Alison Siegler Shares Her Findings on Federal Pretrial Detention on WTTW
New U. of C. Report Finds Federal Judges Jailing Defendants Awaiting Trial at Increasingly High Rates
A big overhaul is coming to Illinois’ criminal justice system in 2023, when cash bail will be eliminated.
The practice has been criticized for leaving defendants in jail for months while awaiting trial. Data also shows that requiring cash bail disproportionately affects minority communities.
While Illinois will become the first state to eliminate cash bail, the change does not apply to federal courts.
A new report from the University of Chicago Law School’s Federal Criminal Justice Clinic shows that locking up pretrial defendants has become the norm in federal court, rather than the exception, as required by law. And just as in state courts, many of those jailed are people of color unable to pay bail.
Read more at WTTW