Illinois "Safe-T" law abolishes mandated cash bail for most "non-violent" crimes, including arson, "deflects" police action to mental health agencies

Posted by bubah1mau 1 year, 6 months ago to Government
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This massive, alleged reform of the Illinois criminal justice system, to go into effect January 1, 2023, was signed into law "to counteract systemic racism."
SOURCE URL: https://icjia.illinois.gov/researchhub/articles/the-2021-safe-t-act-icjia-roles-and-responsibilities


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  • Posted by 1 year, 6 months ago
    Some provisions of Safe-T are in effect now. All provisions will go into effect starting 2023.

    Judges will still have some discretion to set bail and jail the person until trial, but the law creates a huge grey area where numerous types of criminal activity will go unrestrained by an overburdened justice system.

    Another provision of Safe-T is a severe restriction on police activity. For example, if someone is trespassing on your property who might possibly have a mental disorder, police probably will not respond as they will defer to a mental health worker if possible.

    This would seem to open the door to petty theft such as shoplifting. It remains to be seen if police will respond to "smash-and-grab" robbery. Police would have to assess the degree of violence before responding.

    Under this provision if someone were to non-violently occupy an unoccupied dwelling or structure on private property, police will not immediately respond and will likely defer to a mental health agency to determine the mental state of the trespasser.

    Here is a NY Post-published commentary on Safe-T provisions: https://nypost.com/2022/09/17/illinoi...
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