According to a new report from the Chief Judge of Cook County, 8% of people on electronic home monitoring (EHM) are currently AWOL. The report indicates there are currently 3,048 people in the Cook County EHM program, meaning that 244 people with pending criminal cases, many felony charges, are not complying with the rules.
State Representative Jeff Keicher responded to the report:
“The electronic home monitoring system is broken. Too many felony offenders, especially repeat offenders, are being let out and abusing EHM with dangerous consequences.
“Under the SAFE-T, a person on EHM is allowed 48 hours a week of ‘free roaming’ without monitoring. That has to change, or there will be more dangerous outcomes.
“EHM is fine for low-level, nonviolent crime. But Cook County doesn’t seem too concerned with the gaps that repeat violent offenders present, not only to victims, but also to our communities.
“We must repeal the provisions of the SAFE-T Act that allow obviously dangerous offenders to be treated as ‘no threat criminals’ under the guise of rehabilitation, which has endangered public safety.
“Let’s start with a mandatory dashboard of those on EHM, which includes facts such as those shared in this story, including the number of violent offenders who are free and the number who are actually following the rules. This current system isn’t working, and action is needed to ensure safety on Illinois’ streets.”
For more on the report from ABC 7 – Click Here.