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Controversy over Illinois' Safe-T Act rages on
Some in Illinois are concerned, because the Safe-T Act limits who can be arrested and held in jail based on their alleged crime.
CHICAGO - Republican nominee for Illinois attorney general Tom DeVore, along with other political leaders, are calling on changes to be made to the Safe-T Act.
DeVore joins a list of other nominees and politicians pushing for the law to be amended before it takes effect come January 1, 2023.
The new law will end cash bail, the percentage required for a suspect to be released from jail.
ILLINOIS SAFE-T ACT WHICH WILL END CASH BAIL EXPLAINED
Whether a detainee does or does not qualify for pretrial release will depend on how the judge decides. If the suspect is deemed a flight risk or a risk to the community, that detainee could remain behind bars.
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But some are concerned, because the law limits who can be arrested and held in jail based on their alleged crime.
"This bill was crammed through at the last minute by special interest groups without our legislature, both Democrat and Republican, having ample opportunity to review it and for the public to see it," DeVore said. "Now, the legislature is paralyzed and they don’t want to address it."
PRITZKER 'SETS RECORD STRAIGHT' ON SAFE-T ACT WHICH ENDS CASH BAIL IN ILLINOIS
"What I saw in bond court was how arbitrary this system is when it comes to giving people an I-bond or D-bond," said Democrat state Sen. Robert Peters. "It has nothing to do with safety or actually even really their ability to pay. And it seems to me like having such an arbitrary system and not one grounded in the realities of the needs or people is really problematic."
That group was part of the Illinois Network of Pretrial Justice, observing bond court Thursday morning in support of bail reform.
The Illinois Freedom Caucus is hosting a virtual town hall on the new law Thursday night to discuss what it means for communities and what citizens can do to repeal it.
Several state lawmakers and county sheriffs are slated to be on the panel.
The town hall will begin at 6 p.m. on the Illinois Freedom Caucus’ Facebook page.