PEORIA (25News Now) – Illinois’ sweeping criminal justice reform, enacted in 2023, was designed to make the system more equitable. The SAFE-T Act expanded police training, increased the use of body-worn cameras, implemented new communication requirements — and most notably, eliminated cash bail.

Supporters say the goal of cashless bail is fairness: keeping people from being jailed simply because they can’t afford to pay their way out. But nearly two years in, local criminal justice leaders in Peoria County say the results are mixed.

Violent crime down, leaders say detentions are working in these cases

Under the SAFE-T Act, judges can detain people accused of certain violent offenses — including murder, armed robbery and drug trafficking — regardless of how much money they have.

Local leaders that spoke with Jenise Rebholz overwhelmingly support that aspect of the law.

“I like that if you commit a murder, you stay in jail no matter how much money you have in your bank account,” said Peoria County State’s Attorney Jodi Hoos. “That’s a good thing.”

Some officials believe the policy may be contributing to a decline in violent crime.

“The SAFE-T Act has been highly effective,” Governor JB Pritzker said when asked about the Safe-T Act during a recent news conference. “You can see crime rates across the state of Illinois have gone down.”

However, the results are mixed and share a complex story.

According to Peoria Police Department data, the city saw about 1,700 ShotSpotter alerts and 143 gunshot victims in 2021, before the reform.

In 2025, alerts dropped to 950 and gunshot victims decreased by nearly half, to 75.

“A lot of times our violent offenders are repeat offenders and will continue to do repeat offenses if they’re out,” said Peoria Police Assistant Chief Brad Dixon. “Some of the most violent offenders in Peoria are locked down, so there’s that correlation.”

The difference is violent offenses are detainable, if a judge decides to hold the suspect. Charges like murder, armed robbery, even drug trafficking are some of the offenses that could keep people locked up before trial.

Retail theft surges, jail becomes a “revolving door”

However, retail theft, criminal trespassing and fleeing police are not detainable under the SAFE-T Act. Judges must release those defendants with a court date — and Peoria County Sheriff Chris Watkins says that’s led to unintended consequences.

Countywide, retail theft has increased roughly 200% over the past three years.

“I think we’re up over 1600 more bookings than we were back in like 23. So that’s a lot of work. That’s a lot of cops off the street. Transporting those people to jail. That’s a lot of, uh, work on our staff,” said Sheriff Watkins.

Missed court dates and missed opportunities

Watkins says the county jail now feels like a revolving door, with people repeatedly booked and released.

“Two months ago, I hired another deputy just to go around state and pick up people that have warrants because we’re seeing such a high number of failures to appears… people not going to court over and over and over,” said Sheriff Watkins.

– In 2022, before the SAFE-T Act took effect, the Peoria County Jail recorded 6,092 bookings.

– In 2024 — the first full year under the new law — bookings jumped 24%, to more than 7,500.

Failures to appear in Peoria County court also increased 13% during that same period.

Hoos agrees the problem undermines the system’s intent.

“When you miss court eight times, that’s not justice for anyone,” she said. “Same with someone sentenced to probation who doesn’t lift a finger to do anything the judge ordered.”

Some leaders also argue the shorter jail stays under cashless bail reduce opportunities to connect people with mental health or substance abuse services.

“In the past, we could keep them in custody long enough to get them regulated on their meds or into treatment,” Hoos said. “There was a handoff to the Department of Human Services.”

“They can sit in jail for a few weeks and detox,” Watkins added. “We can give them resources, and maybe instead of being arrested 11 times a year, it’s four.”

Calls for changes — not a repeal

As the Illinois General Assembly meets, several local leaders are calling for amendments to the SAFE-T Act, not a full repeal.

Sheriff Watkins has publicly urged lawmakers to:

• Expand the list of detainable offenses to give judges more discretion with repeat offenders
• Restore bail eligibility for certain crimes to encourage court compliance
• Reinstate daily credit toward bail to incentivize good behavior

“We just want more discretion from judges,” Asst. Chief Dixon said. “Some lower-level offenses become a real problem when they’re habitual.”

Governor Pritzker has signaled openness to changes, but so far there’s no indication formal proposals are being debated. Meanwhile, some of his political opponents have called for repealing the law entirely — a move local leaders say goes too far.

“I wouldn’t be in favor of totally recalling the SAFE-T Act,” Hoos said. “It does a good job with violent offenses and body cameras. Call it something else if you want — just keep those provisions.”

Watkins says he’s open to alternatives, but believes some form of accountability is missing.

“I’d like to see a hybrid,” he said. “Judges having discretion, and some way to put teeth back in the system — whether that’s cash bail or something else.”

Lawmakers have until Friday, February 6, to introduce bills or amendments this session.

Jenise Rebholz reached out to lawmakers with Safe-T Act involvement to see what kind of changes could be in the works, if any.

Rep. Justin Slaughter, Rep. Chris Welch did not respond to our requests.

Rep. Jehan Gordon-Booth did respond but was unable to offer an interview or insight.

Peoria Police Chief Eric Echavarria was scheduled to be apart of the interview, but had to cancel shortly before. He sent Asst. Chief Dixon in his place.

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