Rep. Mark Batinick (R-Plainfield) | Courtesy photo
Rep. Mark Batinick (R-Plainfield) | Courtesy photo
State Rep. Mark Batinick (R-Plainfield) is criticizing the Safety, Accountability, Fairness and Equity-Today (SAFE-T) Act as he believes its provision to eliminate cash bail will endanger the lives of community members and police officers.
“If we want to ensure every neighborhood across Illinois is a safe place to live then we cannot ignore warnings from law enforcement officials and public safety experts,” Batinick wrote in a Sept. 14 Facebook post. “Ending cash bail is dangerous for residents, police, witnesses, and victims of crime.”
Radio station 97 ZOK recently posted a list circulating on the internet of "non-detainable offenses" that would not require pre-trial detention. The list included aggravated battery, aggravated DUI, aggravated fleeing, arson, burglary, drug-induced homicide, intimidation, kidnapping, robbery, 2nd-degree murder and threatening a public official.
The governor's office released a press release stating under the SAFE-T Act "there is no such thing as a non-detainable offense," and that defendents would be held "based on risk not riches."
Gov. J.B. Pritzker recently defended the elimination of cash bail, according to The Center Square. “We do not want someone in jail because they were arrested for a low-level crime like shoplifting to be sitting in jail for months or maybe even years,” Pritzker said. “At the same time, someone who is a wealthy drug dealer, perhaps accused of murder and arrested, can show up with a suitcase full of money and get out of jail.”
FOX News reported Illinois is the first state in the country moving to eliminate cash bail.
According to the Madison Record, 100 of Illinois’ 102 state’s attorneys are opposed to the legislation
Supporters of the SAFE-T Act, including the Illinois Legislative Black Caucus, point to the legislation as a step toward making the justice system more equitable for minorities, as reported by Capitol News Illinois. Republicans have called the SAFE-T Act a “de facto defund the police bill” because of the additional regulations it places on police officers.
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