North Cook News

Charles Hutchinson is not in support of the SAFE-T act or the elimination of the cash bail.

“I do not support the elimination of cash bail in Illinois. Too often we are seeing people who are out on bail, committing more crimes. The leniency of bail in our court system is one of the reasons we are seeing a spike in crime and making our neighborhoods less safe,” said Charles Hutchinson.

Supporters of the Safety, Accountability, Fairness and Equity-Today (SAFE-T) Act, including the Illinois Legislative Black Caucus, point to the legislation as a step towards making the justice system more equitable for minorities. Republicans have called the SAFE-T Act a “de facto defund the police bill" because of the additional regulations it places on police officers.

The SAFE-T will eliminate cash bail in Illinois, effective Jan. 1, 2023, which critics claim will lead to more criminals out on the streets. When asked about whether the elimination of cash bail would make the justice system more equitable, Charles further stated, “It is abundantly clear that eliminating cash bail will make communities less safe. Reporting by CWB Chicago is tracking the incidents of individuals out on bond creating more violent crime. Putting more people back out into our communities and neighborhoods who have been arrested for criminal activity will not result in a safer neighborhood. It is imperative that elected officials work to make and keep neighborhoods safe for everyone, including families and children. Adding more crime and more violent crime to neighborhoods does very little to keep neighborhoods safe for parents trying to raise their children and provide them with opportunities to succeed.”

Multiple state's attorneys expressed concern over the legislation at a media briefing in April, according to the Center Square. State Sen. Dale Fowler (R-Harrisburg) said that some of the provisions regarding law enforcement are driving people away from the field. “It's been very frustrating to see our law enforcement officers retire early, some of our sheriff’s retire early, and our students not wanting to go into the law enforcement field,” Fowler said.

Gov. Pritzker recently defended the elimination of cash bail, according to The Center Square. "We do not want someone in jail because they were arrested for a low-level crime like shoplifting to be sitting in jail for months or maybe even years," Pritzker said. "At the same time, someone who is a wealthy drug dealer, perhaps accused of murder and arrested, can show up with a suitcase full of money and get out of jail." Regarding the SAFE-T Act, Charles stated, “The SAFE-T Act as a whole is something which should be repealed, as a whole. Unless the reforms implemented by the Safety Accountability Fairness Equity-Today Act is using changes proven to keep our neighborhoods safe from crime today, it should be repealed. The legislators who voted for this bill voted against the residents of our communities who are victims of crime and the residents of our communities who are wanting to live in a neighborhood with less crime and more opportunity.”