Yesterday, we were at the County Commissioners hearing to speak out against punitive Pretrial Services in Cook County. We shined a light on how many people who are released pending trial are still subjected to significant restrictions of their liberty through electronic monitoring and other pretrial conditions. We argued that instead of subjecting people who have previously missed court or are repeatedly targeted for arrest to myriad pretrial conditions, our court system should provide supports and services that help individuals succeed. By punishing people instead of working to meet the underlying causes of their “risk factors,” Cook County is contributing to the criminalization of vulnerable communities and further compounding racial inequity in the criminal legal system.

You can check out our new report “Punishment is Not a “Service”::The Injustice of Pretrial Conditions in Cook County” here: