After years of community pressure, Cook County will begin the process of sunsetting the Sheriff’s electronic monitoring program this April. In December, the Cook County Board of Commissioners passed a budget amendment that will reduce funding for the Sheriff’s electronic monitoring program and increase funding for the Office of the Chief Judge in preparation for unifying the county’s duplicative pretrial electronic monitoring programs.  

Here are 5 reasons we’re excited about this transition. 

Reason #1: Sheriff Tom Dart has overseen one of the nation’s largest & most restrictive pretrial electronic monitoring programs. The arbitrary restrictions placed on people’s liberty created a human rights crisis and made our communities less safe. Thousands of people subjected to electronic monitoring were prevented from leaving their homes to perform essential tasks such as grocery shopping, seeking medical attention, going to work, picking their kids up from school, and even doing things as simple as taking out the garbage or picking up their mail. 

Reason #2:  The severe restrictions of the Sheriff’s electronic monitoring program shifted the responsibility and cost of incarceration from the state onto monitored people and their loved ones, who have to come up with rent or mortgage money while often being prevented from working. 

Reason #3: Currently, Cook County spends more than $35 million dollars annually to operate these duplicative programs. This is particularly concerning because there is no evidence showing that this technology improves community safety. Streamlining these programs will help reduce the amount of money Cook County spends on electronic monitoring.

Reason #4: There has been a 16% decrease in the number of people on the Sheriff’s electronic monitoring program since the Pretrial Fairness Act took effect, more progress can be made by streamlining all pretrial electronic monitoring under the Office of the Chief Judge
Reason #5: As Cook County ends the Sheriff’s electronic monitoring program, we have the opportunity to show the country a pathway out of mass incarceration. Research has repeatedly shown that there is little to no evidence that electronic monitoring improves key pretrial outcomes like court appearance or community safety. Court stakeholders now have the opportunity to work together to reduce the use of this harmful technology and ensure that the funds once used for the Sheriff’s electronic monitoring program are redirected towards affordable housing, job training programs, and mental health and substance use treatment services.