The Champaign County board is poised to vote on a proposal to expand the county jail, which would cost the county $20 million dollars. Alarmingly, $5 million of this funding would come from COVID-19 relief funds. Champaign residents in the Build Programs Not Jails Coalition have organized against these carceral efforts and stopped the county from approving jail expansion proposals twice since 2012. The Illinois Network for Pretrial Justice has sent a letter to the Champaign County Board in support of community members who want the county to prioritize investing in housing, job opportunities, mental and physical health care in the community, and evidence-based, human-centered violence prevention initiatives, instead of incarceration.

Over the last ten years, the number of people incarcerated in the Champaign County Jail has consistently been on a downward trend. Decarceration will accelerate in 2023 when the Pretrial Fairness Act goes into effect and ends the state’s use of money bond. In preparation for these changes, the Champaign County Board can best serve its residents by exploring and investing in viable and supportive alternatives to pretrial incarceration. These will have more long-lasting benefits than any investment in a jail expansion could hope to achieve. 

The Champaign County Community Bailout Coalition is asking people to contact Champaign County Board members to stop the misuse of COVID-19 Funds. You can find contact information and a call script here.