    ¶ 16       The Post-Conviction Hearing Act (Act) (725 ILCS 5/122-1 et seq. (West
    2014)) provides a remedy to criminal defendants who claim that substantial
    violations of their federal or state constitutional rights occurred in the prosecutions
    that resulted in their convictions. A postconviction proceeding is a collateral attack,
    not an appeal seeking review of the judgment. The purpose of a postconviction
    action is to permit inquiry into constitutional issues involved in the original trial
    that have not been, and could not have been, adjudicated previously upon direct
    review. Issues that were raised and decided on direct review are barred by the
    doctrine of res judicata, and issues that could have been presented on direct review,
    but were not, are procedurally defaulted. People v. Taylor, 
    237 Ill. 2d 356
    , 371-72
    (2010). Also, any claim that is not included in the original or an amended petition is
    forfeited. 725 ILCS 5/122-3 (West 2014); People v. Pendleton, 
    223 Ill. 2d 458
    , 475
    (2006); People v. Jones, 
    211 Ill. 2d 140
    , 144-45 (2004). However, a forfeited claim
    may be raised in a successive postconviction petition if the defendant can satisfy
    the cause-and-prejudice test. 725 ILCS 5/122-1(f) (West 2014); Pendleton, 
    223 Ill. 2d
    at 476; 
    Jones, 211 Ill. 2d at 148-49
    .
    ¶ 17        In this case, it is uncontroverted that defendant’s claim for additional
    presentence custody credit under section 5-4.5-100 has been forfeited. Defendant
    did not object to the presentence-credit calculation at the time of sentencing, in his
    initial posttrial motion, in his amended posttrial motion, or in the motion seeking a
    reduction of his sentence. The issue was not raised on direct appeal as plain error or
    as the basis for a claim of ineffective assistance of trial counsel, nor was it
    presented in a timely filed section 2-1401 petition. Defendant’s initial
    2
    Throughout its brief, the State refers to defendant’s petition as seeking relief under
    section 2-1401, as it was labeled and initially presented in the circuit court. However, the
    appellate court concluded that the trial court had recharacterized that document as a
    successive postconviction petition and remanded for the necessary Pearson
    admonishments, which would not be required or appropriate for a section 2-1401 petition.
    The State has not argued that the appellate court erred in its recharacterization
    determination or that the remand was improper. Accordingly, we address the issues
    presented here under the law governing postconviction proceedings.
    -5­
    postconviction petition did not assert the claim or allege that appellate counsel was
    ineffective for failing to present it on direct appeal. Finally, defendant did not
    include the claim in his successive petition, which is the subject of this appeal.
    ¶ 18       Defendant does not dispute that his custody-credit claim could have been raised
    in those proceedings. He argues, however, that his failure to assert the claim earlier
    is of no moment because a claim for presentence custody credit is immune to the
    rules of procedural default. In particular, defendant claims that the applicable
    statutory language and relevant Illinois jurisprudence permits the assertion of his
    claim on appeal from the dismissal of his successive postconviction petition.
    ¶ 19       In addressing defendant’s argument, we must construe the language codified in
    the presentence custody credit statute (730 ILCS 5/5-4.5-100 (West 2014). The
    primary objective in construing a statute is to ascertain and give effect to the intent
    of the legislature. The most reliable indicator of legislative intent is the language of
    the statute, given its plain and ordinary meaning. A court must view the statute as a
    whole, construing words and phrases in light of other relevant statutory provisions
    and not in isolation. Each word, clause, and sentence of a statute must be given a
    reasonable meaning, if possible, and should not be rendered superfluous. In
    general, courts will not depart from the statute’s plain language by reading into it
    exceptions, limitations, or conditions the legislature did not express. People v.
    Casas, 
    2017 IL 120797
    , ¶ 18.
