Pretrial Fairness Act Implementation in Cook County

As the first state in the country to completely outlaw the use of cash bail, all eyes are on Illinois to see how implementation of the new law is working. Cook County is Illinois’ largest county, and it appears the county was well-prepared to implement the Pretrial Fairness Act (PFA) based on observations in the first six months of new pretrial procedures under the PFA.

Overall, the law appears to be working as intended, with a goal of detaining those who pose a risk to public safety while avoiding unnecessary detention of those who are not a threat to public safety. However, questions remain about how the change in law is impacting recidivism and compliance with court appearances.

Read the full evaluation from LWV Cook County and the Civic Federation.