Gov. JB Pritzker set off a chain reaction last November when he told reporters he’d be open to changes in the SAFE-T Act, which eliminated cash bail and replaced it with a new pre-trial release/retention system, among other things.
Pritzker was asked about the case of a woman, Bethany MaGee, who was horrifically set ablaze while riding on a Chicago commuter train.
No direct link between the crime and the SAFE-T Act actually existed, but the news media pounced on Pritzker’s statement that he’d be open to changes, and several downstate county sheriffs and others jumped up with their own suggestions (although it seemed like at least some were mostly upset about the loss of revenues from cash bail).
A Pritzker official told me back then that state laws are tweaked all the time, and the governor was merely saying that if legislators wanted to make some tweaks, he’d be open to it as well.
Before we go forward, it’s probably also important to note that while the news media (particularly television news) and some major “influencers” on social media tend to put crime front and center, a recent poll showed that fewer than 8% of Illinoisans put crime at the top of their list of the most important issues facing the state.
The results are from a Jan. 3-5, 2026, Emerson College poll of 1,000 likely Illinois primary voters. The statewide poll was commissioned by Chicago’s WGN TV.
“What do you think is the most important issue facing Illinois?” respondents were asked.
Just 7.6% identified “crime” as the most important issue.
That’s lower than “Immigration” at 10.4%; “Threats to democracy” at 12.7%; “Healthcare” at 12.9%; and “Economy (jobs, inflation, taxes)” at a whopping 40.4%.
That doesn’t mean crime isn’t important, of course. It is without a doubt. You cannot have a functioning society with high crime rates (which, by the way, have been falling fast).
But the poll does help show how the yearslong and constant drumbeat of crime stories, tweets, Facebook posts and YouTube videos pales in comparison to what voters are saying they really want to talk about: Their personal economic well-being (add health care and housing affordability to that economy category and the number rises to 59%).
But I digress.
Regardless of all that, the SAFE-T Act questions keep coming.
About a month ago, new Cook County Chief Judge Charles Beach formed a committee to look at some of the problems with the county’s electronic monitoring program for detainees. The court system runs that program, which used to be operated by the county sheriff. But there have been numerous problems reported, including officials not fully knowing what is going on with the electronically monitored population, and that has led to some tragic outcomes, like the one on that CTA train, which helped prompt the new committee’s formation.
The SAFE-T Act included a provision granting those on electronic monitoring part of two days a week for “essential movement” — things like doctors’ appointments and job training, which many judges had been denying before. Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart has claimed those folks are not tracked during those two days, but the Cook County Public Defender says that’s not traced to the SAFE-T Act, which doesn’t explicitly require eliminating tracking.
The change ball moved forward a bit more last week when Illinois House Speaker Chris Welch was asked at a Chicago City Club luncheon what sort of changes he’d like to see in the SAFE-T Act.
Welch said that the Legislature should “always try to find ways to do better.”
Then he pointed at Judge Beach, saying he wants to wait and see what’s in Beach’s report, which is scheduled for release toward the end of January.
“I think we should give him an opportunity to come to us and make some recommendations to us,” Welch said.
Perhaps more importantly, Welch also said his House Democratic Public Safety Working Group should “probably listen to some other folks from across the state and get their input.” Working groups meet in private and are invite-only.
Welch strongly defended the state law throughout his comments, insisting that the SAFE-T Act “is working” and that judges and police officers “will tell you that the bad guys are in jail because judges are locking them up. The SAFE-T Act is allowing judges to do their job.”
I dunno about judges, but one doesn’t hear many, if any, cops say such a thing. That doesn’t mean they’re right, of course.
- *ducks* - Monday, Jan 12, 26 @ 9:53 am:
The law was, is, and always has been predicated upon the premise quality judges will make good decisions. For most counties, and most instances, that remains true. But people make mistakes. And when those mistakes happen, it’s good to see if the law can be amended.
- Think again - Monday, Jan 12, 26 @ 10:03 am:
=Perhaps more importantly, Welch also said his House Democratic Public Safety Working Group should “probably listen to some other folks from across the state and get their input.=
Just like the “gun violence prevention” working groups - they only solicent 100% partisan views so what’s going to change?
- Occasionally Moderated - Monday, Jan 12, 26 @ 10:17 am:
I think judges make better decisions when the information gets presented to them in a detention hearing. The issue is when the states attorneys offices don’t have capacity to prepare for even more hearings, get the reports, prepare in a meaningful way for a detention hearing when their schedule is booked full and defendants just keep showing up.
What seems to always be missing in these arguments is that crime is on its way down everywhere in the country. The answer is in the data if we cracked the code on reducing crime.
