A Major Victory in the Fight to End Money Bail
Yesterday marked a major victory in the fight to end money bail in Cook County: Chief Judge Tim Evans has issued General Order No. 18.8a that instructs judges to set money bonds only in amounts that people can afford to pay.
If implemented correctly and fully, General Order 18.8A will have the effect of dramatically reshaping pretrial justice in Cook County. No longer will the majority of people in Cook County Jail be there solely because they cannot post bond, incarcerated pretrial without the due process required for actual detention decisions.
You can read the text of Judge Evans’ order here and supporting legal commentary here. Chicago Appleseed, our partner organization, has more analysis here.
The Chicago Council Council of Lawyers and Chicago Appleseed applaud Judge Evans’ action. We warmly invite you to join our joint Criminal Justice Advisory Committee, which among its other projects has helps lead a collaborative effort to end or reduce the use of monetary bail. For more information about the Committee, please contact our Executive Director, Malcolm Rich at malcolmrich [at] chicagoappleseed [dot] org or (312) 988-6552.