Today, the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers honored Representative Justin Slaughter, Senator Robert Peters, and Senator Elgie Sims with the Champion of State Criminal Justice Reform Award for their work reforming Illinois’ criminal legal system with the passage of the monumental SAFE-T Act. The Illinois Network for Pretrial Justice and Coalition to End Money Bond are incredibly proud of the work Representative Slaughter and Senators Peters and Sims have done implementing proven public safety and criminal legal system reforms to replace the failed “tough-on-crime” measures of the past, and we congratulate them for this greatly deserved award. 

In crafting the omnibus bill, Representative Slaughter and Senators Peters and Sims looked for solutions that would reduce the criminal legal system’s reliance on failed institutions of policing and incarceration and address racial disparities, while improving support systems for underserved victims of crime. The law reforms policing, reduces racial inequities in the criminal legal system, and helps victims of crime in the communities most affected by violence. The SAFE-T Act also makes Illinois the first state to completely eliminate money bond.

We are particularly appreciative of the inclusion of the Pretrial Fairness Act in the SAFE-T Act, which ends money bail and dramatically reduces the use of pretrial incarceration. The Pretrial Fairness Act will lead to tens of thousands fewer people⁠—who are disproportionately Black, Brown and poor⁠—being jailed before trial while still presumed innocent. The passage of the Pretrial Fairness Act is a significant step towards a system that achieves community safety by reducing disruptive and traumatizing pretrial detention and eliminating the financial burden money bail imposes on loved ones who pay these bonds. Representative Slaughter and Senators Peters and Sims worked closely with our Coalition and Network to draft this part of the SAFE-T Act and ultimately passed policy changes that set a new national standard for pretrial freedom and justice.

Developing and passing the SAFE-T Act took immense courage and leadership. The bill’s expansive subject matter and bold changes represent a significant departure from previous criminal legal system reforms passed in the state legislature. Opposition from law enforcement was and remains formidable. By standing strong alongside and in support of directly impacted communities and the Black Lives Matter movement, these legislators displayed the best and bravest of lawmaking. This is the sort of undaunted vision that is needed if we are to effectively dismantle four decades of tough-on-crime policy and its cumulative impact on Black, Brown, and poor communities.

Thank you Representative Slaughter and Senators Peters and Sims for making Illinois a leader in criminal justice reform, and congratulations on this well deserved award.