    ¶ 20       Section 5-4.5-100(b) of the Unified Code of Corrections provides, in pertinent
    part, as follows:
    “the offender shall be given credit on the determinate sentence or maximum
    term and the minimum period of imprisonment for the number of days spent in
    custody as a result of the offense for which the sentence was imposed. *** The
    trial court may give credit to the defendant for the number of days spent
    confined for psychiatric or substance abuse treatment prior to judgment, if the
    court finds that the detention or confinement was custodial.” 730 ILCS
    5/5-4.5-100(b) (West 2014). 3
    3
    At the time defendant was sentenced in 2006, presentence custody credit was
    governed by section 5-8-7 of the Unified Code of Corrections (730 ILCS 5/5-8-7(b) (West
    -6­
    ¶ 21       Defendant argues that, because section 5-4.5-100 provides that the grant of
    credit is mandatory and does not include any limitation restricting when credit
    requests may be asserted, claims for sentence credit under that provision are not
    subject to forfeiture. According to defendant, claims for presentence custody credit
    must be treated in the same manner as claims for per diem monetary credit under
    section 110-14 of the Code of Criminal Procedure of 1963 (725 ILCS 5/110-14
    (West 2014)). In support of this argument, defendant relies on People v. Woodard,
    
    175 Ill. 2d 435
    (1997), and People v. Caballero, 
    228 Ill. 2d 79
    (2008).
    ¶ 22       Both Woodard and Caballero addressed the viability of claims for per diem
    monetary credit that were raised for the first time on appeal. Woodard did so in the
    context of a direct appeal 
    (Woodard, 175 Ill. 2d at 438
    ), and Caballero did so in the
    context of an appeal from postconviction proceedings 
    (Caballero, 228 Ill. 2d at 81
    ).
    In resolving each case, the court examined the language of section 110-14. 
    Id. at 83;
           
    Woodard, 175 Ill. 2d at 440
    , 444. The per diem monetary credit statute provides, in
    pertinent part, that a person incarcerated on a bailable offense “shall be allowed a
    credit of $5 for each day so incarcerated upon application of the defendant.” 725
    ILCS 5/110-14(a) (West 2016).
    ¶ 23        In Woodard, the court noted that the right to monetary credit is mandatory and
    shall be granted “upon application” for it. 
    Woodard, 175 Ill. 2d at 444
    . In addition,
    the court also noted that the statute imposes no limitation restricting the time frame
    during which the application must be made. 
    Id. The Woodard
    court held that, under
    the plain language of section 110-14, “the statutory right to a per diem credit is
    conferred in mandatory terms while being subject to a defendant’s application. As
    such, the ‘normal rules’ of waiver do not apply [citation], and the right is
    cognizable on appeal as a matter of course subject to a defendant’s application for
    it.” 
    Id. at 457.
    Lastly, after concluding that the statutory language permitted the
    defendant to initially request per diem credit on appeal, the court observed that “the
    mandatory credit in section 5-8-7(b) *** has been treated similarly” by the
    appellate court. 
    Id. 2006)). That
    section was repealed in 2009 and replaced by section 5-4.5-100. No relevant
    changes were made to the language or substance of the provisions.
    -7­
    ¶ 24        In Caballero, the court initially found that a claim for the per diem monetary
    credit under section 110-14 is a statutory right that is not cognizable under the Act.
    
    Caballero, 228 Ill. 2d at 87
    . The court went on to explain that the defendant’s credit
    request did not allege a violation of a constitutional right but was, instead, merely
    an application for a different type of statutory relief. 
    Id. at 87-88.
    The court also
    noted that section 110-14 lacked a specified time frame or procedural stage for a
    defendant to make such an application and that the grant of such credit was a
    “ ‘ “simple ministerial act” ’ ” that would promote judicial economy by precluding
    further proceedings on that matter. 
    Id. (quoting Woodard,
    175 Ill. 2d at 456,
    quoting People v. Scott, 
    277 Ill. App. 3d 565
    , 566 (1996)). The court then held that
    “if, as in this case, the basis for granting the application of the defendant is clear and
    available from the record, the appellate court may, in the ‘interests of an orderly
    administration of justice,’ grant the relief requested.” 
