Free Republic

On New Year’s Day, a dangerous but hilariously misnamed new law was set to take effect in Illinois. The “SAFE-T Act” was scheduled to alter the state’s handling of criminal prosecutions in ways that would make it much harder to prosecute and imprison criminals. One of the key facets of the bill would bring an end to cash bail in most cases, allowing even more suspects to be immediately put back out onto the streets after being detained. Prosecutors from across the state sued to prevent the rule from going into effect and last Wednesday a county judge found the...

Less than a month before those arrested in Illinois will no longer have the option of posting bail as a condition of release while awaiting trial, Gov. J.B. Pritzker quietly signed a package that makes significant changes to the law taking effect in January. In a press release Tuesday afternoon, Pritzker said the bill (HB1095) “addresses misinformation” and makes clarifications “that uphold the principle we fought to protect: to bring an end to a system where wealthy violent offenders can buy their way out of jail, while less fortunate nonviolent offenders wait in jail for trial.” The changes approved last...