Illinois Becomes First State to Eliminate Cash Bail

Illinois has become the first state to eliminate cash bail. On Monday, the Illinois Pretrial Fairness Act went into law and advocates hope it will be a blueprint for other states to follow.

The cash bail system disproportionately affects poor people and communities of color. In fact, in 2022, the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights released a report which pointed to a study determining bail for Black men is set, on average, 35% higher than bail for white men. The same study found bail for Latino men is set nearly 20% higher than it is for white men. Innocent people lose their homes, jobs, and families waiting behind bars for a trial because they cannot afford bail.

“This landmark ruling refutes false narratives about cash bail. The truth is that abolishing cash bail improves public safety by allowing people to return to their communities and families who would otherwise be in jail only because they can’t pay for their freedom,” the ACLU announced back in July when the act was first passed.

“When people can go home, take care of their families, and keep up with school or work, that stability makes all our communities safer and stronger,” the ACLU continued.

What do you think? Should more states eliminate cash bail?