    Id. at 88.
    The Caballero court
    also acknowledged Woodard’s general observation that the appellate court had
    treated presentence custody credit and monetary per diem credit similarly. 
    Id. at 84
           (citing 
    Woodard, 175 Ill. 2d at 457
    ).
    ¶ 25       In asserting that his custody-credit claim is not subject to procedural default,
    defendant points out that in cases decided after Caballero the appellate court has
    not been consistent in granting claims for presentence custody credit under section
    5-4.5-100 that are raised for the first time on appeal. See People v. Truesdell, 
    2017 IL App (3d) 150383
    , ¶ 19 (granting credit on appeal from postconviction
    proceedings); People v. Ross, 
    2015 IL App (3d) 130077
    , ¶¶ 22-23 (same); People v.
    Purcell, 
    2013 IL App (2d) 110810
    , ¶¶ 8-9, 18 (same); People v. Harper, 387 Ill.
    App. 3d 240, 244 (2008) (same). But see 
    2017 IL App (4th) 150575-U
    , ¶ 44
    (refusing to grant credit); People v. Morrison, 
    2016 IL App (4th) 140712
    , ¶ 19-21
    (same); People v. Nelson, 
    2016 IL App (4th) 140168
    , ¶ 39 (same). Defendant
    asserts that this divergence in our appellate court must be resolved in favor of
    allowing such claims to be presented in the appellate court even where they were
    not raised in prior proceedings. According to defendant, all of the factors that
    animated the decisions in Caballero and Woodard are present in this case and,
    therefore, the same result should obtain here. We do not agree.
    ¶ 26       In both Caballero and Woodard, the conclusion that a per diem credit claim
    could be asserted for the first time on appeal was specifically predicated on the fact
    that section 110-14 provided that the mandatory per diem credit is to be granted
    -8­
    “upon application of the defendant” without any specified time limitation for that
    application. 
    Caballero, 228 Ill. 2d at 83
    , 87-88; 
    Woodard, 175 Ill. 2d at 444
    , 457. In
    contrast, section 5-4.5-100 does not provide that presentence custody credit is to be
    granted “upon application of the defendant,” nor does it contain any other language
    indicating that the normal rules of procedural default do not apply to claims for
    such credit. See 730 ILCS 5/5-4.5-100 (West 2014). Defendant argues against
    placing too much emphasis on the “upon application” phrase and stresses that it
    was just one of several reasons underlying the decisions in Caballero and
    Woodard. This argument is unpersuasive. A careful reading of those cases reveals
    that the “upon application” language was pivotal to this court’s reasoning. In fact, it
    was the lynchpin of the analysis because it demonstrated the legislature’s intent to
    permit a request for per diem credit in the appellate court, even where the issue has
    not been properly preserved for review. As this court has recognized, the inclusion
    of that statutory language was a specific and exceptional circumstance justifying a
    departure from our usual rules of procedural default. See People v. Lewis, 
    234 Ill. 2d
    32, 42 (2009) (distinguishing the statutory basis for the decision in Woodard).
    Moreover, the general observation in Caballero and Woodard that our appellate
    court has treated the two types of sentence credit similarly does not detract from
    this conclusion. See 
    Caballero, 228 Ill. 2d at 84
    ; 
    Woodard, 175 Ill. 2d at 457
    .
    Neither Caballero nor Woodard examined the provision governing presentence
    custody credit or specifically addressed whether that language could be construed
    to require that procedural default be excused. Because section 5-4.5-100 does not
    contain language demonstrating a legislative intent that claims for presentence
    custody credit are not subject to forfeiture, the reasoning employed in Caballero
    and Woodard does not apply.
    ¶ 27       Defendant urges that to treat claims for presentence custody credit differently
    from per diem credit claims is unduly harsh because the entitlement to credit that
    will reduce the amount of time a prisoner is confined involves significant liberty
    interests—concerns that are not at issue in claims for monetary credit against fines.
