Carbondale Reporter

State Representative Dave Severin and State Senator Terri Bryant met with local law enforcement officials at the Mt. Vernon Police Department to discuss recent changes in Illinois criminal justice policy. The roundtable took place on Wednesday and focused on the SAFE-T Act, the end of cash bail, and the TRUST Act, which establishes Illinois’ Sanctuary State policies.

Participants included Jefferson County Sheriff Jeff Bullard, Marion County Sheriff Kevin Cripps, Mt. Vernon Police Chief Robert Brands, Ryan Weeks from the Mt. Vernon Schools Safety Resource Office Program, Wayne City Police Chief Jason Settle, and Jeremy Wilton from the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office.

Representative Severin expressed concern about challenges facing the state’s Department of Juvenile Justice. He highlighted issues related to a lack of resources for young offenders and its impact on both the criminal justice system and social services.

“We have some minors who are committing heinous crimes, reoffending, trying to be rehabilitated, and then those efforts often fail. Sometimes they are being shipped to Jefferson County, where the schools are unfamiliar with their case and struggle to provide adequate safety protections for the transferring students and the students already attending the school,” Severin said. “And then the cycle starts all over again because of this reason or that reason. I am committed to helping our law enforcement officers and our social programs find ways to help solve the problem of juvenile criminal recidivism. We need to work together to make our schools and our communities safer.”

Senator Bryant serves on the Illinois Senate’s Criminal Law Committee. She described how recent legislation has made it more difficult for law enforcement agencies.

“We heard stories today of offenders being arrested, released without bail, and reoffending while awaiting trial, sometimes picking up multiple felonies while on pre-trial release,” Bryant said. “These are the kinds of issues we warned our colleagues about during the SAFE-T Act debate. We also heard about the manipulation of crime statistics and how onerous FOIA requests from citizens, for-profit entities, and media are overwhelming smaller police departments. Some departments have multiple employees dedicated only to honoring FOIA requests. We are trying to support our law enforcement officers the best we can during very difficult circumstances brought on by irresponsible and unworkable public safety policies.”

Both legislators plan to call for joint House and Senate committee hearings regarding juvenile justice matters as well as recent legislation discussed at the meeting.

Severin was elected in 2023 as a Republican representative for Illinois’ 116th House District following David Friess.