Read the report here!

On January 22, 2020, the Coalition to End Money Bond is releasing a new report detailing six principles designed to guide lawmakers in efforts to reform Illinois’ pretrial justice system. On January 9, 2020, Governor JB Pritzker announced that his administration would work to “end money bond” this year. This new report provides a pathway for ending money bond and improving the fairness and effectiveness of our court system from the perspective of the impacted community members, faith leaders, and policy experts who compose the Coalition to End Money Bond.

Every year, more than a quarter of a million people are incarcerated in jails across Illinois. Most of these people are incarcerated while still awaiting trial, and many are jailed simply because they cannot afford to pay a money bond. Pretrial incarceration causes people to lose their jobs, housing, and even custody of their children, all without having been convicted of a crime. 

The need for pretrial justice reform in Illinois is immense, and the Governor’s commitment to ending money bond is an important step forward. Simply ending money bond alone, however, will not guarantee a more just and equitable system. This report explains the policies and processes that must replace money bond to ensure fewer legally innocent people are jailed in Illinois.

Across Illinois, a growing number of communities are committed to not only ending money bond but also ensuring greater pretrial freedom. In July 2019, more than 30 community organizations across the state formed the Illinois Network for Pretrial Justice to advance statewide policy change. In December 2019, Network members demonstrated the need for reforms by hosting a statewide holiday bailout, ultimately freeing 17 people in eight different counties, all of whom were in jail solely due to their inability to pay a money bond.

The Coalition to End Money Bond has been studying and working to reform Illinois pretrial justice system for almost four years. This policy vision lays out the specific principles and characteristics that, based on our extensive work speaking to a wide variety of stakeholders and community members throughout the state and nationally, would be the features of a fair, constitutional, and racially equitable system of pretrial practices in Illinois. In short, this paper is the answer to the question, ‘What do we do after we eliminate money bond?’ We believe that everyone deserves access pretrial freedom regardless of wealth and that ultimately, our system should work to prevent incarceration, provide resources for safety and stability in the community, and keep families and loved ones together.