A huge felony justice invoice is heading to Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s desk.
Accepted final week by the Illinois Senate and Home, the measure covers every part from police use of drive to physique cameras.
It will additionally finish the observe of money bail, which means defendants in felony instances might solely be detained pretrial in the event that they’re deemed a flight threat or a threat to the group.
“I’m eager for what this implies for the way forward for our state and the flexibility for us to reimagine what public security seems to be like” mentioned state Sen. Elgie Sims Jr. (D-Chicago) who sponsored the laws.
Abolishing money bail provides courts the flexibility to take a look at numerous components for pretrial selections with out specializing in an individual’s capability to pay, Sims mentioned. Money bail creates inequities in who stays in jail and who doesn’t earlier than a trial, he mentioned.
“You’ll have instances the place a rich individual can go free, however an harmless, poor individual couldn’t, and that’s not justice,” Sims mentioned.
Cook dinner County noticed main bail reform ordinance in 2017.
General Order No. 18.8A, issued by Cook dinner County Chief Decide Timothy Evans, states that nobody needs to be incarcerated at Cook dinner County Jail as a consequence of an incapacity to afford bond. Sims mentioned that ordinance put lawmakers on the trail to really abolish money bail.
These against abolishing money bail, together with state Sen. John Curran (R-Downers Grove), mentioned it might threaten public security.
“I do consider there’s an inequity in money bail,” Curran mentioned. “We shouldn’t be figuring out who to launch and who to not launch based mostly on their revenue whereas they’re ready path, however we have to give judges broad discretion in making determinations on public security as regards to who’s detained and who isn’t.”
It will formally finish on Jan. 1, 2023. Within the meantime, Sims mentioned the courts will work to be taught the brand new insurance policies and get applicable coaching.
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