SAFE-T Act
QUINCY — Most people involved in local law enforcement had their doubts about the need for and effectiveness of the SAFE-T Act before it became law on Sept. 18, 2023. The act recently celebrated its first anniversary, and while those same local law enforcement officials aren’t singing its praises, they say some — not all…
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SPRINGFIELD – One year after Illinois became the first state in the nation to eliminate the use of cash bail, the impact on the state’s criminal justice system appears to have been far less dramatic than people on either side of the debate had predicted. That, at least, is the early indication from an analysis…
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SPRINGFIELD – The Illinois Supreme Court heard arguments Tuesday in a pair of cases that test the authority of local courts to hold criminal suspects behind bars while they await trial. The cases come almost one year to the day after the court allowed a new law abolishing the use of cash bail in Illinois to take…
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The SAFE-T Act is again making headlines in Illinois with the pretrial release of an individual accused of being under the influence and crashing his vehicle into a sheriff’s deputy’s vehicle, killing her. State Rep. Dennis Tipsword, R-Metamora, who also serves as the Woodford county chief deputy sheriff, said what Nathan Sweeney, 44, who was…
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The implementation of the controversial SAFE-T Act in Illinois continues to put a strain on state coffers. The Illinois Law Enforcement Training and Standards Board, which is responsible for training and certifying law enforcement officers, is hoping to receive $23 million in state taxpayer funds to improve curriculum and pay instructors. Officials from ILETSB told…
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QUINCY — A mass exodus of prisoners from the Adams County Jail did not happen Monday morning when Illinois became the first state in the U.S. to eliminate the cash bail system. Judges no longer can hold people in jail pretrial unless he charges them with specific, serious felonies and they pose a safety or…
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Illinois on Monday will become the first state to fully abolish cash bail through an act of the legislature — a major criminal justice overhaul spurred by the advocacy of a progressive faction of the Democratic Party that’s grown increasingly powerful in recent years. The reform goes into effect after nearly three years of brutal…
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The Illinois Supreme Court on July 18 ruled as constitutional a new law making Illinois the first state to eliminate cash bail, and giving local law enforcement a Sept. 18 start date. The Pretrial Fairness Act portion of the SAFE-T Act originally suffered from conflicting and layered standards for detaining suspects before trial, but was amended to…
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QUINCY — Adams County State’s Attorney Gary Farha said he wasn’t surprised with this week’s Illinois Supreme Court ruling that upheld a state law to virtually eliminate no cash bail. Farha said his office was told on Friday the action was coming. He said the Illinois General Assembly made amendments to the law during last…
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SPRINGFIELD – An appeal to the Illinois Supreme Court regarding the constitutionality of a state law that would end cash bail appears to be at least two months away from resolution under a new timeline approved by the court Thursday. Attorney General Kwame Raoul filed the agreed motion setting the timeline for the high court’s appeal of…
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The Illinois Supreme Court stayed the controversial no-cash bail provisions of the SAFE-T Act Dec. 31, halting the elimination of cash bail statewide while the lower court’s decision is heard on appeal. The order targeting the pretrial provision of the Safety, Accountability, Fairness and Equality-Today Act came just hours before the omnibus bill was set to take…
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SPRINGFIELD – A Kankakee County judge ruled Wednesday that lawmakers overreached their constitutional authority in passing a measure to abolish cash bail in Illinois, while other provisions in the wide-ranging SAFE-T Act criminal justice reform were not affected by the ruling. The ruling by Judge Thomas W. Cunnington leaves the impending cash bail reform in limbo…
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A Kankakee County judge has ruled that the part of the controversial SAFE-T Act that ends cash bail across is unconstitutional. Judge Thomas W. Cunnington issued the ruling Wednesday night and it comes four days before cash bail was to be abolished across the state. In his ruling, Cunnington wrote “the appropriateness of bail rests…
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CHICAGO – Governor JB Pritzker signed HB1095 on Tuesday, which provides a series of amendments and clarifications to the SAFE-T Act, originally passed in 2021. The bill clarifies the detention net, expands processes for transitioning to cashless bail on January 1, and offers specifying definitions of willful flight and dangerousness, among other changes. “I’m pleased that…
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SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – Lawmakers on Thursday passed a long-awaited amendment to the SAFE-T Act criminal justice reform’s provisions that will eliminate cash bail when the calendar hits 2023. The measure expands the list of crimes for which a judge can order pretrial detention, adds to what a judge can consider when determining if a defendant…
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SPRINGFIELD – State Sen. Jil Tracy (R-Quincy) says legislative changes approved Thursday by the Senate do make improvements to the controversial SAFE-T Act but do not fully address the front-line concerns of public safety personnel tasked with protecting Illinoisans. “The changes approved Dec. 1 contain some much-needed changes. However, many glaring shortcomings remain. I support our…
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SPRINGFIELD – Two days before lawmakers were scheduled to adjourn for the year, one of the lead negotiators of the SAFE-T Act criminal justice reform filed a long-awaited amendment detailing several changes to the landmark cash bail overhaul. Sen. Robert Peters, D-Chicago, filed a 308-page amendment to House Bill 1095 on Tuesday that contained several…
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Local governments in Illinois should brace for the unknown with some expecting conflicts between the SAFE-T Act and a looming constitutional amendment enshrining collective bargaining rights. Illinois state lawmakers are back in Springfield Tuesday for the final three days of session before the SAFE-T Act’s no-cash bail law takes effect Jan. 1. When lawmakers were…
Read Full Article The SAFE-T Act has been the source of plenty of controversy during the 2022 election cycle, becoming a favorite campaign issue for those skeptical of criminal justice reform broadly and no-cash bail in particular. Criminal justice reform advocates pushed back, labeling attacks on the bill as cynical fearmongering. So who is right? While some states have moved towards eliminating cash…
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SPRINGFIELD – Changes may yet come to the SAFE-T Act criminal justice reform before its Jan. 1 effective date, but some of its major proponents in the General Assembly said the results of the Nov. 8 general election have signified that the ship has sailed for drastic amendments to it. “I will say, when it…
Read Full Article A bi-partisan group of 62 state’s attorneys in Illinois — including state’s attorneys from Adams, Brown and Hancock counties — who have sued to overturn the SAFE-T Act released a joint statement on Monday, asking the Illinois Supreme Court to declare the law “null and void.” “As the chief legal officers of our respective counties, we…
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Researchers at Loyola University of Chicago add data to public safety conversation SPRINGFIELD – While a new law overhauling Illinois’ system of pretrial detention continues to face scrutiny ahead of its Jan. 1 implementation date, new research suggests that the old cash-based system “results in much less pretrial detention than is generally assumed.” That’s according…
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Chris Pratt with the Adams County Public Defender’s Office talks about why the Safe-T Act is a good idea. David Adam hosts this week’s program, brought to you by Harvey’s Furniture.
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Reforms in the criminal justice system undoubtedly were needed and probably still are. Passing the 764-page SAFE-T Act without the customary vetting of legislation might well not be what’s needed. Still, come Jan. 1, 2023, it’s the law. Muddy River News has published articles about the SAFE-T Act. For those wanting to know more, Sen.…
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A town hall meeting about the SAFE-T act was held Wednesday, Oct. 19, 2022 at John Wood Community College. Speakers were Justin Oliver, sheriff of Brown County; Adam Yates, chief of the Quincy Police Department; Todd Eyler and Gary Farha with the state’s attorney’s office in Adams County; and State Sen. Jil Tracy. This video…
Read Full Article November 23, 2024
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