đ¸ Cashless Bail & The Illinois Pattern: unSAFE, unTRUSTworthy, and Unfunded
How Springfieldâs âfeel-goodâ laws leave citizens paying more to feel less safe.
Illinois loves nice-sounding law names:
The SAFE-T Act (but communities feel anything but safe),
The TRUST Act (but many feel they canât trust the system).
They look great on a press release. In real life? Families feel less safe, less heard, and more taxed.
đ¨ SAFE-T: Cashless Bail and the Vanishing Piggy Bank
Illinois abolished cash bail statewide in Sept. 2023. Result: repeat offenders are often released pretrial, and the courtsâ âbail piggy bankâ got smashed.
Before SAFE-T, counties kept 10% bond processing feesâabout $15.1M in 2016, still ~$4.9M in 2020 statewide. That stream is now gone with cash bail. đˇđĽ
Bond dollars used to help pay court costs, fees, and some victim services; without bail, more of the justice-system tab shifts to⌠taxpayers. Translation: criminals stopped paying in; citizens make up the difference.
Itâs like canceling parking tickets and then hiking your property taxes to fill potholes. đđ¸
đ TRUST Act: âDonât Ask, Donât Tellâ for ICE
The Illinois TRUST Act (2017) limits local police from honoring civil ICE detainers or proactively sharing status info absent a warrant. Supporters say it builds community trust. Many residents hear âmuzzled copsâ and feel unTRUSTworthy is more accurate.
Legally, it sits in a tug-of-war:
Feds: immigration is federal turf (Supremacy Clause).
States: the 10th Amendment bars the feds from commandeering local police.
Courts have mostly allowed âsanctuary-styleâ limits (refusing to help â blocking the feds), but public confidence takes a hit when people feel safety is politicized.
đ¨ââď¸ âEven Prosecutors (and a Cop-Turned-Rep) Warned Youâ
This wasnât just talk-radio outrage:
Prosecutors in 64 counties sued to stop the SAFE-T Act; a Kankakee judge initially sided with them before the Illinois Supreme Court upheld the law in a 5â2 ruling (effective 9/18/23).
State Rep. Patrick Sheehan (R-37th)âa nearly 20-year law-enforcement officerâhas repeatedly called to repeal SAFE-T and applauded the recent federal EO targeting cashless bail. Heâs been explicit that cashless bail creates a revolving door and endangers communities.
(Yes, heâs localâappointed to the 37th Representative District in Illinois, covering parts of Will & south suburban Cook.) Ballotpedia
đď¸ Washingtonâs Shadow: The Supremacy Playbook
President Trumpâs executive order in August puts Illinois on noticeâit doesnât erase state law, but it opens federal lanes: conditioning grants, new federal legislation, SCOTUS challenges, or federal charging strategies that apply federal pretrial rules. Think: âno chores, no pizza moneyâ but with DOJ grants. đ AP News
đ The Illinois Pattern (In One Line)
SAFE-T is unSAFE (people feel less protected), unFUNDED (bail revenue vanished), and unFAIR (citizens foot the bill). The TRUST Act feels unTRUSTworthy (law enforcement constrained while communities want candor). This is the stateâs favorite move: unfunded mandates with nice names and ugly invoices.
đłď¸ Why Elections (All of Them) Matter
SAFE-T and TRUST were made in Springfieldâyour governor signed them, your legislators voted for them, and your county officials must live with them. Skipping âboringâ down-ballot races is like eating the pepperoni off a pizza and wondering why youâre still hungry. đ
If you want policies that protect families and fund justice fairly, vote like every office mattersâbecause it does.
đ Sources (quick hits)
Bond fees & financial impact (IL Courts/Civic Federation analyses). Illinois Courts Audio *** Civic Federation
Litigation & ruling (64 counties sued; IL Supreme Court upheld SAFE-T). Illinois Senate Democrats *** WTTW News
Trump EO on cashless bail (federal levers in play). AP News
Rep. Patrick Sheehanâs opposition (official site & statements). Patrick Sheehan for State Rep
âď¸ Posted by AIM (Accountability, Involvement, Modernization). For more no-nonsense takes, subscribe free at aim4will.org.