* Sun-Times…
A few dozen inmates who remain locked up in Cook County Jail because they’re too poor to post their relatively low bonds may be out soon under a new program State’s Attorney Kim Foxx announced for indigent, nonviolent offenders Wednesday.
After the Cook County Sheriff’s Office singled out 50 cases of those who were “languishing” in jail for several months because of their inability to post $1,000 or less, the State’s Attorney and Public Defender’s offices came together to identify those inmates who would be better served outside jail, Foxx said. […]
Foxx said most of those who qualify for the bond reform initiative are in for drug offenses, property crimes or retail theft. […]
While awaiting trial outside jail, those needing treatment for drugs or mental health would be required to get help as part of conditions of their release, the top prosecutor said.
It costs $163 a day to house an inmate, so taxpayers will be saving money through the initiative, Foxx said.
The county will save some money (food, meds, etc. - as long as those slots remain empty) but unless they plan to lay off jail employees, this won’t actually save $163 per day.
Anyway, your thoughts?
- Liandro - Thursday, Mar 2, 17 @ 2:00 pm:
Have some compassion while simultaneously saving the taxpayers money? At first glance, this seems to make a lot of sense. If the impact is possible, it’s worth doing no matter how “minor” the results. Baby steps lead to bigger steps…
- anonymous retiree - Thursday, Mar 2, 17 @ 2:00 pm:
Are we going to let them out so they can shoplift again or break into my house? Terrible idea.
- IrishPirate - Thursday, Mar 2, 17 @ 2:01 pm:
Until the Bubbly Creek Hamlet has an oped ghostwritten on it I don’t acknowledge this as an issue.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/commentary/ct-daley-chicago-gun-violence-murders-perspec-0302-20170301-story.html
Seriously, whole wings of Cook County Jail have been closed so it has to save some money. Whether it’s worth the social cost of more petty crime is another issue.
- DuPage Saint - Thursday, Mar 2, 17 @ 2:01 pm:
And exactly where are they going to go for help? They will not be on their meds they will not get or be able to get drug or alcohol treatment and they undoubtedly will miss their court date resulting in a warrant sending them back to County. Unless of course they are homeless and die on the streets from exposure or violence. Maybe cutting them loose isn’t the best solution
- Liandro - Thursday, Mar 2, 17 @ 2:10 pm:
“Are we going to let them out so they can shoplift again or break into my house? Terrible idea.”
According to the article, these are people with bail set at $1,000 or less. Thus, they aren’t being kept off the street due to the severity of their crime or the danger of repeating an offense. No, they’re being kept because they (and their family, which is often who pays) are too poor to post bail.
That’s just the surface view, though. Hopefully the total research into this was thorough before action was taken.
- Mama - Thursday, Mar 2, 17 @ 2:25 pm:
==”treatment for drugs or mental health would be required to get help as part of conditions of their release, the top prosecutor said.”==
If they are unable to post $1,000 or less for their bond, how the heck can they afford mental health treatment or treatment for drug addiction?
- MadSeason - Thursday, Mar 2, 17 @ 2:31 pm:
This is what prosecutors and Judges should do to keep jail population down. However, they need to be ready for heat the first time one of these individuals commits a heinous crime while on an I Bond. It will happen, but most misdemeanor s and some felonies shouldn’t be held pending trial.
- Anyone Remember - Thursday, Mar 2, 17 @ 2:31 pm:
It’ll save the consumable portion of the $163 (food, etc.). Whatever that amount is.
- Anonymous - Thursday, Mar 2, 17 @ 2:35 pm:
So Cook County ships inmates to Kankakee Cnty and other city’s and pays $163/day so in fact Cook County will be saving $163 per day at the cost of Kankakee.
- Cheryl44 - Thursday, Mar 2, 17 @ 2:39 pm:
If I were let out because I’d committed a minor crime but couldn’t afford my bail, I would try really hard to keep my nose clean until my trial.
- Tommydanger - Thursday, Mar 2, 17 @ 2:43 pm:
>>So Cook County ships inmates to Kankakee Cnty and other city’s and pays $163/day so in fact Cook County will be saving $163 per day at the cost of Kankakee.
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- Tommydanger - Thursday, Mar 2, 17 @ 2:46 pm:
Counties that accept other counties inmates charge an established rate that represents that county’s cost of housing prisoners. It would almost certainly cheaper than $163/day, but that doesn’t include the transportation costs to get the prisoners there as well as the loss of employees’ time while transporting.
Attorneys also cannot as easily meet/talk with their clients when the are housed out of county which may delay the resolution of the case.
- Tommydanger - Thursday, Mar 2, 17 @ 2:47 pm:
I give up
- Cassandra - Thursday, Mar 2, 17 @ 2:48 pm:
Good for Ms. Foxx.
