Announcing the Pretrial Success Act
Last September, Illinois implemented the Pretrial Fairness Act and became the first state in the country to completely end money bail. The Illinois Network for Pretrial Justice is now working with Representative Maurice West and Senator Elgie Sims to pass the Pretrial Success Act, a $15 million appropriations request that will expand access to health and human services for people awaiting trial.
Since Illinois ended money bond, the number of people incarcerated awaiting trial has begun to drop across the state. More people are now able to maintain employment, housing, and connections to loved ones in the community while their cases are pending. Illinois has the opportunity to set people awaiting trial up for success by increasing access to voluntary services and addressing the underlying challenges that may have brought them into contact with law enforcement.
Under the Pretrial Success Act, community-based organizations would have the opportunity to apply for funding to increase access to essential services like mental health and substance use assessment, case management, and treatment according to clinical standards. Funding for transportation and child care will also be available to support people in attending their court dates. By increasing access to services, the Pretrial Success Act will improve community safety through addressing the root causes of harm and violence.
Requiring family members of accused people to pay money bonds further destabilized the same communities most impacted by violence because it extracted millions of dollars from our state’s most marginalized neighborhoods. Many of these communities are among the most underserved in the state, and the need for services is desperate. The Pretrial Success Act will help these communities heal by prioritizing them for investment and increasing access to these essential services.
