Will there be a so-called “purge” coming to Illinois and Chicago? Legal experts say social media posts and conservative news outlets have been distorting how Illinois’ Pretrial Fairness Act, which will soon eliminate cash bail in the state.
According to Olayemi Olurin, a public defender for the Legal Aid Society in New York who recently went viral on Twitter for her explanation of Illinois' Pretrial Fairness Act, the idea of the new law being a"purge law" is not accurate.
The new law states: “Detention only shall be imposed when it is determined that the defendant poses a specific, real and present threat to a person, or has a high likelihood of willful flight.
“This is a much higher burden than commonly used today in courts throughout the country,” says Jon Walters, an assistant state’s attorney in the office of Will County State’s Attorney James Glasgow, who has been a vocal critic of the new law. “The new standards could potentially be insurmountable.”The Pretrial Fairness Act, part of the omnibus “Safe-T Act” passed by the Illinois General Assembly in 2021, will go into effect on Jan. 1, 2023.
“Forcible felonies” include “first degree murder, second degree murder, predatory criminal sexual assault, robbery, burglary, residential burglary, aggravated arson, arson, kidnapping, aggravated battery resulting in great bodily harm or permanent disability or disfigurement and any other felony which involves the use or threat of physical force or violence against any individual.”
-If the defendant has a high likelihood of “willful flight to avoid prosecution” and is charged with a forcible felony.If the state seeks to find that a defendant must be held in pretrial detention, then they are required to hold an immediate hearing to argue their position. “For far too many people, their assessment was based not on their risk but on the amount that they could afford to pay, so eliminating cash bail makes this about risk and not about poverty,” Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx said. three out of five individuals in U.S. jails have not been convicted of a crime, and many departments and agencies throughout the state are anticipating that the number of inmates will decrease dramatically when the new policy is implemented.
Canada Latest News, Canada Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Pritzker 'sets record straight' on Safe-T Act which ends cash bail in IllinoisGovernor JB Pritzker is addressing rumors that Illinois’ new Safe-T Act will be the onslaught of a real life 'Purge.'
Read more »
PolitiFact - Social media post misleads about pretrial detention under Illinois Safe-T ActA law eliminating cash bail in Illinois will go into effect next year. Prosecutors can still petition judges to detain suspects, providing evidence proving suspects are a public safety threat.
Read more »
PolitiFact - Social media post misleads about pretrial detention under Illinois Safe-T ActA law eliminating cash bail in Illinois will go into effect next year. Prosecutors can still petition judges to detain suspects, providing evidence proving suspects are a public safety threat.
Read more »
PolitiFact - Social media post misleads about pretrial detention under Illinois Safe-T ActA law eliminating cash bail in Illinois will go into effect next year. Prosecutors can still petition judges to detain suspects, providing evidence proving suspects are a public safety threat.
Read more »
The Acura Integra Could've Been an Excellent GTI RivalThe Acura Integra could've been an excellent GTI rival.
Read more »