    We acknowledge the logic underlying defendant’s contention. However, our
    decision is grounded in the plain language of section 5-4.5-100 and the fact that the
    legislature has not included the “upon application” language that was deliberately
    included in the provision governing per diem monetary credit. See People v.
    Williams, 
    239 Ill. 2d 503
    , 510 (2011) (rejecting the argument that section 5-4.5-100
    -9­
    must be construed in the same manner as section 110-14, which is part of an
    entirely separate code).
    ¶ 28       We next address defendant’s argument that Illinois Supreme Court Rule 615(b)
    (eff. Jan. 1, 1967) permitted the appellate court to grant his claim for presentence
    custody credit despite the fact that it was raised for the first time on appeal from
    postconviction proceedings. See e.g., People v. Andrews, 
    365 Ill. App. 3d 696
    , 699
    (2006). Rule 615(b)(1) provides that a court of review may “modify the judgment
    or order from which the appeal is taken,” as limited by subsection (b)(4), which
    permits a reviewing court to “reduce the punishment imposed by the trial court.” Ill.
    S. Ct. R. 615(b)(1), (4) (eff. Jan. 1, 1967). However, the grant of authority to
    modify a judgment of the circuit court cannot be isolated from the limitation that
    immediately follows—that modification must affect the judgment from which the
    appeal is taken. The judgment at issue in this case is not the sentencing order
    entered by the circuit court in 2006. Rather, the challenged judgment is the
    dismissal of defendant’s successive postconviction petition, which did not assert
    any claim based on the miscalculation of presentence custody credit. This court has
    previously explained that, because the appellate court does not possess supervisory
    authority (see Ill. Const. 1970, art. VI, § 16 (“General administrative and
    supervisory authority over all courts is vested in the Supreme Court ***.”)), it
    cannot address postconviction claims that are not raised in the initial petition.
    People v. Jones, 
    213 Ill. 2d 498
    , 507 (2004). The same rule applies to a successive
    postconviction petition. The authority granted by Rule 615(b) presumes that the
    issue underlying the requested relief is properly before the reviewing court. That
    circumstance does not exist in cases where a statutory claim for presentence
    custody credit is presented for the first time on appeal from the dismissal of either
    an initial or a successive postconviction petition that did not assert the claim. 
    Id. ¶ 29
           Defendant also argues that the appellate court should have addressed his
    statutory claim for presentence custody credit as a motion to correct the mittimus.
    See e.g., People v. Brown, 
    371 Ill. App. 3d 972
    , 986 (2007); People v. Wren, 
    223 Ill. App. 3d 722
    , 731 (1992). This argument is misguided. As this court has
    recognized, although a circuit court may not modify its judgment after it has lost
    jurisdiction over a case, it may correct the mittimus so that it accurately reflects the
    judgment that was entered. People v. Latona, 
    184 Ill. 2d 260
    , 278 (1998). Also, the
    correction of a mittimus can be accomplished at any time. 
    Id. This authority
    - 10 ­
    extends to the appellate court by virtue of Illinois Supreme Court Rule 366(a)(5)
    (eff. Feb. 1, 1994), which permits a reviewing court to enter any order that ought to
    have been made. However, the appellate court is authorized to order correction of a
    mittimus only where it is inconsistent with the judgment entered by the circuit
    court.
    ¶ 30       That is not the circumstance presented here. Defendant does not, and cannot,
    assert that the mittimus is inaccurate in this case because the judgment entered by
    the circuit court granted him 215 days of presentence custody credit. The relief
    defendant seeks is not correction of the mittimus but, rather, amendment of the
    sentencing judgment to reflect the correct calculation of the amount of presentence
    custody credit to which he is entitled. See 735 ILCS 5/2-1801(a) (West 2014)
    (providing that a copy of the circuit court’s judgment constitutes the mittimus).
    That is not something that can be accomplished by the appellate court on appeal
    from the dismissal of a successive postconviction petition that did not raise the
    claim.
