SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — The Illinois legal system will soon undergo a major transformation after the State Supreme Court voted 5 to 2 to eliminate cash bail as part of the SAFE-T Act.
“The implementation of the Pre-Trial Fairness act will make Illinois the first state in the country to remove the price tag from the presumption of innocence,” said Tonya Watkins.
The Illinois Supreme Court’s decision is being praised by Democrats across the state of Illinois.
“Today’s ruling allows for determinations on pre-trial detention to be made on a person’s risk of harm versus their ability to access cash,” said Cook Co. State’s Attorney Kimberly Foxx.
“This is a historic civil rights victory that has become our state’s version of Obamacare,” said Sen. Robert Peters (D).
Republican lawmakers like Rep. Blaine Wilhour believe it will instead allow lawlessness to become the rule of the land.
“We're going to be the only state in the country that's doing this and there's a reason why the other states aren't doing this,” said Rep. Blaine Wilhour (R). There's a reason why the states that were doing this are no longer doing this: Because it doesn't work."
100 of the 102 state attorneys in Illinois spoke out against the SAFE-T Act.
“These people in jail are not choir boys,” said Don Tracy, Chairman of the Illinois GOP. “They’re not boy scouts. They’re there because judges have given them 3rd, 4th, and 5th chances. Now the default rule is to let them out.”
However, supporters believe it eliminates what they call the penalty on poverty for those unable to pay cash bonds by allowing a pre-trial assessment that determines whether a suspect should remain behind bars.
"We will no longer have to tell survivors and victims of crime that we don’t know whether somebody will be able to be released the next night,” said Lake Co. State’s Attorney Eric Rinehart. “This reform allows judges to make safety-based decisions that are individualized to the survivors of crime."
“This was tried in New York City and it was such an abject failure that they’ve backpedaled on it,” said Rep. Wilhour. “We’ve just got a bunch of politicians in this state that are trying to out progressive each other, and it’s not good for the citizens of Illinois.”
The SAFE-T Act will take effect September 18.