Civics: Three things to know three years later about the end of cash bail in Chicago
Reforms could diminish the risk of new crimes committed on pretrial release.
Three years ago today, Illinois became the first state to entirely eliminate cash bail.
The measure was part of the larger crime bill known as the SAFE-T Act. For Chicago, the results of ending cash bail have been mixed.
Here are three things to know about the end of cash bail in Chicago:
- Almost half of all defendants arrested in Cook County cannot be legally detained after their first court appearance.
- When comparing similar defendants, more were released, and more were charged while on release, after cash bail ended.
- Overall crime has dropped, but that is in line with national trends.
Reforms such as easing the process for prosecutors to file a petition seeking detention and allowing detention for repeat offenders or those deemed a threat to animals or property would mitigate the problems with the measure.
