On June 13, 2016 CCBF posted a $10,000 bond to free 24 year-old Morgan from Cook County Jail. Morgan was 37 weeks pregnant and had been in CCJ since March 2nd. Morgan was charged with child endangerment following the accidental death of her 14 month-old son. Grieving and charged with responsibility for her own profound loss, Morgan was locked away from her family and community during the worst possible time.
If she had given birth while incarcerated, Morgan would have had only up to 48 hours with her newborn girl before being forced to turn her over to a relative or the state. That immediate separation would have prevented mother-child bonding during a crucial period of attachment. Morgan would have then faced the impossible choice between accepting a plea (and the corresponding lifelong criminal conviction) or remaining in jail awaiting trial for what could be the first two years of her daughter’s life. Morgan gave birth, in freedom, to a beautiful baby girl on July 2.