What has Actually Happened Since Illinois Abolished Cash Bail w/Sharlyn Grace, Celeste Korando, and Victoria Kerr

Feb 8

Following years of intense advocacy in the state house, a robust coalition of people in Illinois were successfully able to abolish cash bail with the SAFE-T Act. For the tough on crime crowd, this law would turn Illinois into “the Purge.” Anarchy would claim the streets and the entire state would become lawless….but did that actually happen? Joining Hunter today are Celeste Korando, the Chief Public Defender of Jackson County Illinois, Sharlyn Grace, the Senior Policy Advisor at the Cook County Public Defender, and Victoria Kerr, former Public Defender and current Private Defense Counsel in Central IL, to talk about the good, the bad, and the truth of the SAFE-T Act.

Guests:

Celeste Korando, Chief Public Defender, Jackson County, Illinois

Sharlyn Grace, Senior Policy Advisor, Cook County Public Defender

Victoria Kerr, Criminal Defense Attorney, Central Illinois

Resources:

SAFE-T Act

https://www.illinoislegalaid.org/legal-information/cash-bail-changes-2023-safe-t-act#:~:text=In%20July%202023%2C%20the%20Illinois,system%20and%20what%20it%20means.

https://www.aclu.org/news/criminal-law-reform/the-illinois-supreme-court-cash-bail-ruling-explained

https://eji.org/news/illinois-becomes-first-state-to-abolish-cash-bail/

https://blockclubchicago.org/2022/09/14/no-there-is-no-purge-law-in-illinois-here-are-the-facts-about-ending-cash-bail/

https://pretrialfairness.org/

Bad Faith Reactions to the Law