Bail Reform
Coverage of bail reform and the SAFE-T Act’s effects in Illinois.
Lawyers argue that, “The Illinois Constitution interprets bail, at its core, to include a monetary amount that, though it may take different forms, cannot be abolished altogether without running afoul of the Constitution.”
The massive criminal justice bill that ends cash bail in Illinois also supports crime victims and increases police oversight.
Lawmakers have said that some components of the SAFE-T Act will have to be changed. But they are sticking with the overall concepts. The gambit could work. But it hasn’t come without political trouble for Gov. J.B. Pritzker.
The change in the felony murder law does raise the question of how to charge those accused of instigating gun violence that leads to homicides.