Cash bail in Illinois will end on January 1, 2023, for some crimes, including second-degree murder.
Second-degree murder. Second-degree murder is usually defined as an intentional killing without any premeditation:
Under Illinois second degree murder laws, in order to get a conviction for the offense, the prosecutor must show beyond a reasonable doubt that the defendant killed an individual without lawful justification and either:
- Intended to kill or do great bodily harm to that individual (or knew that the act would do so); or
- Knows that the acts create a strong probability of causing death or great bodily harm to the individual.
Illinois’s second-degree punishment is already lax:
Illinois second degree murder laws charge the offense as a Class 1 felony. This carries a sentence of between four and twenty years in prison. Depending on the leniency of the judge and the circumstances of the crime, a four-year probation term instead of prison may be an option. The maximum fine is $25,000 plus a surcharge of $3,125. Upon release from prison, there is a mandatory two year parole period.
Grundy County Sheriff Ken Briley told WLS he has concerns about how the law will impact his community:
“Today, I can arrest him if you sign a complaint for trespassing,” Briley said. “January 1st, I’m not going to be able to do that. The law says I have to write him a ticket and leave.”Sheriff Briley worries about the possible ramifications in his community.”And if we can’t arrest them and solve people’s problems, we don’t want people to take matters into their own hands,” Briley said.
Of course, the Democrats and the left scream racism when someone disagrees with the Safe-T Act. Gov. JB Pritzker is his usual classy self:
A series of political mailings that resemble newspapers and excoriate Democratic Gov. J.B. Pritzker over crime issues has prompted the governor to claim they’re the work of “racist political consultant” and right-wing radio show host Dan Proft, who also is financially supporting Republican governor candidate Darren Bailey.—“This is a messaging that’s coming from a racist political consultant, who used to associate himself with Illinois, now lives in Florida. And he’s sending messages that are, if you look at what he’s printed, it’s clearly all about the idea that, again, what he’s printing, that Black people are threatening your way of life. That’s essentially what he’s putting in these publications,” Pritzker said of Proft at an unrelated event in south suburban Harvey.“It’s a scare tactic. It’s meant to have people (show) concern for their safety. And the truth of the matter is that what he’s purveying here is complete hogwash. I’m probably being polite when I say that. It’s disgusting. It’s a terrible thing to do,” he said. “And frankly, he’s doing it on behalf of Darren Bailey. And that says as much as you need to know about Darren Bailey.”
Illinois Legislative Black Caucus had a similar response to the Republicans in the state government:
ILBC Joint Chair Sonya Harper, House Chair Kam Buckner, and Senate Chair Robert Peters said Illinois Republicans are using the same scare tactics seen across the country. Still, the Chicago Democrats stated they trust the public won’t fall for the GOP tactics.“As usual with the Republican Party, any effort to make the justice system fairer for Black people is called ‘dangerous,’” the ILBC leaders stated. “We are improving public safety, supporting law enforcement, and ending systemic injustice at the same time.”
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