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State Sen. Robert Peters, D-Chicago, center, testifies before the Senate Executive Committee on Thursday, Dec. 1, 2022, on his legislation to clarify the SAFE-T Act, a sweeping criminal justice overhaul that notably eliminates cash bail

State Sen. Robert Peters, D-Chicago, center, testifies before the Senate Executive Committee on Thursday, Dec. 1, 2022, on his legislation to clarify the SAFE-T Act, a sweeping criminal justice overhaul that notably eliminates cash bail. Accompanying Peters are co-sponsors Sen. Elgie Sims, D-Chicago, left, and Sen. Scott Bennett, D-Champaign. The amendment to the law, which takes effect on Jan. 1, 2023, adds a number of forcible felonies to the list of crimes which qualify a defendant for pretrial detention, but Republicans still have concerns about it.

John O’Connor

State Sen. Robert Peters, D-Chicago, center, testifies before the Senate Executive Committee on Thursday, Dec. 1, 2022, on his legislation to clarify the SAFE-T Act, a sweeping criminal justice overhaul that notably eliminates cash bail

State Sen. Robert Peters, D-Chicago, center, testifies before the Senate Executive Committee on Thursday, Dec. 1, 2022, on his legislation to clarify the SAFE-T Act, a sweeping criminal justice overhaul that notably eliminates cash bail. Accompanying Peters are co-sponsors Sen. Elgie Sims, D-Chicago, left, and Sen. Scott Bennett, D-Champaign. The amendment to the law, which takes effect on Jan. 1, 2023, adds a number of forcible felonies to the list of crimes which qualify a defendant for pretrial detention, but Republicans still have concerns about it.

John O’Connor

Reforms to the SAFE-T Act and the debate around it

Despite approved revisions around the “SAFE-T” Act – a sweeping criminal justice reform bill – there was still plenty of opposition in the General Assembly. Host: Mary Dixon; Reporters: Alex Degman and Mawa Iqbal.

State Sen. Robert Peters, D-Chicago, center, testifies before the Senate Executive Committee on Thursday, Dec. 1, 2022, on his legislation to clarify the SAFE-T Act, a sweeping criminal justice overhaul that notably eliminates cash bail. Accompanying Peters are co-sponsors Sen. Elgie Sims, D-Chicago, left, and Sen. Scott Bennett, D-Champaign. The amendment to the law, which takes effect on Jan. 1, 2023, adds a number of forcible felonies to the list of crimes which qualify a defendant for pretrial detention, but Republicans still have concerns about it.

John O’Connor
By Alex Degman Mawa Iqbal
   

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Illinois lawmakers have approved changes to the “SAFE-T” Act, a sweeping criminal justice reform bill that – among other things – ends cash bail on January 1st. Despite the revisions, there was still plenty of opposition in the General Assembly.

Editor’s note: This story has been updated to correct an error in the description of how police can handle burglary suspects.

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