(FamilyConservationPAC.com) – On Monday, Illinois became the first state in the US to do away with cash bail, a move that was met with harsh condemnation.
The Illinois Pretrial Fairness Act, which bans cash bail, was just found to be constitutional by the state Supreme Court, according to an article in The Hill.
Illinois is now the first state in the United States to completely get rid of cash bail. pic.twitter.com/dknix6axf4
— Mr. Beat (@beatmastermatt) September 18, 2023
The outlet went on to say:
Defendants accused of a specific list of felonies and violent misdemeanors can still be detained ahead of trial, but the burden will be on the state to argue the defendant poses a flight risk or a danger to the community.
Cash bail has been decried as a “penalty on poverty,” with opponents of the practice claiming it gives preferential treatment to wealthy people who can afford to “pay for their freedom,” as the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) put it after the state’s high court upheld the law.
According to reports, the Illinois Supreme Court’s ruling from July allowed the termination of cash bail to go into effect Monday.
The news source noted that the area’s residents were plagued by a crime wave.
The action was taken despite concerns that accused individuals would reoffend while their cases were pending.
The relevant law was enacted in 2022 and was approved by Governor J.B. Pritzker (D).
The article claims that it “will free from jail thousands of suspects accused of second-degree murder, kidnapping, burglary, robbery, and other violent crimes.”
A judge ruled that the statute was illegal after a coalition of local law enforcement agencies filed a lawsuit to prevent it from going into effect.
The Supreme Court heard an appeal of that ruling.
It reversed it, according to the source, who also noted that violent crime was rising in Illinois.
Charlie Kirk, the founder and CEO of Turning Point USA, made a statement on Illinois’ decision to abolish cash bail in a social media post on Monday.
“Criminals will run wild, and cops will have no tools to stop them,” he wrote.
Illinois becomes the first state to abolish cash bail today. Criminals will run wild and cops will have no tools to stop them. Retailers are already fleeing Chicago because rampant theft makes it impossible to turn a profit. Rather than fix that problem and side with those who…
— Charlie Kirk (@charliekirk11) September 18, 2023
It is significant to remember that, per NPR, the California Supreme Court voted to abolish cash bail for defendants who could not afford it in 2021.
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