Carbondale Reporter

Six months after the full implementation of the cashless bail, and other provisions, of the Illinois SAFE-T Act, Illinois residents are finding themselves anything but safe.

House Republican Floor Leader and Republican ranking member on the House Judiciary Criminal Law and House Restorative Justice Committees, Patrick Windhorst, expressed concerns about the SAFE-T Act, stating, "House Republicans warned against the passage of the SAFE-T Act because of problematic provisions in the law that make the work of law enforcement officials harder to do, and because the law will make our communities less safe. We opposed ending cash bail. We opposed anonymous complaints against police officers. We opposed the very nature of the way the bill was passed."

Windhorst also highlighted the impact of the end of cash bail, noting, "Now that the end of cash bail is in place, we have seen numerous reports from throughout the state of individuals committing crimes, being let out of jail shortly after, and then offending again while they are out awaiting their court date. It doesn’t have to be this way. Illinoisans deserve to know that when a perpetrator commits a crime, they are going to be held accountable, and most certainly that they won’t be back out on the streets in just a matter of a few hours."

State Representative John Cabello echoed these sentiments, stating, "There is a concerning trend we see here in Illinois where criminals are treated better than law-abiding citizens and as leaders, we cannot continue to jeopardize the safety of our communities."

The concerns raised by House Republican legislators about the SAFE-T Act have been further supported by headlines in Illinois news sources. The impact of the Act on public safety continues to be a topic of discussion.

For more information on the House Republican Public Safety Working Group’s solutions to improving public safety for Illinois residents and to delve deeper into the issues surrounding the Illinois SAFE-T Act, stay tuned for further updates.