Law to end cash bail was forced on Illinoisans

The Illinois Capitol in Springfield. The Pre-Trial Fairness Act to eliminate cash bail, part of the SAFE-T Act, was passed by the Legislature and signed into law by Gov. J.B. Pritzker in 2021. It will go into effect Sept. 18. (Seth Perlman/AP file)

I read Benjamin Ruddell’s opinion piece in the Sun-Times about the obligation of those politicians who didn’t support ending the practice of cash bail in Illinois (“Politicians and others who opposed ending cash bail now have a duty to help make the law work” — Aug. 17).

To read Ruddell’s argument, you might have thought the public was clamoring for this legislation and it had overwhelming support. Nothing could be further from the truth.