An Illinois law taking effect in the new year will release those charged with second-degree murder, aggravated battery and arson without bail.
The so-called SAFE-T Act would end cash bail and includes 12 non-detainable offences, second-degree murder, aggravated battery and arson without bail, as well as drug-induced homicide, kidnapping, burglary, robbery, intimidation, aggravated DUI, aggravated fleeing and eluding, drug offences and threatening a public official.
All these crimes will become non-detainable offences after the act takes effect on January 1, meaning criminals will be charged with and released for these crimes without bail.
Will County State’s Attorney James Glasgow said it will be the “end of days” once the law takes effect. Will County is the second largest county of the 6-county Chicago metro region.
The bill “will destroy the city and the state of Illinois,” Glasgow said on July 16. “I don’t even understand (how) the people who support it can’t realize that.”
The law also restricts those who can be arrested. For example, those accused of trespassing can be ticket but not arrested once the law takes effect.
Glasgow said he, police, and judges will all have their “hands tied” once the law takes effect.
He said that all 640 people currently being held in the Will County jail would have their bonds extinguished after January 1 — including 60 people charged with murder. Glasgow said he won’t be able to hold anyone in jail for longer than 90 days if they demand a trial, and after the 90th day, they’ll get out “no matter what crime they committed.”
“What you see in Chicago, we’ll have here,” he warned.
He said the electorate must demand those running for election in November to repeal the bill.
Glasgow also said legislators didn’t understand the bill and only had two days to digest its 800-pages.
“You’ve got legislators who aren’t lawyers, you’ve got legislators who weren’t criminal lawyers,” he said. “Trying to read all that in two days. It was impossible.”
