- Lord Løki ~ Approved
Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed a bill Monday that makes Illinois the first state in the country to abolish cash bail payments for jail release for people who have been arrested and are waiting for their case to be heard.
The practice has long been controversial with criminal justice reform advocates who call cash bail a “poor people’s tax” that has had a disproportionately negative impact on people of color. It leaves those who can’t come up with the money in jail for weeks or longer or even accepting plea deals as a way to get out.
The Illinois Pre-Trial Fairness Act, as it’s called, is part of Illinois House Bill 3653, a sweeping package of criminal justice measures. Some of the provisions include requiring police officers to be licensed by the state and to wear body-cams by 2025, expanding training opportunities for officers, making it easier to decertify police officers who commit misconduct, and improving a victims compensation program by making resources more readily available to survivors.
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In a statement, the Illinois Law Enforcement Coalition, a collection of police unions and organizations representing police officers and county sheriffs, says the law will put the public and law enforcement at risk. “It is a blatant move to punish an entire, honorable profession that will end up hurting law-abiding citizens the most,” the statement said. “We hope that it won’t cause police officers to leave the profession in droves and handcuff those who remain so they can’t stop crimes against people and property.”
FoundingFrog
Article URL : https://www.npr.org/2021/02/22/970378490/illinois-becomes-first-state-to-eliminate-cash-bail