Governor Pritzker signed the SAFE-T Act into law in February 2021 and it has since been amended four times by Illinois Democrats over the past two years. The Safety Accountability, Fairness & Equity Today Act was purported to keep Illinois families safer. But, that has not been the outcome for those who are already battling crime in their neighborhoods.
The Illinois Safe-T Act brought monumental changes to our criminal justice system related to pre-arrest diversion, policing, pretrial procedures, sentencing, elimination of cash bail, and corrections.
Click here to reference the full Act for specifics and exact language.
State Representative Martin McLaughlin states, “The Safe-T-Act should be called the Offenders-Priority-Act. Simply put, many provisions in this law have prioritized offenders over the rights, protection, and safety of law-abiding individuals. I stand opposed to this overhaul of the criminal justice system and the unnecessary burdens being placed on our men and woman in law enforcement.”
In case you missed some of the media reports about the outcomes of the SAFE-T Act and drug abuse and misguided decriminalization efforts in Illinois, please see the articles linked below:
Woman who allegedly attacked Chicago cops released on no cash bail
Fentanyl seizures at the border continue to spike, shatter records in 2022
Illinois becomes first state to end cash bail
Illinois overdoses are sky high, getting worse, federal public health investigators say