SAFE-T Act

Wednesday marks one year since Illinois ended cash bail.

There are minimal consequences for failing to register, and whether the law is even enforced depends heavily on where you live and how authorities discover an unregistered gun.

Under Illinois law, all police agencies will be required to begin wearing body cameras by the start of 2025. East St. Louis got its first body cameras in September.

A Troy, Illinois man charged with murder will remain free on bond after a ruling Tuesday that tested a new Illinois law that eliminated cash bail as a way to ensure that defendants show up for court.

Chief Judge Andrew Gleeson said the numbers may drop in the next eight weeks but he doesn’t expect that to continue. A jail spokesman said the jail population could even increase in the long term.

Illinois became the first state in the country to abolish cash bail on Monday, but the courts remained slow in the Metro East.

When Illinois becomes the first U.S. state to abolish cash bail, it could set off a surge in electronic monitoring to the fear of the law’s most fervent supporters.

State lawmakers passed and the governor signed the criminal justice reform back in 2021. Originally scheduled to take effect on Jan. 1, 2023, lawsuits slowed the SAFE-T Act's enactment. The legislation includes the elimination of cash bail.

Experts say the doomsday scenarios surrounding the controversial criminal justice reform aren’t likely to materialize. But big changes are coming.

Illinois Supreme Court Chief Justice Mary Jane Theis said the decision was made due to “the anticipated volume of investigations and hearings on pretrial detention” when bail reform goes into effect Sept. 18.