ILLINOIS - President Donald Trump on Monday signed an executive order aimed at reinstating cash bail in states that have eliminated it.

Illinois abolished cash bail in 2023 under the SAFE-T Act, making it the first state to do so.

What we know:

Trump said restoring cash bail would make the country safer, arguing that defendants released and re-arrested before trial waste public resources.

But opponents disagree. The Illinois Network for Pretrial Justice, joined by state Democrats, held a press conference Monday criticizing the order as harmful to reform and advantageous only to the wealthy.

The SAFE-T Act took effect in January 2023, with provisions ending cash bail implemented that September. Previously, defendants could secure release before trial by paying a set amount of money.

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