In July, after the Illinois Supreme Court upheld a controversial state law that abolished cash bail, Chris Southwood argued that the so-called SAFE-T law “keeps dangerous criminals in prison and keeps them from posting cash.” Instead of forcing them, they will put them back on the streets.” I want him to be released on bail while he awaits trial. ”
“Many criminals will commit crimes again within hours of being released,” said Southwood, president of the Illinois Fraternal Order of Police.
He was right.
But Southwood will be the first to admit that critics of the SAFE-T Act (formally known as the SAFE-T Act) didn’t need to predict the impending criminal justice disaster. Illinois Safety, Accountability, Fairness and Equity – Today (SAFE-T) Act — It can be said that the situation is only getting worse.
Chicago City Councilman Raymond Lopez, a rare Democrat who opposes ending cash bail in the Land of Lincoln, told Fox News. “America Report” In October, it reported that innocent people were being “hunted down like prey.”
“[T]Crimes like burglary, burglary, arson, assault, and even intimidation of elected officials like me are no longer grounds for detention in Illinois, and criminals are taking notice.” Lopez told the cable news station.
Exhibit A: People who identify as transgender jason lee williemy name is Alexia Willey.
two judicial systems
A 47-year-old man from Nashville, Illinois, was charged. last month Includes 14 federal felony counts of interstate communication of threat of injury.According to the culprit, Willie complaintallegedly declared during a video in an online chat room that he would enter schools and public restrooms to shoot and sexually abuse children.
According to law enforcement officials, Mr. Willey Referenced Covenant Presbyterian School killer Audrey Elizabeth Hale was the self-identified transgender shooter who killed three 9-year-olds and three teachers at a private elementary school in Nashville in late March.
“There’s a lot of trans people here who are tired of being bullied and they’re going to break into the school and kill all the fucking kids here and that’s it. We’re at war,” Willie said online. It is said that he spoke atindictment.
According to court filings, Willey is said to have made several statements about sexually assaulting children, including calling him an “open pedophile” and threatening “girls in the bathroom.”
The suspect, who is transgender, is also accused of making racist and violent comments towards black people and threatening to “infect him with HIV” using a syringe.
Willie has pleaded not guilty to all charges.
United States District Court for the Southern District of Illinois control Willey must be held until his trial on January 16th because the government must “clearly and convincingly demonstrate that no condition or combination of conditions reasonably guarantees the safety of any other person or the community.” Because it was proven by evidence.
Released in response to past threats
That was not the case in Illinois on August 14, when local law enforcement first arrested Willey.
feminist magazine Reduxx report In October, Willey was initially arrested in Perry County, Illinois, a rural enclave of about 21,000 people about 110 miles southeast of St. Louis. According to Reduxx, sheriff’s deputies said Willie had been “observed making disturbing threats against the school and local children, and specifically that a plot to commit a school shooting was in progress.” Redux reported that they had received information that suggested that this was the case.
Despite the seriousness of the charges, Redux reported that Willey was released at the time on non-monetary bail, about two days after being charged with resisting arrest. The suspect was also initially charged with disorderly conduct, but Perry County Sheriff Chad Howard told the magazine that charges related to the threat were dropped because there was no specific target.
He also cited Illinois. SAFE-T methodsuggesting that law enforcement’s hands were tied.
Less than a month earlier, the state Supreme Court had upheld the law, making Illinois the first state in the nation to completely eliminate cash bail.
Howard said even if Willey were found guilty of resisting arrest, it was unlikely he would receive any prison time.
“More or less, it’s going to end up being a public hearing. Currently, in Illinois, SAFE-T methodEnforced on September 18, this type of crime can no longer be contained,” the sheriff told Reduxx. “You just bring it. [a suspect] You book them, process them, submit them for biometrics, then release them with a court date and the court takes care of everything from then on. ”
The sheriff did not respond to multiple messages seeking comment.
Willie currently faces up to 70 years in prison on federal charges.
