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PROPOSED RESOLUTION
COB #323962
EVIDENCE-BASED COOK COUNTY BAIL SYSTEM REFORM
Submitting a Proposed Resolution sponsored by John A. Fritchey, County Commissioner.
WHEREAS, The Cook County Jail is on the verge of capacity and there exist serious and legitimate concerns that it will exceed capacity this summer; and
WHEREAS, in such an event, the County faces the threat of being ordered to build another jail at a cost of tens of millions of taxpayer dollars on an unneeded facility; and
WHEREAS, our jail overcrowding situation is the consequence of a failing pretrial justice system; and
WHEREAS, while nationally, 60% of inmates in local jails are pre-trial detainees, pre-trial detainees account for 90% of the inmates in Cook County Jail; and
WHEREAS, approximately 70% of incarcerated pre-trial detainees are being held pursuant to charges for non-violent offenses; and
WHEREAS, in 2011, 79% of Cook County defendants were either ordered to pay financial bond to secure release pending trial or held without bond, 13% were ordered released subject to electronic monitoring and only 8% were released pursuant to an I-bond; which allows defendants to be released upon a signature but still subjects them to payment of the full bond amount if they fail to make a required court appearance; and
WHEREAS, by contrast, New York City releases approximately 70% of their felony pre-trial defendants on personal recognizance, and Washington, D.C. releases over 80% of their felony pre-trial defendants on personal recognizance, yet both cities have high court appearance rates and low re-arrest rates; and
WHEREAS, when properly administered, bail is designed to be a function of risk to society or flight risk, not simply a means test of ability to pay; and
WHEREAS, the overreliance on monetary bail, and the inability of many detainees is among the primary drivers of the level and growth in our jail population; and
WHEREAS, an overreliance on mon...
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