Last- the poor and neediest among us are disparately impacted on the victim side of crime. Are they responding to polling?
- Hoosier Daddy - Monday, Jan 12, 26 @ 10:20 am:
In the last election, there was a referendum to support a tax increase to pay for the courts ( which were funded by cash bail) and for the Sheriff.
It failed.
- Billionaire Budster - Monday, Jan 12, 26 @ 10:24 am:
Is Blago a lobbyist? Did Anne Pramaggiore pay him to seek a Presidential pardon?
- TheInvisibleMan - Monday, Jan 12, 26 @ 10:25 am:
“The SAFE-T Act is allowing judges to do their job.”
Even more importantly, it is finally shining some light on the judges who are not able to do their job. As well as prosecutors who on many occasions don’t even bother filing a petition for detention on detention-eligible crimes. Many times it’s being done with a pre-existing and failed political agenda, in a selfish attempt to try to prove how bad the SAFE-T act is.
There are a lot of officials who are still angry they lost their lawsuits against the SAFE-T act, and are still acting like spoiled children about it.
The Illinois Office of Pretrial Services maintains an excellent dashboard full of useful data. It tracks detention-eligible crimes, petitions requested, petitions granted. There are even breakdowns of detentions filed/granted for domestic violence specifically. Most of important of all, it breaks this data down by circuit court. There are some eye-opening things going on in some areas in the state, and not the areas where most people would expect.
I generally visit the OSPS website, and click through on the OSPS Data Dashboard link at the top of the page.
https://www.ilosps.gov/data-and-metrics/
- Anyone Remember - Monday, Jan 12, 26 @ 10:52 am:
Law enforcement officers, when discussing legislation, don’t necessarily have the best track record … .
https://patch.com/illinois/decatur-il/cop-claims-police-dogs-would-be-euthanized-if-pot-legalized
- Think again - Monday, Jan 12, 26 @ 11:27 am:
=Even more importantly, it is finally shining some light on the judges who are not able to do their job=
That may well be an intended outcome, but the reality is that the remedies are not really in the hands of the public. The retention vote process is a joke, and questionable judges almost always get over the 60% threshold.
https://www.injusticewatch.org/judges/judicial-elections/2024-retention/2024/judicial-retention-candidates-2024/
- TheInvisibleMan - Monday, Jan 12, 26 @ 12:07 pm:
“but the reality is that the remedies are not really in the hands of the public.”
To a certain degree that’s true. When it comes to direct elections.
There is an especially egregious case of what’s happening in some unnamed county, where the most blatant failure of one particular judge is coming from a judge people never even get a chance to elect. That associate judge was elected by other circuit judges.
But even then, the word has gotten out how that process happens and that negative performance is starting to be linked to the judges who voted to elect the judge failing at his job. Those judges are elected by the public.
It’s not perfect of course, but it is a solvable problem for an informed electorate (that’s the point where the failure in the system is actually happening).
- Original Rambler - Monday, Jan 12, 26 @ 12:34 pm:
Without the Safe-T-Act, there’s a chance vascular surgeon Michael McKee could make the high bond that would undoubtedly have been set for him for being accused of killing his ex-wife and her husband in Ohio. The Safe-T-Act keeps that outcome from happening. It undoubtedly can use some tweaking but it is much better than the cash bond system it replaced.
- TNR - Monday, Jan 12, 26 @ 2:52 pm:
It will be interesting to hear Judge Beach’s recommendations related to Electronic Monitoring. Cook County’s EM program transitioned from being a pretty restrictive program for nonviolent offenders who were chosen by the sheriff, to a less restrictive program for oftentimes violent offenders who are chosen by the judges. This transition occurred right as the SAFE-T Act’s provisions were being implemented, which include more free movement for EM participants. That might need to tightened up.
- Amalia - Monday, Jan 12, 26 @ 5:06 pm:
some elected official/s will do something to make changes. but nobody is gonna tip their hand too early cause there are hard lefties out there who are ready to pounce. there is a group handing out grades to a State’s Attorney who has been in office for a year. prosecution derangement syndrome. give time for the new Cook County chief judge and SA to have some chats.
- charles in charge - Monday, Jan 12, 26 @ 5:45 pm:
== nobody is gonna tip their hand too early cause there are hard lefties out there who are ready to pounce==
Oh yes, I’m sure the cops and prosecutors who have been relentlessly attacking the SAFE-T Act since the day it was passed are very fearful of “hard lefties” “pouncing” on them, and they’re just waiting for the right moment to reveal all the very thoughtful evidence-based reforms they have in mind.