‘These people are guilty’: Chicago Mayor Lightfoot criticized for bail comments

She stated defendants charged with violent crimes ought to by no means be launched on bail earlier than trial.

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“Given the exacting requirements the state’s legal professional has for charging a case, which is proof past an inexpensive doubt, when these expenses are introduced, these persons are responsible,” Lightfoot stated.

In response, the American Civil Liberties Union, or ACLU, acknowledged:

“It’s unhappy to see a highly-trained lawyer and former prosecutor so badly mangle the which means of our Structure. A cost primarily based solely on assertions of police typically has confirmed unreliable on this Metropolis – as evidenced by the Metropolis’s historical past of paying giant settlements for CPD’s position in wrongful convictions. The Mayor is aware of that. However what could also be most troubling is the Mayor’s on-going assault on bail reform. People who haven’t been convicted of a criminal offense are constitutionally entitled to an individualized dedication about whether or not they can safely be launched to the neighborhood. Bail reform returns individuals to their properties and jobs, permitting people and households to stay afloat. Looking for straightforward solutions to political pressures about gun violence, the Mayor has repeatedly attacked bail reform, typically with phony knowledge. Mayor Lightfoot can be finest served turning her energies to implementing actual change in CPD and constructing relationships with neighborhood -essential steps for efficient policing. As an alternative of looking for actual options, she always searches for a scapegoat – whether or not it’s the courts or youth throughout the Metropolis.”