CRIME/PUBLIC SAFETY
Three Years Later, Ending Cash Bail Has Had Deadly Consequences
Three years after Illinois implemented the elimination of cash bail, the consequences of the state’s pretrial system are becoming increasingly difficult to ignore.
Since the Pretrial Fairness Act took effect, defendants released into Illinois communities have been accused of committing violent crimes, while failures in electronic monitoring have raised serious questions about public safety and accountability.
Some of the cases include:
- A man accused of setting a CTA passenger on fire while on electronic monitoring.
- Man charged in fatal hospital shooting Chicago police officer violated his electronic monitoring weeks before.
- A Chicago-area man accused of sucker-punching an “innocent woman” while on pretrial release.
- A Joliet robbery defendant who was on pretrial release under the SAFE-T Act.
The problems extend beyond individual cases. Cook County has struggled to track defendants placed on electronic monitoring, with roughly 8% reportedly classified as AWOL.
Even Cook County State’s Attorney Eileen O’Neill Burke has called for reforms, warning that placing violent defendants on electronic monitoring is not a tenable system.
Three years later, Illinoisans are still waiting for meaningful action.
Gov. JB Pritzker has said he is open to changes to the SAFE-T Act, but his words have had no follow-through. While Pritzker makes empty promises, House Republicans have introduced more than 40 bills aimed at addressing problems with the state’s pretrial system.
Illinois families deserve a system that protects victims, holds dangerous offenders accountable and gives judges the tools they need to keep dangerous people off the streets.
Three things to know about the end of cash bail in Chicago three years later
Three years ago, on September 18, 2023, Illinois became the first state to entirely eliminate cash bail.
The measure was part of the larger crime bill known as the SAFE-T Act. For Chicago, the results of ending cash bail have been mixed.
Here are three things to know about the end of cash bail in Chicago:
- Almost half of all defendants arrested in Cook County cannot be legally detained after their first court appearance.
- When comparing similar defendants, more were released, and more were charged while on release, after cash bail ended.
- Overall crime has dropped, but that is in line with national trends.
Reforms such as easing the process for prosecutors to file a petition seeking detention and allowing detention for repeat offenders would help mitigate the problems with the measure.
Read more from the Illinois Policy Institute.
CORRUPTION/ETHICS
Former federal prosecutor to take over as Illinois’ acting legislative ethics watchdog Oct. 1
A former federal prosecutor will temporarily take over as the Illinois General Assembly’s top ethics watchdog, stepping into an office roiled by controversy over how sexual harassment complaints against a former state lawmaker were handled.
David E. Risley has been chosen by the state’s Legislative Ethics Commission to begin the job of acting legislative inspector general on Oct. 1, succeeding Michael P. McCuskey, a former state and federal judge, who is slated to retire on Sept. 30 amid questions over his handling of a female lobbyist’s sexual harassment allegations against disgraced former state Rep. Harry Benton.
A certified inspector general and former assistant U.S. attorney in the Central District of Illinois, Risley “brings more than 30 years of experience in investigations and prosecutorial work,” state Rep. Jeff Keicher, a Sycamore Republican who chairs the ethics commission, said in a statement last week. Risley also served in the U.S. Regime Crimes Liaison Office investigating crimes against humanity in Iraq, as ethics officer for the Illinois Department of Transportation, and as legal and ethics adviser in the legislative inspector general’s office, Keicher said.
“The public’s trust has understandably been shaken by recent events, which is why the Commission has acted swiftly to fill the position to provide a seamless transition,” Keicher said. “Mr. Risley’s extensive investigative and prosecutorial experience, as well as his experience with Illinois’ ethics laws, make him an excellent candidate to serve as Acting Legislative Inspector General.”
Read more on Risley’s appointment from the Chicago Tribune.
Carol, Aaron Ammons’ trial rescheduled for December; proceedings moved away from Election Day
State Rep. Carol Ammons (D-Urbana) and her husband, Champaign County Clerk Aaron Ammons, will now go on trial in December in their federal court case.
