BailReform
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The Illinois SAFE-T Act: Eliminating Racial Bias in Pretrial Detention
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In January 2023, Illinois became the first state in the nation to completely abolish the cash bail system. Governor Pritzker signed the Safety, Accountability, Fairness and Equity-Today Act, abbreviated as the SAFE-T Act, into law in February 2021 after a 32-23 vote in the Illinois Senate. This Act proposes a…
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Risk Assessment Instruments as a Part of Bail Reform: Do they help or hurt?
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The discussion around pretrial risk assessment instruments (RAIs) in the U.S. has become increasingly politicized and polarized. Initially celebrated for their supposedly impartial and accurate risk predictions, RAIs have increasingly been employed during pretrial release decision-making by jurisdictions seeking to address racial bias, increase consistency and fairness of judicial decisions,…