In Chicago and Beyond, Bail Reformers Win Big in Fight to End Money Bail
CCBF co-founder Sharlyn Grace analyzes what the recent court rule change in Cook County means, and why it matters for the entire country in this new Truthout Op-Ed.
“As of July 17, 2017, Cook County, which includes Chicago and the surrounding suburbs, is poised to become the largest jurisdiction in the country to stop incarcerating people pretrial, solely because they cannot post money bail. Thanks in large part to a sustained push by activists over the past several years, the Cook County Circuit Court’s Chief Judge has announced a new order that instructs judges making bail decisions to impose monetary bail only in amounts that people can pay. If judges follow the order, it could lead to the end of money bail in Cook County, setting a historic precedent on an issue that impacts hundreds of thousands of people around the country.”