Illinois Becomes First State to Abolish Cash Bail
Democrat Governor J.B. Pritzker signed a law to make Illinois the first state to completely eliminate cash bail at heavy opposition to law enforcement officials and Republicans in the state.
House Bill 3653 aims to make sweeping changes to the state’s existing policies on policing and adjudication.
Among the most notable parts of the bill is the end of the cash bail system under the Illinois Pretrial Fairness Act, which is a part of HB 3653.
The new law eliminates wealth-based detention and instead gives judges a more strictly defined decision making process based on risk of flight. This will be put into effect with a two-year plan and will not go fully in effect until 2023.
Illinois police and elected officials are voicing their concerns over the sweeping criminal justice reform bill signed into this past week.
See the response from the Illinois Association of Chiefs of Police:
“The bill unfairly targets officers and attempts to punish them, not just make them accountable,” Ed Wojcicki, the executive director of the Illinois Association of Chiefs of Police, said in a statement.
Illinois GOP Chairman Don Tracy said the bill "is willfully undermining public safety - endangering citizens, emboldening criminals, and making Illinois less safe for families.”
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