“The perfect recipe for illegal activity”
A general meeting led by the Democratic Party will be held in December 2022. Modified The SAFE-T Act of 2021’s sweeping criminal justice and police reforms, including the elimination of money bail in the state. The provision, which ultimately survived a court challenge, was strengthened by the “blue wave that swept through Illinois during the 2022 midterm elections,” the Chicago Sun-Times reported. report.
Supporters such as state Rep. Jehan Gordon Booth (D-Peoria) say the reforms will create a fairer system for “systemically oppressed” people, especially low-income and minority defendants. It claims to be aimed at.
“Responsible modernization of pretrial procedures will not only create a fairer process, but will also create a private It will help make our communities safer,” said Gordon-Booth. statement In July.
Critics argue that the left-led rewrite of Illinois’ criminal justice system continues the liberal pursuit of prioritizing criminals over law enforcement and public safety.
“Such a sweeping bill would limit the ability of judges to make decisions based on the facts of the case before them and to exercise necessary discretion.”Said State Sen. Win Stoller, a Republican from Germantown Hills.
Southwood, president of the Illinois Fraternal Order of Police, noted that the latest crime data for the first few weeks of 2022 and 2023 shows a sharp increase in major crime rates in Illinois, particularly in Chicago.Major crime spikes in Illinois’ largest city 41 percent Last year and 55 percent The first seven weeks of 2023 were compared to the same period last year.
national trends
The story is similar in left-leaning cities across the country that are experimenting with zero bail and other so-called social justice reforms.
a study A study by the Yolo County (California) District Attorney’s Office found that suspects who did not post bail had significantly higher recidivism rates than those ordered to post cash bail. The study found that “those released on zero bail were subsequently re-arrested for a total of 163% more crimes than those released on bail.”
The report also found:
- the arrested person was released On average, recidivism rates were 70% higher with zero bail. than those arrested who have posted bail.
- The average recidivism rate for people released on zero bail is 78% in 18 monthsMeanwhile, the average recidivism rate for those released on bail was only 46%.
- released individual New felonies committed with zero bail increased by 90% than those who paid bail.
- released individual New misdemeanor crimes increase by 123% with zero bail. than those who paid bail.
Yolo County District Attorney Jeff Reisig said, “Recent research on the real-world impact of zero bail policies shows that when bail is eliminated as a court tool, victimization increases dramatically and public safety is compromised.” “This clearly shows that it is severely compromised.” .
Supporters of zero bail point to studies such as “a professor at the New York University at Albany School of Criminal Justice who recently completed his Ph.D.” that the numbers have little impact on recidivism rates in bail reform cities. It claims to show that there is no such thing.that study“Does Bail Reform Increase Crime in New York State: Evidence from Interrupted Time Series and Synthetic Control Methods” was published in May. quarterly justice.
But critics say such analysis ignores what law enforcement officers are encountering in the field.
What these criminal justice reform advocates fail to acknowledge is that cities that push for cashless bail and other get-out-of-jail policies continue to be the cities with the highest crime rates.heritage foundation report The Blue Cities Murder Problem, published late last year, showed that 27 of the top 30 crime-prone cities are run by Democrats.
Heritage Foundation scholars and authors Charles Stimson, Zach Smith, and Kevin D. Dayaratna write, “Leftists believe that their crime mitigation policies are wreaking havoc in the cities that have implemented them.” I know that,” he wrote. report.
Southwood said Illinois’ statewide SAFE-T law and the complete repeal of cash bail have made things even more difficult for law enforcement and communities.He focused on the following casestreyshawn mclaren Originally from Henderson, Illinois. McLaren was charged in September with assault on his 3-month-old child, domestic battery and endangering the life and safety of a child. The judge in the case granted McLaren supervised release and denied a request by prosecutors to jail him pending trial.
McLaren had been arrested on drug and firearms charges in an FBI investigation just a few months earlier.
“Criminals are nothing but opportunists, and this is a great opportunity that our elected officials have given them,” Southwood said. “Handcuffing cops, releasing felons from jail without cash bail, and disarming law-abiding citizens. This is the perfect recipe for lawlessness, and criminals across the state are committing crimes.” They’re busy making stuff up.”
MD Kittle is an award-winning investigative reporter and 30-year veteran of print, broadcast, and online journalism.