End of cash bail in Illinois showing early signs of success

[mucifer]

Under the old system of cash bail, Beach — a supervising judge in the pretrial division — was often tasked with setting a dollar figure a person would have to post before being released, a decision that could force a family to skip the rent to post a bond.

In the months that have followed, what was novel has quickly become normal as courthouse personnel have settled into the new rhythms. Beach said hearing lengths have stabilized, with judges allowing longer times for detention hearings in particular where “a person’s freedom is on the line.”

Even so, the courthouse has not been hit with backlogs, and judges generally have not struggled to handle days with heavy caseloads when extra judges sometimes share the duties.

People who are released have continued to show up for hearings, with an arrest warrant being issued in only about 10% of cases when someone fails to show up. And 88% of people released have not been charged with a new crime. Of those who were, 4% picked up a case for a crime involving violence.

https://chicago.suntimes.com/bail-reform/2024/05/08/bail-reform-illinois-success

[Tetrachloride]

1. Manners

[Johnny2X2X]

2. This is great to see

The cycle of crime is perpetuated by cash bail systems which is like imposing punishment before conviction. Not just the money, but if a person can't come up with the money their life is thrown into total disarray because they've been accused of a crime and arrested. People sitting in jail waiting for trial often lose everythng. They lose their jobs for not showing up, they can lose custody of their kids, they can lose their homes, their cars. Their relationship suffer and cause more stress. All of this can lead to more crime when they do get out because they have no options left and their money situation is in shambles.

With no cahs bond, they can continue working, paying their bills, and maintaining their relationship while they fight the accusations or even after the cop a plea and prepare theie lives for a jail sentence. It makes just a world of difference for people and I'd bet decreases reoffending.

[MistakenLamb]

3. by the way conservatives talked here you'd think The Purge was gonna happen

[LiberalArkie]

4. Conservatives are still hung up in the centuries old mindset that the governments needed a high jail/prison population

to do the work of government - roads and cleanup and making things cheaply.

[Lucky Luciano]

5. 88% not that good. Should be over 99%.

Those 12% should be severely punished for taking advantage of the system with the good intentions.

[mucifer]

6. Of those 4% were violent crimes. So

Is it best to keep many innocent people in jail pre trial destroying their lives so that the few guilty who can’t afford bail will be kept in jail??

Mind you if they can afford it, the guilty can often pay the bail. That’s the problem.

[Lucky Luciano]

7. You're no longer innocent if you skip bail.

We do have a catch and release problem here in Chicago. I moved here three years ago from Manhattan and the street crime here is way worse. Never really heard much about robbery at gunpoint in Manhattan, but it often happens within a half mile radius to me now. That’s insane for a supposedly better neighborhood where we pay a lot more than other neighborhoods for our living space.

So, if one of them (often a teen) does get released and doesn’t show up, they def need to be hit with no bail when they are captured. The worst among society will and do absolutely game this system if they know they can be released.

So I am saying, maybe we can do this, but the penalty for abusing this should be very harsh with minimal empathy.

I would not down play that 4% as trivial either. It only takes a few people rotten to the core to destroy the safety of a neighborhood.