State Representative Jeff Keicher responded on May 14 to a new report from the Chief Judge of Cook County showing that 8% of people on electronic home monitoring are currently AWOL. The report states there are 3,048 people in the program, with 244 individuals who have pending criminal cases, many involving felony charges, not complying with program rules.
The issue is significant because it raises concerns about public safety and the effectiveness of current policies for monitoring offenders awaiting trial. Keicher said these gaps may put communities at risk.
“The electronic home monitoring system is broken. Too many felony offenders, especially repeat offenders, are being let out and abusing EHM with dangerous consequences,” Keicher said.
He continued: “Under the SAFE-T, a person on EHM is allowed 48 hours a week of ‘free roaming’ without monitoring. That has to change, or there will be more dangerous outcomes.”
“EHM is fine for low-level, nonviolent crime. But Cook County doesn’t seem too concerned with the gaps that repeat violent offenders present, not only to victims, but also to our communities,” Keicher said.
“We must repeal the provisions of the SAFE-T Act that allow obviously dangerous offenders to be treated as ‘no threat criminals’ under the guise of rehabilitation, which has endangered public safety.”
He proposed greater transparency as part of a solution: “Let’s start with a mandatory dashboard of those on EHM, which includes facts such as those shared in this story, including the number of violent offenders who are free and the number who are actually following the rules. This current system isn’t working, and action is needed to ensure safety on Illinois’ streets.”
Keicher was elected as a Republican representative for Illinois’ 70th House District in 2018 after replacing Robert W. Pritchard,according to Ballotpedia.
