By Sangamon Sun |
Oct 23, 2023
The implementation of the SAFE-T Act, which abolished cash bail in Illinois, is having significant effects on the state's public defender system. With the majority of counties in Illinois facing resource challenges, the impact of this controversial law is becoming more apparent.Under current law, only counties with 35,000 or more residents are required to have offices of public defenders, and even then, they are not required to be full-time. As a result, more than half of Illinois' counties do not have full-time public defenders. This disparity in resources has been...