Get Out Of Jail Free: Fewer Will Have To Post Bail Bonds

CHICAGO, IL — People who can't afford to pay cash bonds of up to $1,000 will no longer face opposition from Cook County prosecutors to motions from their lawyers to release them, Cook County State's Attorney Kimberly Foxx announced Wednesday.

Prosecutors will begin supporting motions requesting I-Bonds (which allow defendants to be released on their own recognizance) for people who have been detailed in county jail for long periods of time, simply because they lack the ability to pay bonds of less than $1,000, according to a statement from the office of the chief county prosecutor.

A system that advantages richer people charged with violent crimes over poorer people charged with lessor offenses is not valuable for society, Foxx suggested.

The sheriff's office, which operates Cook County Jail, said it currently holds more than 7,400 people, with an average of an 250 to 300 people added every day because they are unable to post $1,000 cash or less, the Tribune reports.

“This costs taxpayers millions of dollars per year, and does not serve public safety," Foxx said.

Critics of the cash bail system say it discriminates against poor defendants, sometimes leaving them in jail for months until their court dates for minor crimes and not allowing judges to see the full circumstances of their case at bond hearings.

Last month, state Rep. Christian Mitchell filed a bill to release people charged with nonviolent offenses on I-bonds until their court dates. Judges would still be able to order people jailed or tracked electronically under the proposed law, the Chicago Sun-Times reported.

Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart last year proposed ending the cash bail system for good and replacing it with a system where the court's staff determines who is suitable for release, according to the Sun-Times.

Foxx's office said it was committed to continuing to review all cases where bonds require less than $1,000 as part of its larger bond reform efforts. It has been working with public defenders to find more cases suitable for personal recognizance bonds, and will continue to agree to motions for such bonds in the future, according to an announcement of the new initiative.

Top photo: 2016 security camera footage from inside Cook County jail (Courtesy Cook County Sheriff's Office)