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View Full Version : Jim Durkin: The SAFE-T Act gives drug cartels free rein in Illinois



BoogyMan
09-12-2022, 09:39 PM
Gee, nobody could have EVER seen this one coming. Recidivism alone speaks to just how stupid this idea is.

https://www.chicagotribune.com/opinion/commentary/ct-opinion-safe-t-act-cash-bail-jail-pretrial-fairness-20220909-hsuubtmw5zaqdctjx3pfvustj4-story.html

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This past summer, Gov. J.B. Pritzker claimed, “Illinois is leading the way in addressing the war on drugs as no state has before.” In reality, with his signature on the misnamed SAFE-T Act, Pritzker and his legislative partners have opened up Illinois to drug cartels and traffickers like never before.

Included in Pritzker’s crime bill is a ticking time bomb set to go off at the start of next year that will have serious ramifications for law-abiding citizens and give drug cartels free rein on Illinois’ streets.

The elimination of cash bail, which will begin Jan. 1, will have wide-ranging consequences throughout our criminal justice system. With the elimination of cash bail, criminal suspects will be detained before trial only in the case of forcible felonies that are nonprobational or unless they are considered a flight risk or a danger to someone in the community. Many violent crimes, including robbery, vehicular invasion, driving under the influence causing death and second-degree murder, do not qualify under this law. This policy is a horrible slap in the face to victims and neighborhoods desperately seeking safety.

So how does this affect the war on drugs? Under Pritzker’s SAFE-T Act, it’s possible drug kingpins, smugglers, traffickers or distributors of illegal drugs won’t be detained before trial, no matter the quantity of deadly substances they are accused of possessing. Astonishingly, Pritzker and the Democrats don’t seem to believe there is a connection between drug dealers, street gangs, cartels and the gun violence our state sees daily.

For decades, sales of drugs brought into Chicago by cartels have fueled gang wars. And once a smuggler finds a route that works, they will use it for other illicit trade such as guns, counterfeit products and even human trafficking...