Cash Bail

President Donald Trump signed an executive order Monday threatening to suspend or terminate federal funding for cities and states, like Illinois, that have eliminated cash bail.

Proponents say the devices have helped address inequities in the criminal justice system. But many defendants have experienced unintended consequences.

County officials say the online payments are part of an effort to transform how to pay bond and will save people a trip to Clayton.

Wednesday marks one year since Illinois ended cash bail.

Jail populations are down and there's no change in failure to appear rate, an analysis shows.

Chief Judge Andrew Gleeson said the numbers may drop in the next eight weeks but he doesn’t expect that to continue. A jail spokesman said the jail population could even increase in the long term.

Illinois became the first state in the country to abolish cash bail on Monday, but the courts remained slow in the Metro East.

When Illinois becomes the first U.S. state to abolish cash bail, it could set off a surge in electronic monitoring to the fear of the law’s most fervent supporters.

State lawmakers passed and the governor signed the criminal justice reform back in 2021. Originally scheduled to take effect on Jan. 1, 2023, lawsuits slowed the SAFE-T Act's enactment. The legislation includes the elimination of cash bail.

Experts say the doomsday scenarios surrounding the controversial criminal justice reform aren’t likely to materialize. But big changes are coming.