People v. West

Petitioner, Thomas Paul West, appeals the dismissal of his petition for relief pursuant to the Post-Conviction Hearing Act (Ill. Rev. Stat. 1989, ch. 38, par. 122—1 et seq.). The dismissal was grounded on the fact that post-conviction relief is unavailable where, as here, the underlying sentence has been fully served. The appellate court affirmed. (209 Ill. App. 3d 1019.) We agree.

West was convicted of voluntary manslaughter in 1981 and ultimately completed and served a four-year prison sentence on that conviction. Subsequently, in 1988, West was sentenced to death in Arizona for murder. An…