“Protecting Public Health Through Decarceration: Holding Cook County’s Criminal Courts Accountable During The COVID-19 Pandemic” analyzes the criminal court system’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic and the work done by the Coalition to End Money Bond to reduce the number of people incarcerated in the Cook County Jail. Through a combination of public advocacy, protests, and litigation, the Coalition helped reduce the number of people incarcerated in Cook County Jail by more than 1,500 between March 9th and May 9, 2020. The report also documents how and why the number of people incarcerated in the jail and in their homes on electronic monitoring has increased over the summer and makes recommendations for how Cook County can bring the number of people incarcerated back down.
This timeline walks through the most significant events in the Coalition to End Money Bond’s campaign to decarcerate Cook County Jail in the name of public health. Click on the links to learn more about these important events in the fight for pretrial freedom.
- March 6th: Chicago Community Bond Fund sounds the alarm about the threat posed by COVID-19 for those incarcerated in Cook County Jail.
- March 13th: More than 70 advocacy, community and legal organizations issue open letter demanding decarceration in the name of public health.
- March 16th: Call-in Campaign Launched to demand decarceration in the name of public health.
- March 20th: Cook County Public Defender files petition for mass release supported by amicus brief signed by Coalition members.
- March 22nd: Cook County Sheriff’s Deputy tests positive for COVID-19
- March 23rd: Faith leaders hold prayer vigil outside Cook County Jail.
- March 23rd: Two people incarcerated in Cook County Jail test positive for COVID-19.
- March 25th: Chicago Community Bond Fund, Believers Bail Out and Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights conduct mass bail out.
- March 30th: 100 people incarcerated in Cook County Jail test positive for COVID-19.
April 4th: Community organizing leads to 1,000 fewer people incarcerated in Cook County Jail.
April 6th: Federal lawsuit filed to demand the release of incarcerated people to prevent COVID-19 deaths.
April 7th: Solidarity car caravan demands mass release of incarcerated people.
April 9th: Federal court affirms governments responsibility to protect incarcerated people from COVID-19.
April 10th: Second person, Leslie Pieroni, dies of COVID-19 while in custody of the Cook County Jail
April 20th: Fourth person, Karl Battiste, dies of COVID-19 while in custody of the Cook County Jail.
May 5th: Rally for release on Nickolas Lee’s 43rd birthday.
May 5th: Seventh person, William Sobczyk, dies while in custody of the Cook County Jail.
May 7th: Sheriff’s office runs out of electronic monitors, leaving People incarcerated in the jail.
May 18th: Coalition launches community court watching effort.
