6 months of the SAFE-T Act; Champaign Co. prosecutor speaks on pros, cons
CHAMPAIGN COUNTY, Ill. (WCIA) — Changes brought on by the SAFE-T Act have been a tightrope for many local governments in Central Illinois, including Champaign County. It’s been six months since the legislation went into effect, ending cash bail. Now, appeals are skyrocketing.
“Now defendants have a right to appeal,” said Champaign County State’s Attorney Julia Rietz. “And if you’re detained, why wouldn’t you appeal?”
Rietz added that although the SAFE-T Act has resulted in some burdens, she doesn’t believe it’s as dramatic of a change as people feared six months ago. There are still some tweaks and fixes that need to happen, but she said she’s seen the benefits from a public safety perspective.
“We are able to argue that somebody who committed a very serious offense and who has a history of criminality and a history of noncompliance with court orders, that that person should be held without the ability to post cash bond,” Rietz said.
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However, no cash bail was replaced with pre-trial appeals. It allows defendants to appeal for release. An influx of appeals has been something Rietz’s office has struggled with.
“This is a process that takes a lot more time, a lot more resources at the front end,” Rietz said.
The legislation didn’t provide any additional funding to deal with the boosted resources required for all the pre-trial hearings. Providing police reports and victim notifications earlier, along with an elongated hearing process, has put a major strain on court staff.
“It’s a huge burden on my staff, on the public defender’s staff, on the court staff,” Rietz said.
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Rietz said there are still some things that need to be addressed, starting with providing appellate courts the funding to hire the staff needed to handle the appeals.
“It’s a question for those of us in the trenches doing this work on a day-to-day basis, how to make this fit within the confines of our resources,” Rietz said. “And I’m hopeful that the legislators who created this will look kindly upon us and provide us with the resources that we need in order to do the work they wanted us to do.”
Rietz will speak more on the SAFE-T Act during a webinar on Tuesday for the Center of Effective Public Policy.
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