South Cook News

Illinois State Sen. John Curran (R-Downers Grove) and other Republican lawmakers have publicly spoken out against the bill known as the Safety, Accountability, Fairness and Equity-Today (SAFE-T) Act. They believe it will make the state less safe for families. 

Curran continued to criticize the omnibus "criminal justice reform" legislation this week which was passed by his Democrat colleagues last January. Some of the reforms have already taken effect.

"Without a legislative fix, provisions of the SAFE-T Act that actually threaten public safety will take effect on January 1, 2023," Curran wrote in a June 13 Facebook post. "On this week's Flannery Fired Up program, I join House Democrat Kam Buckner for a discussion of the problematic bill. Please watch the segment and learn about my efforts to fix the inherent problems with this new law."

In the video, which aired on FOX 32 Chicago but was posted on Curran's Facebook page, Curran said his first fix about the law would be "the detention standards, or lack thereof."

"There's no magic to cash bail," he told FOX 32 Chicago. "The ability to pay a bond has no correlation to whether or not someone poses a risk to public safety, this is what state's attorneys around the state have been warning us about."

Last month, DuPage County State's Attorney Bob Berlin joined other suburban state's attorneys in voicing their concerns about the SAFE-T Act which was signed into law by Gov. J.B. Pritzker (D-IL), Shaw Local News Network reported. Berlin noted that he's fearful the legislation would allow more violent criminals on the street and have a negative impact on communities across Illinois.

"Take, for instance, the December shooting at Oakbrook Mall two days before Christmas," Berlin said during a forum at the Eola Community Center in Aurora. "I hear from so many people in the community that are now afraid to go to that mall. That's the kind of impact that a shooting has on an entire community."

Those in support of the SAFE-T Act, like The Illinois Legislative Black Caucus, believe it's a step towards making the justice system more fair for minorities, according to Capitol News Illinois. However, Republicans who oppose the law call it a "de facto defund the police bill."

Capitol News Illinois reported that the law eliminates cash bail in Illinois as of January 1, 2023.

Under the law, criminal defendants on house arrest have two days a week free from monitoring. The Chicago Sun Times reported lawmakers created the "essential movement" days to give defendants time to seek treatment, look for a job, grocery shop, or go to school. It's already proven to pose problems though, with more than two dozen defendants arrested on "essential movement" days in just three months in Cook County. Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart, a Democrat, has already called on lawmakers to put a stop to days free from monitoring.