The People v. Curtis Smith

Curtis Smith filed a pro se petition in the circuit court of Cook County pursuant to the Post-Conviction Hearing Act (Ill. Rev. Stat. 1965, ch. 38, art. 122) alleging certain infirmities in his convictions upon pleas of guilty to 6 indictments charging him with 2 rapes, 2 robberies and 2 assaults with intent to commit rape. The State’s motion to dismiss that petition was allowed, and the case appealed here. We reversed and remanded (People v. Smith, 37 Ill.2d 622) for a new hearing in order that petitioner might be represented by counsel other than the public defender (petitioner had alleged…