CCBF wants to remain transparent and accountable to the community that makes our work possible. Therefore, we will continue to provide public updates on the operations of our Revolving Fund. Our last detailed update can be found here.

From October 1st to December 31st, 2022, CCBF paid over $1,101,310 to pay 66 bonds, securing the release of 58 people from pretrial incarceration.

These requests came through our hotline, our partnership with Believers Bail Out, and through referrals from other community partners. Two of these payments fell under the Criminalized Survivor Fund, and one under the Gender & Family Justice Fund. In addition to paying bonds, we provide post-release support to people we bond out who are still fighting their cases, including those subjected to restrictive pretrial conditions such as electronic monitoring.

This past quarter, we were able to collaborate with community partners to secure the release of a young pregnant Black mother whose reproductive rights were being severely violated in pretrial detention. We pulled together over half a million dollars in funds to post that bond. Additionally, we worked in coordination with the Public Defender’s Office to post several high bonds for individuals who would likely have been incarcerated without bond after the full implementation of the Pretrial Fairness Act, but they could have successful outcomes in their cases if they were released.

As part of our post-release support work, the Revolving Fund team hosted a Spanish Speakers Lunch on October 1, 2022. This was hosted at Harrison Park in Pilsen with the people whose bonds we posted and some of their family members. It was a wonderful opportunity for community building.

The Revolving Fund team is currently navigating the pause on the implementation of the Pretrial Fairness Act while continuing to post a limited number of bonds. We posted an increased number of bonds and at higher dollar amounts than usual in late 2022, anticipating the elimination of money bond at the start of 2023. Since this was delayed, the Revolving Fund team is managing bond postings with less funds than in prior years and not currently taking new support requests from the public. We are working through existing requests and referrals from community partners, and we will re-evaluate this policy on a quarterly basis as cases resolve and money returns to the fund. You can read our full update on the revolving fund here.

Because of your support and that of our allies, we can continue providing assistance to people seeking to free their loved ones from pretrial incarceration. We remain grateful to all our donors and the movement that makes our work possible, and we will continue to pay bonds until money bond is finally abolished in Illinois.

As we await the Illinois Supreme Court’s Ruling on the Pretrial Fairness Act, see this teach-in by the Coalition to End Money Bond that explains the court case, the legal arguments, and why we believe we will win.