Safe-T Act

Some state lawmakers are saying public safety issues can be attributed to a lack of support for police and bills which they say make their jobs more difficult. Republican state Rep. Dennis Tipsword of Metamora held a news conference with other lawmakers to announce initiatives to address public safety.

One year after Illinois became the first state in the nation to eliminate the use of cash bail, the impact on the state’s criminal justice system appears to have been far less dramatic than people on either side of the debate had predicted.

Two incarcerated individuals push for release under new law

Massey was shot and killed by a former sheriff’s deputy. Her family believes the law should be changed to prevent officers from bouncing around law enforcement agencies.

The changes come after the Illinois Supreme Court convened a five-person task force in January to address an “unprecedented and unsustainable” load on the courts tasked with reviewing whether lower court judges applied the law correctly.

The releases of Michael Bakana and Joshua Livingston illustrate the challenges of releasing a person accused of domestic violence, and the uncertainties of opening the cell door of an accused murderer with the ability to post his bond.

The McLean County sheriff said the population of the county jail will likely fall after the SAFE-T Act goes into effect in September.

A decision Tuesday by the Illinois Supreme Court means the end of cash bail in the state. Cash bail will officially end on Sept. 18 of this year, making the state the first in the nation to entirely eliminate cash bail.

Heartland Community College President Keith Cornille said Gov. JB Pritzker's proposed budget would enable the college to grow existing programs without a need to raise taxes or tuition.

Abolition of cash bail was placed on hold in December pending appeal to Supreme Court