As legislative session winds down, some see politics in discussion over crime and punishment

(The Center Square) – With just days left in the Illinois General Assembly’s spring legislative session, it’s unclear if politics will get in the way of addressing issues of increased crime across the state.

Throughout Illinois, residents have experienced increased crime rates ranging from murders to carjackings and retail theft.

State Rep. Patrick Windhorst, R-Metropolis, said he’s worried there’ll be a repeat of what happened in early January 2021 with the late passage of a sweeping criminal justice and police regulation bill.

“When negotiations and discussions were occurring only among the members of the majority party, the very same party that gave us the SAFE-T Act without having any public or Republican involvement in those discussion,” Windhorst said during a news conference.

The SAFE-T Act was a priority of the Legislative Black Caucus and brought a variety of criminal justice reforms and regulations on police conduct.

State Rep. LaShawn Ford, D-Chicago, said Republicans and Democrats can work together without politics getting in the way if the goal is more than just penalty enhancements on criminals.

“If we don’t help them recover and be reformed, then those are the very people that’s gonna continue to cause havoc to our communities,” Ford told The Center Square.

From a local perspective, Springfield Mayor Jim Langfelder hears from local law enforcement about concerns over looming changes to the state’s cash bail system laid out in the SAFE-T Act.

“But there is concern that an individual that creates crime, that you aren’t able to hold them for a period of time, that you have to release them on zero cash bail, so that’s not a good situation,” Langfedler told WMAY.

Ford said the concerns over the changes to cash bail coming in January 2023 are misguided as the law puts the discretion for such decisions in the hands of judges.

“And they have to look at every case, case-by-case, and make sure that we keep the violent people locked up,” Ford said.

Republicans are pushing for various measures like repealing the SAFE-T Act, or increasing funding for police among other issues. It’s unclear if the Democratic supermajority will advance legislation in the final days to address crime. Some leading Democrats have said they plan to address various issues around increased crime like smash and grabs or carjackings, but such legislation has yet to fully advance.

Both chambers return Monday and are scheduled to be in session through April 8.

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