Illinois State Representative John M. Cabello said on May 14 that he is concerned about a recent report from the Chief Judge of Cook County showing that 8 percent of people on electronic monitoring are currently absent without leave.
Cabello said this issue raises serious questions about public safety and accountability in Illinois. He said, “It should shock the conscience of every policymaker and citizen in Illinois that hundreds of people on electronic monitoring in Cook County are failing to comply with the conditions of their release by taking lengthy unapproved absences with no apparent accountability. Law enforcement officers put their lives in harm’s way each and every day to apprehend dangerous criminal offenders and protect our communities, only to see the justice system fail by allowing people on electronic monitoring to violate the rules and roam free as they please.”
He continued, “Accountability is the lynchpin of public safety. We cannot have safe neighborhoods and protect potential victims of crime if the system allows offenders in our state’s most populous county – or any jurisdiction – to be unaccounted for. Even the Cook County State’s Attorney has said the ‘Electronic monitoring system is broken. It does not work.’ Immediate reforms are needed to fix this problem NOW. One-party Democrat control of Cook County mirrors the failure of Governor Pritzker and his allies in the General Assembly to ensure public safety throughout Illinois and hold offenders accountable.”
Cabello was elected as a Republican representative for Illinois’ 90th House District in 2023, replacing Tom Demmer, according to Ballotpedia.
Cabello serves as Assistant Minority Leader representing several communities across Winnebago, Stephenson, and Boone counties.
