Prairie State Wire

Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker approved a bill that abolishes paying cash bail, making it the first state to do so in the U.S.

Pritzker signed the bill which became law on Feb. 22. The Democratic governor issued a statement soon after, saying; “this legislation marks a substantial step toward dismantling the systemic racism that plagues our communities, our state, and our nation and brings us closer to true safety, true fairness, and true justice.”

Republicans have not backed this legislation, saying it makes work difficult for law enforcement.

Illinois House GOP leader Jim Durkin spoke on Pritzker’s support of the bill, calling it “an insult to our first responders, law enforcement, and the law-abiding citizens of Illinois who work to live free of violence and destruction from the criminal element. It’s clear that Gov. Pritzker does not understand this bill and what it means to our criminal justice system.” The Epoch Times reported. 

“The bill has serious flaws that have been well-documented in our fact sheets and updates, but today the bill became law,” Ed Wojcicki, executive director of the Illinois Association of Chiefs of Police said, according to The Epoch Times. “The public will learn more about these flaws when they see for themselves that common-sense tools needed by the police, state’s attorneys, and the courts have been stripped by this law.”

The new law, called House Bill 3653, strips judges of the authority to set any kind of bail for defendants charged with crimes, a move Democrats said will benefit those who cannot afford bail. 

“Spending even a few days in jail can result in people losing their job, housing, and even custody of their children,” the liberal policy think tank Center for American Progress said in an analysis, according to The Epoch Times. “Studies show that pretrial detention can actually increase a person’s likelihood of rearrest upon release, perpetuating an endless cycle of arrest and incarceration. What is more, the cash bail system often leads to the detention of people who do not pose a threat to public safety."

Eliminating cash bail is not the only measure in the bill. Police officers will be required to wear body cameras by 2025, all chokeholds have been forbidden, and anonymous complaints can be used against officers in disciplinary and decertification hearings, among other measures.