In 2021, the Illinois legislature passed the Pretrial Fairness Act. With its implementation in 2023, Illinois became the first state in the country to completely end the use of money bond. Freedom is no longer fee-based, and courts are spending more time & using more information to decide who is released and who is detained awaiting trial.

Now, President Trump is threatening to withhold federal funds from Illinois if lawmakers don’t bring back money bond. Let’s review why organizers across the state worked together to end the unjust money bond system.

Why did Illinois end money bond?

• Before the Pretrial Fairness Act, more than 250,000 Illinoisans were booked into county jails every year. 
• More than 75% of people jailed in Illinois were incarcerated pretrial, meaning they hadn’t been convicted of a crime, were legally innocent, and were still awaiting trial. 
• The vast majority of people locked up in Illinois county jails were incarcerated simply because they couldn’t afford to pay a money bond. 
• The money bond system caused people to lose their jobs, housing, and even custody of their kids. People often took plea deals not because they were guilty but simply to get back home to their families. 
• Across Illinois, there were vast racial disparities as to who was impacted by the money bond system. 
• In 2019, Illinois collected more than $140 million dollars in bond payments. Families were forced to choose between paying the rent or paying a ransom to free their loved who was awaiting trial. 
• The Pretrial Fairness Act has made sure that the millions of dollars that would have been collected in bond payments now remain in our state’s most marginalized communities. 
• Although money bond was supposed to be returned at the end of the case after someone attended all their court dates, data from 2016-2020 showed that only about $1 out of every $5 paid for bond was ever refunded, regardless of whether or not someone returned to court.
• Now that Illinois has implemented the Pretrial Fairness Act and ended money bond:
  • Pretrial hearings are more robust—and tied to safety, not wealth.
  • The number of people incarcerated in county jails is down, people are succeeding, and crime rates are down.
  • Millions of dollars are staying in vulnerable communities

Join us in calling on Governor Pritzker and the Illinois legislature to protect the Pretrial Fairness Act!

Take Action: bit.ly/BeatBackTrump