Today, there are 5,888 people incarcerated in Cook County Jail. Of those people, at least 2,500 are being held pretrial simply because they can’t afford to pay a money bail. A recent report from CBS2 revealed that 240 people currently caged at Cook County Jail are there because they can’t afford a money bond of $1,000 or less, and another 110 people owe between $1,000 and $2,000 to be bonded out. This means that a majority of people are incarcerated at Cook County Jail due to the inability to pay a money bail of more than $2,000 to secure their freedom. 

This is shameful. Judges across Cook County continue to disregard General Order 18.8A, a court rule aimed at ending money bail in Cook County. While CCBF is thrilled to have seen the number of people incarcerated in the jail decrease by more than 1,500 in the last year, these numbers make it clear that we have a long way to go. CCBF remains committed to holding Cook County Judges accountable to General Order 18.8A. We remain committed to fighting to ensure that no one is incarcerated at Cook County Jail simply because they can’t afford a money bail.