SAFE-T Act
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…
Read Full Article 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…
Read Full Article 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…
Read Full Article 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…
Read Full Article 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…
Read Full Article 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…
Read Full Article 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…
Read Full Article 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…
Read Full Article 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…
Read Full Article 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…
Read Full Article 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…
Read Full Article 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…
Read Full Article 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…
Read Full Article 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…
Read Full Article 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…
Read Full Article 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.…
Read Full Article Ashley, Bobby and Special Guest Star Brittany talk about the pending Zombie Apocalypse and is no cash bail what will light the fuse.
Read Full Article SPRINGFIELD – Gov. JB Pritzker is considering changes to the SAFE-T Act criminal justice reform to clarify provisions related to the end of cash bail in Illinois, while his Republican challenger, state Sen. Darren Bailey, continues to push for a full repeal. The candidates shared their thoughts Friday on those and other issues during a…
Read Full Article SPRINGFIELD – Beginning Jan. 1, 2023, cash bail will be abolished in Illinois. The measure that will eliminate it has been on the books since early 2021, giving the justice system two years to plan for the major overhaul of the state’s pretrial detention system. It’s also given time for the measure to become politicized…
Read Full Article SPRINGFIELD – Police chiefs and sheriffs told a panel of state lawmakers Friday that they need more resources and support from the public and the General Assembly to combat a rising rate of violent crime in Illinois. Some said they don’t feel they are getting that now, especially in light of recently-enacted criminal justice reforms.…
Read Full Article Republicans are calling for their Democratic counterparts in the Illinois House to join them in efforts to repeal criminal justice reforms, known as the Safety, Accountability, Fairness and Equity-Today Act, commonly known as the SAFE-T Act. Reps. Patrick Windhorst, R-Metropolis, Ryan Spain, R-Peoria, and Deanne Mazzochi, R-Elmhurst, joined House GOP Leader Jim Durkin, R-Western Springs,…
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