Aren’t some jurisdictions in other states experimenting with doing away with bail altogether.
We need to move in that direction.
- Cassandra - Thursday, Mar 2, 17 @ 2:50 pm:
Good for Ms. Foxx. I hope for more changes from her leadership.
Aren’t some jurisdictions in other states experimenting with doing away with bail altogether.
We need to move in that direction.
- Arthur Andersen - Thursday, Mar 2, 17 @ 2:52 pm:
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- Allen Skillicorn - Thursday, Mar 2, 17 @ 2:52 pm:
If the county rents beds or has to rent beds somewhere, this could save real money.
Still the right thing to do with non-violent and non-flight risk people.
- Mama - Thursday, Mar 2, 17 @ 3:00 pm:
What do they do with the bail or bond money they collect for the inmates?
- Huh? - Thursday, Mar 2, 17 @ 3:03 pm:
Slam an ankle bracelet on them and turn them loose. Should have been done a long time ago.
- Ward Heeler - Thursday, Mar 2, 17 @ 3:07 pm:
Here is the paradox. Everyone wants the criminals arrested and locked up, but once they are incarcerated pols like Preckwinkle, Dart and Foxx are calling for their release.
These pretrial detainees could be out on I-Bonds if they or their court-appointed attorneys filed appropriate motions. The well paid judges are at fault for not putting in the hours to make speedy trials a reality.
Seriously, Chicago is not safer because too many people are not serving full prison sentences.
- DuPage Saint - Thursday, Mar 2, 17 @ 3:10 pm:
The bail bond money is often eaten up in court fees or costs or signed over to an attorney to represent them. If not enough money for an attorney a public defender is appointed.
- Boone's is back - Thursday, Mar 2, 17 @ 3:17 pm:
The cost per Sheriff Tom Dart’s website is $64 per day. (This doesn’t include the CCDOC headcount cost). So… on an average month it costs $1,920 per inmate. Let’s just say that these prisoners would have been in there for at least 3 months. That would save taxpayers $5,760.
Seems like a better thing to me than keeping them in jail awaiting trial because they couldn’t pay the $1,000 bond.
- JB13 - Thursday, Mar 2, 17 @ 3:30 pm:
Now, we wait to see what happens to the rate of warrants issued for failure to appear in court. Surely there’s a journalist somewhere willing to take up that story?
- JoanP - Thursday, Mar 2, 17 @ 3:31 pm:
@ Ward Heeler -
First of all, these are, as you note, pre-trial detainees. They have not been convicted, so your use of the term “criminal” is inappropriate.
Secondly, attorneys do file the appropriate motions, and those motions are routinely denied.
Third, judges do put in the hours. There are a lot of reasons that cases are delayed, ranging from changes of attorney to lab testing not being done to prosecutors who don’t tender discovery on a timely basis.
Your final sentence is irrelevant to the discussion of bail.
- Not It - Thursday, Mar 2, 17 @ 4:06 pm:
Also save on less overtime?
- Boone's is back - Thursday, Mar 2, 17 @ 4:16 pm:
The overtime thing is big too. The CCDOC is one of the biggest departments in the county that uses overtime.
From the C-ST:
“About $36 million in overtime was paid to correctional officers in fiscal year 2014, the audit said.”
http://chicago.suntimes.com/news/cook-county-jail-guard-paid-30000-for-one-days-work/
- TominChicago - Thursday, Mar 2, 17 @ 4:16 pm:
You are going to see a big increase in bench warrants for failure to appear at trial.
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- Rocky Rosi - Thursday, Mar 2, 17 @ 4:22 pm:
Great plan! This will help her when she runs for mayor of Chicago. Rahm should have did it first.
- Anonymous - Thursday, Mar 2, 17 @ 4:40 pm:
Cassandra- “Aren’t some jurisdictions in other states experimenting with doing away with bail altogether.” Yes.
Statewide legislation will be needed in Illinois to force the good old boys in the rural counties to let people go. The Sheriff’s and police chiefs will resist bail reduction legislation.
In lots of small burgs, the population is aging. Keeping the old folks scared of crime pumps up their budgets. The Whiteside County Sheriff’s office has an Army surplus Hummvee, though no one is quite sure why. Maybe selling useless equipment at auction could free up some money to run the jails also.
- Boone's is back - Thursday, Mar 2, 17 @ 4:41 pm:
===You are going to see a big increase in bench warrants for failure to appear at trial.===
So be it, the onus is on the defendant. They are informed that if they fail to appear at their trial then they receive a default judgment. The incentive is built in to show up for your trial. It’s why they allow people to bond out in the first place.
- Ralph - Thursday, Mar 2, 17 @ 5:15 pm:
50 inmates owing $1000 or less. $50,000 max.
$163 a day for 30 days times 50 inmates 244,500
Sounds like normal Illinois activity!!
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