Illinois law eliminating cash bail has some in law enforcement concerned

GRUNDY COUNTY, In poor health. (WLS) — A controversial felony justice reform regulation is again within the highlight as a suburban sheriff and prosecutor are elevating issues about its affect.

The regulation that may eradicate money bail as of January 1, 2023, and in addition prohibit who could be arrested.

The reforms underneath the Protected-T Act that eradicate money bail will open the doorways to freedom for many individuals at present locked up who cannot make bail.

However Grundy County Sheriff Ken Briley is elevating issues as a result of the regulation will ban arrest for folks accused sure misdemeanors. He cited trespassing for instance.

“As we speak, I can arrest him in case you signal a grievance for trespassing,” Briley mentioned. “January 1st, I am not going to have the ability to try this. The regulation says I’ve to put in writing him a ticket and go away.”

Sheriff Briley worries in regards to the potential ramifications in his group.

“And if we will not arrest them and remedy folks’s issues, we do not need folks to take issues into their very own fingers,” Briley mentioned.

Grundy County State’s Legal professional Jason Helland can also be elevating his personal issues.

“When no money bail applies to each jurisdiction, all 102 counties within the state of Illinois, I am actually involved about seeing felony exercise that we have by no means seen on this space,” Helland mentioned.

However reform advocates say retaining folks locked up just because they cannot afford bail is incorrect.

“That is simply inequitable that some folks get to be free as a result of they’ve cash and different folks have to stay incarcerated, which has every kind of horrible penalties for folks’s means to work, for his or her housing, their entire households endure,” mentioned Ben Ruddell, ACLU of Illinois.

They cite what occurred to Sandra Bland, who hanged herself in a Texas jail whereas unable to put up bail after a site visitors cease, for instance of why bail reform is so essential.

The brand new regulation nonetheless provides judges the discretion to maintain suspects they deem harmful locked up with out bail. However many in regulation enforcement are involved too many individuals who must be behind bars will not be after January 1.