Come January 1, 2023 the No Cash Bail portion of the State Legislation SAFE-T act goes into effect in Illinois.
Lee County State’s Attorney Charley Boonstra is very concerned about this. He said if something is not done before the first of the year, there would be people charged with major crimes in the Lee County Jail he will need to let walk free. Boonstra said this legislation handcuffs him and law enforcement in their efforts to keep the community safe.
He also said there is no appetite in Springfield to make any amendment to this legislation. According to Boonstra, the community now has to hold these legislators accountable and if those lawmakers do not care about the safety of the community, they need to go.
According to Governor Pritzker, the reason he signed the law was to prevent people who could not afford bail from being kept in jail. He also spoke of the need for drug rehab programs and other resources to get people help.
Boonstra said this was already being done through drug courts and other rehab programs. He went on to say the Governor is letting people out with addictions back into the environment they came from.
