State Senator Erica Harriss has released the below statement regarding the implementation of no cash bail set to take effect on Monday, September 18:
“The General Assembly is intended to be a deliberative body. The expedited process that rewrote the state’s criminal justice system, making Illinois the first in the nation to eliminate cash bail, came with little to no deliberation nor input from citizens. Additionally, nearly every State’s Attorney’s in the State opposed this legislation. This new law fails to consider the implications to public safety and the financial impact on our counties and local taxpayers.
“Together, Madison and St. Clair counties will see a financial hit of millions of dollars—money that has traditionally funded our courts’ ability to function and allowed victims to receive restitution and other resources and services.
“Now, it will likely be up to our property taxpayers to foot the bill if we don’t address this issue and find real solutions to provide our counties with the financial resources they need.”
