Illinois will become the first state to remove the cash bond.
The state’s Democratic government, JB Pritzker, on Monday signed a comprehensive police and criminal justice reform that removes the system from January 2023.
The bill also requires all police officers to be equipped with body cameras and to establish statewide rules on the use of force, de-escalation and arrest techniques for law enforcement.
“This legislation marks a substantial step toward dismantling systemic racism that plagues our communities, our state, and our nation and brings us closer to true security, true equity, and true justice,” Pritzker said in a statement.
Other states, including New York and New Jersey, have already limited the use of cash bail
Many law enforcement officials say getting rid of bail allows dangerous people to be released while awaiting trial.
Critics of the system, meanwhile, argue that it is unfair to poor people, who may not be able to pay bail and would be forced to stay behind bars before being convicted of the charges that led to their arrest. .
Under the new Illinois law, judges could no longer set any bail. However, they could still detain a defendant if they were charged with crimes such as murder or domestic battery, local outlets reported.
“What we have done is strengthen judicial discretion in determining whether someone is a threat to an individual or a community,” said Sen. Robert Peters, a Democrat from Chicago.
“We focused on it explicitly and reduced it so that the money had no factor. Money does not determine if someone is a threat.
The Illinois Legislative Black Caucus, which led the state’s massive measure, hailed it as a historic response to the deaths last year of George Floyd in Minneapolis and Breonna Taylor in Louisville, Kentucky.
Peters, president of the Black Caucus Senate, defined it as a “historic first step toward real security and justice in our communities,” WMAQ-TV reported.
But the main organizations representing the police and prosecutors said they were not consulted on the key pieces and argued that the legislation would hinder the police and deter talented people from joining law enforcement.
“The governor is deliberately undermining public safety: it endangers citizens, encourages criminals, and makes Illinois less safe for families,” Illinois Republican Party President Don Tracy said.
Meanwhile, the governor countered that the law would strengthen security.
“Actually, I have a lot of confidence that this will make the police safer and it will make the public safer,” he said.
With publishing cables