Criminal Justice Archives - The Chicago Reporter

No Cash Bail in Illinois: Pretrial Fairness Act in Effect, Abolishing Cash Bail. Here’s How the Cash Bail System has Changed, and What that Means for the Accused Awaiting Trial.

L. Nicole Trottie — Mon, 18 Sep 2023 17:20:39 +0000

Following a highly contentious election cycle last year in which Republicans used the Pretrial Fairness Act to decry Democrats as being “soft on crime,” a series of legal challenges from state’s attorneys and sheriffs delayed the law’s implementation while the Illinois Supreme Court weighed its constitutionality. In a partisan 5-2 decision in July, the court’s […]

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Illinois Supreme Court Upholds Safe-T Act, Elimination of Cash Bail

The Chicago Reporter — Fri, 21 Jul 2023 01:45:06 +0000

Illinois becomes the first state in the nation to eliminate cash bail. The Illinois Supreme Court today upheld the state law ending cash bail, also known as the SAFE-T Act. The law will take effect on Sept. 18, giving local authorities two months to prepare for the changes. Based on the 5-2 decision, defendants will no longer […]

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‘We perish for lack of knowledge:’ Formerly incarcerated women lead advocacy groups to spread awareness and reform in criminal justice system

Katie Schulder-Battis and The Chicago Reporter — Fri, 17 Feb 2023 18:18:05 +0000

Katie Schulder-Battis is a Chicago Reporter contributor and graduate student at Northwestern University. This content is made possible through partnership with the Graduate Science Journalism Medill School Northwestern University and the Chicago Reporter. Formerly incarcerated women are leading a grassroots movement to reform the criminal justice system in Chicago and beyond. Since 1980, the number […]

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Last-minute Order Puts Elimination Of Cash Bail On Hold

The Chicago Reporter and Hugo Balta — Wed, 04 Jan 2023 05:12:14 +0000

Map of Illinois counties that have contested the Safety, Accountability, Fairness and Equity-Today Act, that was set to go into effect Sunday, Jan. 1, 2023, making Illinois the first cashless bail state. CHICAGO | The Pretrial Fairness Act, the portion of the Safety, Accountability, Fairness, and Equity-Today (SAFE-T) Act that eliminates cash bail, was set […]

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SAFE-T Act: Illinois Legislators Weigh Changes to Law Says Disproportionately Affects Black and Brown Communities

L. Nicole Trottie — Tue, 22 Nov 2022 17:27:50 +0000

UPDATE: This original story has been updated to include comments by IL. House Speaker, Emanuel ‘Chris’ Welch on the SAFE-T Act legislation, and its affects on communities of color and the impoverished. SPRINGFIELD | The Illinois General Assembly finished its first week of the fall veto session without taking measures to the SAFE-T Act, known […]

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