Wednesday night before Thanksgiving, CCBF posted bond for Andrea so that she could celebrate at home with her family. Andrea is a 33 year old mother of three who was incarcerated in Cook County Jail for 36 days because she could not pay a $10,000 bond.

Andrea had only one previous dismissed case and no prior convictions. She is the primary caretaker for her 5, 11, and 14 year old children, and was working as a home healthcare provider at the time of her arrest. Despite all these factors in her favor, a judge ordered her held in jail unless she could post 10% of her $100,000 bond. Andrea’s mother Gloria was arrested at the same time and also held on a $100,000 bond. Their family had already maxed out their resources and even borrowed money to get Gloria out first because of her health needs, so Andrea was not sure how she would get out other than by pleading guilty.

Unfortunately, being incarcerated for over a month caused Andrea to lose her job. Because she works in health care, it is extra important to Andrea’s future that she is now free and able to fight her case. Though Andrea was feeling a lot of pressure to plead guilty in order to get out of jail, having a conviction on her record would have made it much harder for her to work in the future. Now that Andrea is out, she and her mother can strategize together and participate in their own defense. Andrea has been reunited with her kids and has found a new job at a hotel so that she can continue supporting herself and her family while her case proceeds.