News and comment provided by State's Attorney's office

Monday markedthe implementation of the Pretrial Fairness Act across the State of Illinois, better
known to some as the no cash bail portion of the SAFE-T ACT. What this means is that any
individual charged with a criminal offense will be presumed to be eligible to be released. There
will be no cash bail amount set by the court. The SAFE-T ACT was scheduled to go into effect
on January 1, 2023. With pushback by prosecutors across the state of Illinois like the Vermilion
County State’s Attorney, the legislation has been modified.
In most all cases, the State’s Attorney’s Office will request offenders be detained when legally
possible. However, there are many offenses such as Felony Aggravated Driving Under the
Influence, Aggravated Fleeing or Attempting to Elude the Police, and Possession of
Methamphetamine that detention is not permissible.
“As the Chief Legal Officer of Vermilion County, public safety is my main concern,” said
Jaqueline Lacy, Vermilion County State’s Attorney. “I have been an advocate for victims of
crime and will continue my fight to bring criminals to justice. I feel it is my continuing duty and
responsibility to inform those whom I have sworn to protect of what this legislation means for
public safety.”
Unless there is an exception to the rule, the court will be required to release the offender from
jail with pretrial conditions. If eligible, after an arrest an offender is ordered to be detained in the
custody of the Vermilion County Sheriff’s Department, there will be no bail amount ordered. If
an offender cannot be held in custody, they will be given a notice to appear in court and a list of
pretrial conditions.
Jacqueline Lacy is committed to working with Vermilion County law enforcement partners,
following the law and doing what is right for Vermilion County. More information will be shared
on the Vermilion County State’s Attorney’s Office Facebook page over the next several weeks.