Galesburg Reporter

Governor J.B. Pritzker signed policies that ended Illinois Judges’ ability to set cash bails before a defendant’s first court appearance, a victory for criminal reform and negatively grabbed Republican attention.

“Beginning in January, state’s attorneys say they will have no choice but to release dangerous offenders from jail,” Rep. Win Stoller wrote on Facebook.

Stoller added the Safety, Accountability, Fairness and Equity-Today (SAFE-T) Act was passed without “public input.” GOP governors, such as West Virginia Governor Jim Justice, push for near-total abortion bans though Pew Research Center reported that approximately 62% of Americans support abortions.

Stoller has long been vocal about his support for law enforcement, and his disdain for the SAFE-T Act. 

The law, passed in 2021, allows individuals who are charged with arson, murder in the second degree, kidnapping, aggravated vehicular hijacking, and other serious crimes, to be released from jail without bail. His Facebook post outlined several of those crimes in a graphic.

ACLU reported studies showed people are more likely to take plea deals and plea guilty to crimes they didn’t commit because they couldn’t afford bail.

“Cash bail is one of the most unfair parts of our criminal system,” Representative Talbot Ross said to ACLU. “It creates two systems of justice: one for the wealthy, and one for everyone else. I’m grateful to my colleagues for taking this important step toward ending wealth-based discrimination in our legal system.”

A better option, Stoller says, is to make sure that police have the funding and tools they need to protect communities.

“As violent crime continues to spike throughout the state, we must not only ensure that our police are adequately funded but we must also implement policies that support law enforcement officers and provide them with the tools they need to fight violent crimes,” Stoller wrote on Facebook.

The violence in Illinois goes beyond the streets of Chicago. The situation in Illinois prisons revealed by investigations on the Illinois Department of Corrections showed correctional officers abuse the inmates. The Marshall Project and Illinois Public Radio reported inmates in the U.S. penitentiary in Thomson would get a “Thomson tattoo” because officers forced them to wear shackles that scarred wrists, ankles and abdomens.

Stoller was first elected to the Illinois Senate in 2021. A Republican, their legislative experience includes serving on the Environment and Conservation Committee and Senate Higher Education Committee. Stoller is a state senator who resides in Germantown Hills, according to the Illinois Senate.

To learn more about the SAFE-T Act, visit the Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority’s webpage.