US Controversial 'Purge' Law Goes Into Effect On January 1st, 2023

OMG. Is this for real? Because if it is, I've got a few movies to watch.

Lakeisha

• Published in Interesting
• December 28, 2022

Despite all the outrage it caused, the controversial US 'purge' law will take effect in less than two weeks. Yeah, you heard that right, people.

The new year, January 1st, 2023, will usher in the first-ever "Purge" law in the state of Illinois – the first US state to pass it. Terrified residents have compared it to The Purge, an action horror film in which violent crime is made legal for 24 hours every year.

The controversial law, called the SAFE-T act, which stands for 'Safety, Accountability, Fairness, and Equity-Today', hopes to reform the cash bail system. It will ensure that cash bail is not required for 12 non-detainable offenses, including second-degree murder, aggravated battery, arson, and kidnapping.

J.B. Pritzker, the Governor of Illinois, revealed that following his election, conversations on the SAFE-T act would begin.

"There's a lot of work that's been done by the General Assembly over the last number of months and working groups... And so they're going to bring that to the veto session, and I'll be watching carefully."

"I've made my thoughts clear. And we'll see if we can get something done during the veto session to address the changes that we ought to be making," Pritzker told reporters.

Should we expect something like this?

The SAFE-T act, which was approved by the Illinois General Assembly last year, aims to make "significant changes" to various aspects of the judicial system, including policies governing police training and transparency in law enforcement.

The following are some changes that will be made under the SAFE-T act:

• All police personnel must wear body cams by 2025
• Elimination of financial bail
• A prohibition on police departments purchasing military hardware
• New rules for the "decertification" of police officers and a ban on all police chokeholds
• An end to license suspensions due to unpaid fees
• An increase in whistleblower protection
• The provision of rights for detainees to make phone calls and access their contacts before a police interrogation

Governor of Illinois, J.B. Pritzker

The SAFE-T Act's features that allow courts to determine whether someone accused of a specific crime poses a risk to another person or the larger community are the main reason why people compare it to The Purge film.

One social media user commented, "It's a bill that brings the Purge directly to the streets of the entire state of Illinois. It's shameful."

Another wrote, "Get out of Illinois. It is way too dangerous to live or work there. The state legislature and Governor are insane to have passed this."

The Purge Law - Is the US state making history?

In Summary...

The bill itself states that "Detention only shall be imposed when it is determined that the defendant poses a specific, real and present threat to a person, or has a high likelihood of wilful flight."

The passage of the SAFE-T act sparked worries among many members of the law enforcement community who fear that it may aggravate crime in Illinois because suspects of various crimes will become eligible for bail if prosecutors fail to present "clear and convincing evidence" that they are a threat to society.

Lakeisha