Sixty-four Illinois counties sued to keep criminal justice reforms known as the Safety, Accountability, Fairness and Equity-Today (SAFE-T) Act from being implemented — an unprecedented amount of pushback for a bill. The Illinois Supreme Court responded by postponing the bill’s abolition of cash bail, and for good reason.
The SAFE-T Act, signed by Gov. J.B. Pritzker in 2021, aimed to create a more equitable criminal justice system. However, by pushing for the end of cash bail, the new law threatens the safety of law-abiding citizens for the benefit of criminal suspects.
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John Paul Wright is a professor at the School of Criminal Justice at the University of Cincinnati. Leah Thomas is senior press officer at Manhattan Institute. Based on a recent MI issue brief.
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