Illinois Network for Pretrial Justice Hosts Joliet Teach-In About the End of Money Bond

The Illinois Network for Pretrial Justice is hosting teach-ins across the state about the Pretrial Fairness Act to inform the public about the law’s implementation and the end of money bond in Illinois.

MEDIA AUDIENCE OPPORTUNITY:

To attend the Saturday, February 3rd Joliet Pretrial Fairness Act Teach-In at 12:00 pm. RSVP to [email protected].

Location: Universalist Unitarian Church of Joliet, 3401 W Jefferson St, Joliet, IL 60431.

The event will feature a presentation on the Pretrial Fairness Act from Ben Ruddell, Director of Criminal Justice Policy at the ACLU of Illinois.

The teach-in will cover how the old money bond system harmed community members and how the Pretrial Fairness Act is improving our state’s pretrial system and increasing community safety. Attendees will learn about the reforms included in the law and how the new system is functioning.

Sponsored by: The Illinois Network for Pretrial Justice

BACKGROUND:

On July 18, 2023 the Illinois Supreme Court issued the strongest possible decision finding the Pretrial Fairness Act constitutional and directing courts across the state to implement the law and end the use of money bond on September 18, 2023. This ruling overturns a decision by a Kankakee County judge that sided with State’s Attorneys who challenged the law’s implementation. Since the law has gone into effect, stakeholders across Illinois are reporting that implementation has been smooth and successful.

The Illinois Network for Pretrial Justice, whose member organizations have been working to end money bond since 2016, is made up of over 45 community, legal, policy and service organizations across the state. Together, we are working to reduce pretrial incarceration in Illinois and, more broadly, to end mass incarceration and address the root causes of socioeconomic and racial inequity in our legal system. Our Network is grounded in the Principles of Pretrial Reform in Illinois, and in 2021 we helped pass the Pretrial Fairness Act, a law that will end wealth-based pretrial incarceration in our state when fully implemented. The Pretrial Fairness Act has been endorsed by more than 225 organizations.