The Illinois Network for Pretrial Justice will sponsor a forum on the Joliet Pretrial Fairness Act.
The event will feature a presentation on the Pretrial Fairness Act from Ben Ruddell, director of criminal justice policy at the American Civil Liberties Union of Illinois. The teach-in will cover how the old money bond system harmed community members and how the Pretrial Fairness Act is improving the state’s pretrial system and increasing community safety, according to Matt McLoughlin of the network.
Attendees will also learn about the reforms included in the law and how the new system is functioning.
Last July, Illinois became the first state in the nation to end cash bail as the Illinois Supreme Court issued the strongest possible decision finding the Pretrial Fairness Act constitutional and directing courts across the state to implement the law and end the use of money bond.
The ruling overturned a decision by a Kankakee County judge that sided with state’s
attorneys who challenged the law’s implementation, including Will County State’s Attorney Jim Glasgow. The Pretrial Fairness Act was signed into law in February 2021 prompting many in the law enforcement community to issue a warning that the ruling could further cause lawlessness in Illinois and put dangerous criminals back on the street.
The Illinois Network for Pretrial Justice, whose member organizations have been working to end money bond since 2016, said it is about time criminal defendants will no longer have to pay a specific amount of money to be released from jail as they await trial. The network is made up of more than 45 community, legal, policy and service organizations across the state.
“Together, we are working to reduce pretrial incarceration in Illinois and, more broadly, to end mass incarceration and address the root causes of socioeconomic and racial inequity in our legal system,” said McLoughlin. “The Pretrial Fairness Act had been endorsed by more than 225 organizations.”
Illinois became the first state to fully abolish cash bail as the SAFE-T Act (Safety, Accountability, Fairness and Equity-Today Act). This meant inmates in jails across the state were able to petition the court to review their case as the ruling went into effect.
The change meant decisions to detain those arrested will no longer involve putting up money in exchange for release. Instead, it focused on the seriousness of the charges and on whether the person is considered a danger to the public or at risk of fleeing prosecution.
According to the ACLU, abolishing cash bail reduces pretrial detention.
“Increasing reliance on cash bail over the last three decades has contributed to a significant rise in pretrial detention, which in turn contributes to our status as the leading incarcerator in the world,” according to a statement posted on the ACLU Web site. “None of this has made communities safer, but it has subjected countless people to the dangers of being locked in jail cells and deprived them of equal justice.”
Glasgow’s office said his opposition to the act has always been about protecting the public’s safety.
“Our mission was never to stop principled bail reform, but to ensure our criminal justice system continues to protect the safety of law-abiding citizens of Illinois from ruthless, violent criminals,” Glasgow said in a statement. “Unfortunately, the citizens of Illinois who are the sovereign authority were not consulted in this significant matter.
“I will continue to fulfill the oath of office to the best of my ability, and I pray to God that prosecutors and law enforcement will continue to be able to properly address violent crime and maintain the safety of our communities given the serious limitations placed on all our agencies by the act.” The event will take place at noon Saturday, Feb. 3, in Universalist Unitarian Church of Joliet, 3401 W Jefferson St.
Reservations can be made by emailing to infor@endmoneybond.org.
