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Citing data that shows a growing number of pre-trial defendants
allowed to remain free due to the Pretrial Fairness Act are now
being charged with other crimes committed during the time they
are free to move about for school, work and other activities,
Dart’s office told The Chicago Tribune he can no longer ensure
public safety.
Darren Bailey, a former state senator and Republican candidate
for governor, said it’s just a sign of the times, largely
brought about by elements stemming from the enactment of the
SAFE-T Act.
“I'm sure he's doing it because he probably can't keep up with
all the people that need monitoring,” Bailey told The Center
Square. “I think if you've got criminals out there that should
be wearing electronic tracking devices and now all of a sudden
we don't know where they are, that would cause panic within the
public. I think this whole argument that he is making should
invalidate the SAFE-T Act.”
By Dart’s estimation, upwards of 200 pre-trial defendants have
recently been charged with new crimes that include shootings and
other gun offenses. As a result, the veteran lawmaker has
penciled in April 1, as the day his office will begin completely
phasing out electronic monitoring across the county.
In Bailey’s mind, Chicago is paying a heavy price for what he
sees as all the state’s wayward criminal justice policies.
“I'm proud of Illinois. I've been proud of our history, but
we're going to give all of that up for the sake of crime and
wrongdoing,” Bailey said. “As beautiful and wonderful as the
city of Chicago is and the suburbs of Cook County are, people
are avoiding it.”
While Bailey has long been a fierce SAFE-T Act critic, not
everyone thinks the law is the central problem.
Cook County Public Defender Sharlyn Grace argued most people on
electronic monitoring are abiding by the requirements and even
the rearrest of such offenders does not automatically make the
program a failure. |
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