    ¶ 31        As set forth above, we find no recognized exception that applies in this case to
    excuse the procedural default of the custody-credit claim. Consequently, the
    appellate court properly refused to grant the credit requested by defendant for the
    first time in his appeal from the dismissal of his postconviction petition. To the
    extent that the appellate court’s decisions in Andrews, Brown, and Wren hold to the
    contrary, they are hereby overruled.
    ¶ 32       Defendant has argued, in the alternative, that this court should announce a new
    rule in this opinion to allow a defendant to seek correction of a miscalculation of
    presentence custody credit at any time and at any stage of proceedings. We decline
    defendant’s request. The assertion of an error in sentencing credit is best resolved
    in the circuit court, where any factual disputes as to the proper amount of credit can
    be adjudicated. Moreover, in People ex rel. Berlin v. Bakalis, 
    2018 IL 122435
    ,
    ¶ 27, this court recently referred this matter to our rules committee. The proposal
    referred to the rules committee in Bakalis encompasses defendant’s request to the
    extent that, if adopted, it will provide a mechanism that would enable defendants to
    obtain a corrected calculation of presentence custody credit in the circuit court.
    ¶ 33      As a second alternative argument, defendant requests that we exercise our
    supervisory authority to grant him the additional 183 days of presentence custody
    - 11 ­
    credit. The State does not oppose the request that we exercise our supervisory
    authority but asserts that granting the additional credit outright is inappropriate in
    this case. The State points out that an award of credit for time spent confined for
    psychiatric treatment prior to judgment is discretionary and may be granted if the
    circuit court finds that the detention or confinement was custodial. 730 ILCS
    5/5-4.5-100 (West 2014). As a consequence, the State contends that this case
    should be remanded to the circuit court for a determination of the correct amount of
    credit to which defendant is entitled. We agree that this is a question best answered
    by the circuit court.
    ¶ 34       Accordingly, in the exercise of our supervisory authority (Ill. Const. 1970, art.
    VI, § 16), we order the circuit court to address defendant’s claim on remand and
    determine the amount of additional presentence custody credit to which he is
    entitled. In addition, we order the circuit court to appoint counsel to represent
    defendant at the proceedings on remand.
    ¶ 35       Finally, we address defendant’s citation of our recent decision in People v.
    Vara, 
    2018 IL 121823
    , as it relates to the appellate court’s judgment in this case. In
    Vara, we held that the appellate court lacks jurisdiction to consider a challenge
    directed at fines recorded by the circuit clerk that were not included in the sentence.
    
    Id. ¶¶ 13-23,
    30. As explained in Vara, although the recording of fines not imposed
    by the court is invalid, the clerk’s action is not subject to direct review because the
    appellate court is vested with jurisdiction to review only final judgments entered by
    the circuit court. 
    Id. ¶¶ 23,
    30.
    ¶ 36       In appealing the dismissal of his successive postconviction petition, defendant
    requested the vacatur of three fines recorded against him by the circuit clerk: the
    $50 court-finance assessment, the $10 medical-costs assessment, and the $25
    violent-crime-victims-assistance assessment. 
    2017 IL App (4th) 150575-U
    , ¶ 46.
    The State conceded the invalidity of those assessments, and the appellate court
    ordered that they be vacated by the circuit court. 
    Id. In accordance
    with our
    decision in Vara, we hold that the appellate court did not have jurisdiction to
    address defendant’s challenge of the invalid assessments. Accordingly, we vacate
    the portion of the appellate court’s judgment directing that the assessments be
    vacated by the circuit court.
    - 12 ­
    ¶ 37                                  III. CONCLUSION
    ¶ 38       For the foregoing reasons, the judgment of the appellate court is affirmed in
    part and vacated in part, and the cause is remanded to the circuit court for further
    proceedings as ordered by the appellate court and consistent with the views
    expressed herein.
    ¶ 39      Appellate court judgment affirmed in part and vacated in part.
    ¶ 40      Cause remanded with directions.
    - 13 ­