Federal court records show Judge Colleen Lawless granted a pair of motions the couple made that asked for their upcoming pretrial hearing and opening day of trial to be postponed. The couple was due to appear in court on Nov. 3 and go on trial on Nov. 17.
The former date happens to be Election Day, and the latter is the deadline by which all election ballots, including absentee and mail-in ballots, must be counted. […]
With no objection from federal prosecutors, Judge Lawless granted the motions, saying, “The interest in justice granting the continuance outweighs the public and Defendant’s right to a speedy trial.” She rescheduled the trial to begin on Dec. 7.
JOBS
Unemployment Rate Falls and Payrolls Down in August
The Illinois Department of Employment Security (IDES) announced Thursday that the unemployment rate was 4.7 percent in August, down -0.2 percentage point from July, and up +0.4 percentage point from the same month, one year ago, based on data provided by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). The revised July unemployment rate was 4.9 percent.
Total nonfarm payrolls decreased over-the-month in August, down -4,400 (-0.1%) to 6,175,600. The July monthly change in payrolls was revised from the preliminary report, from +11,700 to +15,300. The August payroll jobs estimate and unemployment rate reflect activity for the week including the 12th.
The industry sectors with the largest monthly payroll jobs increases included: Leisure and Hospitality (+1,800), Construction (+1,500), and Professional and Business Services (+1,000). The sectors with the largest over-the-month jobs decreases included: Private Education and Health Services (-6,100), Financial Activities (-1,700), and Trade, Transportation and Utilities (-1,000).
Compared to a year ago, total nonfarm payroll jobs were up +15,000 jobs. The industry groups with the largest jobs increases included: Construction (+13,400), Private Education and Health Services (+9,600), and Other Services (+4,000). The industry groups with the largest jobs decreases included: Financial Activities (-15,800), Information (-2,900) and Trade, Transportation and Utilities (-700). In August, total nonfarm payrolls were up +0.2% over-the-year in Illinois and up +0.4% in the nation.
Illinois unemployment rate averages 3rd-highest in U.S.
Since 2019, Illinois’ unemployment rate has trended above the national average.
The average rate in Illinois was 5.4% from January 2019, when Pritzker took office, to July 2026, a figure affected at least slightly by COVID. That’s the third-highest in the country in that time.
Illinois’ preliminary unemployment rate in July was 4.9%, with over 300,000 residents looking for work. The rate is higher than the 4.6% when Pritzker took office and considerably higher than the national average of 4.1% in July. Since 2019, Illinois’ rate has typically been above the national average.
Read more from the Illinois Policy Institute.
Illinois community colleges launch manufacturing academies
A group of five Illinois community colleges announced a coordinated effort to set up a series of manufacturing academies to train Illinois residents. The academies will be located in Illinois Central College (East Peoria), Kaskaskia College (Centralia), Lake Land College (Mattoon), Lewis and Clark College (Godfrey), and Parkland College (Champaign). The academies will concentrate on granting certifications to students to enable them to pursue future work in high-tech manufacturing spaces.
The Lake Land College manufacturing academy announcement, which will be backed by $3.0 million from the State of Illinois, is typical. Lake Land is developing expertise in training students for Computer Integrated Manufacturing (CIM) processes, including precision machining, production logistics, and industrial automation. A typical CIM process moves away from the traditional assembly line into a flexible assembly process in which free-standing or mobile precision machines perform alterations to a production unit in a way that can send the production unit in a wide variety of additional directions for additional individualized work. The goal of a CIM process is to produce a unique, individualized product that conforms to specifications that have been pre-ordered or pre-agreed by the customer.
The coordinated $20.3 million manufacturing academy announcement was made on Monday, September 14.
UPCOMING EVENTS
Traveling Office Hours – Elburn
Please stop by and say hello at my next Traveling Office Hours event on Thursday, October 15, at Elburn Village Hall. My District Office staff will be available to answer questions and help with any state issues you may have. The event will run from 10 a.m. to noon.