BENTON, IL — State Representative Dave Severin (R-Benton), who voted against the original Pretrial Fairness Act, is marking the third anniversary of Illinois’ elimination of cash bail by renewing his call for changes to the state’s pretrial detention system.
When the SAFE-T Act and Pretrial Fairness Act were debated in Springfield, Severin and fellow House Republicans raised serious concerns about the legislation’s likely negative impact on public safety and law enforcement. Three years after implementation, incidents involving individuals accused of committing additional crimes while on pretrial release continue to raise public safety concerns.
In 2026, incidents across Illinois have included arrests involving individuals accused of weapons offenses, violent crimes, and vehicle theft while on pretrial release. Meanwhile, the Illinois Supreme Court reported 1,899 appeals of pretrial release and detention decisions during the first three months of implementation, compared with 171 bond appeals during the previous decade.
“From the beginning, I opposed the Pretrial Fairness Act and the elimination of cash bail for certain offenses because of the concerns I had for public safety and judicial discretion,” said Severin. “Three years later, Illinois has seen multiple instances of repeat offenders out on electronic monitoring through our no-cash-bail system reoffending, sometimes on the same day they were released from jail. These instances illustrate that ‘No-Cash-Bail’ has been an epic failure. Judges need the tools to protect our communities, and victims and law enforcement deserve a system that takes public safety seriously.”
Severin is calling on the General Assembly to repeal the Pretrial Fairness Act, restore cash bail, and give judges the discretion to determine when individuals should be detained or released pending trial.
“Public safety must remain a priority,” Severin added. “Illinois must take swift action to protect victims, support law enforcement, and restore our cash bail system to ensure that those who are accused of crimes have some skin in the game. Individuals released on electronic monitoring or released pending trial without cash bail have no skin in the game. That needs to change if we are going to protect our communities from those individuals who would continue to violate the law despite already having open criminal cases.”