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Chicago Sun-Times
Chicago Sun-Times
National
Rich Miller

Many Illinois counties don’t have the resources to meet demands of SAFE-T Act

Flanked by lawmakers and supporters, Gov. J.B. Pritzker picks up the nearly 800-page criminal justice reform bill after signing it into law at Chicago State University Feb. 22, 2021. (Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times)

Hannah Meisel’s recent report for Capitol News Illinois included a line that jumped out at me: “Per state law — which hasn’t been updated since 1949 — only counties with 35,000 or more residents are required to set up offices of public defender.”

According to information posted on numerous websites (Illinois Demographics, Wikipedia and World Population Review), 62 out of 102 Illinois counties — a majority — have fewer than 35,000 residents.

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