>On Jan. 13, 2021, during the post-election lame duck legislative session, a 764 page opus known as Illinois HB 3653, ironically called the “SAFE-T Act” (Safety, Accountability, Fairness, Equity – Today Act), was rushed through by Democrats in the state capitol.
>To start, criminal suspects arrested on charges ranging from petty theft to murder (yes, murder) will no longer have to post bail, because cash bail will go away entirely. Will judges be able to keep obviously dangerous defendants in jail? Only when, to quote the language in the legislation, “the defendant poses a real and present threat to a specific, identifiable person or persons, or has a high likelihood of flight.”
>That suggests that if you kill your wife, for instance, you can be let out of jail while you await trial, posting no bail, because, well, she’s now dead, and you don’t “pose a threat” to any other “specific” individual. If you are unsuccessful in your murder attempt and only maimed your wife, as she is still alive, yes, a judge can keep you in jail, but only because your wife survived your assault.
Hope any fellow chiggers have preparations.