Illinois SAFE-T Act, what is it?
Is the SAFE-T Act good for Illinois?
Let’s talk about the SAFE-T Act that may go into effect in Illinois. An Uber driver wanted to talk politics and said the governor wanted to let dangerous criminals loose on the street. I mentioned it’s supposed to help minor offenders from ruining their lives, but I decided to keep my mouth shut after that because I didn’t really know the details.
First, what is the motivation for this act? It can be summed up in this quote from State Senator Scott Bennett from Champaign, Illinois, “It’s vital the pretrial system in Illinois remains equitable and that all individuals are treated fairly, regardless of financial status.” In essence, the poor cannot make bail as easily, so they suffer disproportionately, especially when not making bail could mean losing their jobs if they don’t show up for work.
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Many parts of the SAFE-T Act don’t get as much public attention. It not only abolishes cash bail but also makes the police more transparent through this policy reform, like mandatory body-worn cameras. There will be an increase in officer training in areas such as implicit bias, use of force, crisis, intervention, and mental health awareness. Establishing community-based police review boards and promoting partnerships between the police and community organizations, and improvement in responses to mental health crises by incorporating mental health professionals in crisis response teams, providing better support to individuals in need.
What are the negatives? Judges may favor pretrial detention more often due to concerns about public safety, potentially increasing the number of people held in pretrial detention. What will happen if the judges can’t put their bias aside? In that case, we might find more marginalized communities unfairly targeted if they rely on factors correlating with race, socioeconomic status, or other demographic variables.
What do you think? Do the positives outweigh the negatives? You can learn more about it here: https://www.illinoispolicy.org/everything-illinoisans.../
Illinois isn’t the first state to broach this topic; New Jersey abolished most cash bail several years ago, and the “The number of people who get re-arrested, released and then re-arrested for serious violent crimes, still hovers around 1%.” but there’s a big BUT, according to Yannick Wood, Director of the Criminal Justice Reform Program at the New Jersey Institute for Social Justice, 60% of NJ’s jails are black while the black population is only 15%. Illinois will have to keep a close watch on these statistics.
The Illinois measure is still in the courts, and if it passes, it will still take a few years to fully implement since it will be done in phases. I hope Brandon Johnson’s plan for early intervention to reduce the number of crimes is successful; since he doesn’t seem inclined to increase our police force, he will have to implement his plans quickly and thoroughly. I am skeptical that we’ll see substantial changes before the next mayoral election because those plans will take time to fully bake. I believe it’s a smart and lasting way to go about it, but in the meantime, I am not comfortable with a smaller police force.
