Bail Reform: Illinois’ Experience After 9 months

Balancing safety and justice is especially challenging in the pretrial context where difficult decisions must be made quickly while evidence is still being gathered. In September 2023, an overhaul of Illinois’ pretrial system went into effect, eliminating the use of cash bail while also expanding the authority of judges to detain defendants without bail. As states and local jurisdictions across the country weigh pretrial policies, what can we learn from the Illinois experience to date? This panel of experts reviewed preliminary data and specific cases that shed light on this question. The conversation also considered to what degree experiences have differed in rural and urban areas and examined what adjustments are needed.
Featuring:
Robert Berlin, State’s Attorney, DuPage County, Illinois
Hon. Eugene Doherty, Appellate Court Justice, Illinois Appellate Court for the Fourth District
Dr. David Olson, Professor, Department of Criminal Justice and Criminology & Co-Director, Center for Criminal Justice, Loyola University Chicago
(Moderator) Marc Levin, Chief Policy Counsel, Council on Criminal Justice and Senior Advisor, Right on Crime
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As always, the Federalist Society takes no position on particular legal or public policy issues; all expressions of opinion are those of the speaker.

[@uncletjtherottenuncle7919]

I was arrested at the end of April, charged with my wifes gun that was legally in the glovebox unloaded with her present telling them she owns it and even had the proof ..i was charged with felon in possession of a firearm..the police report said that my wife said it was hers so thats why the judge let me out on lre trial release..we dont live in illinois so it was perfectly legal for it to be where it was seeing how thats illinois law specifically for ppl traveling through the state..the cop was mad i didnt have drugs..his last resort was to arrest me for something legal i guess but the man just said ppl woth my charge cant be released so that tells me the judge can see there was faul play..i just dont see why if that was enough to release me why not enough to dismiss the charge

[@hartmatterhorn]

No legal commentary from a C(r)ook County attorney or judge.