CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) - An organization that was among those behind the push to end the money bail system in Illinois is confident that system will eventually end despite being put on-hold by the state supreme court.
Sarah Staudt, director of policy for the Chicago Appleseed Center for Fair Courts says there was no question a Kankakee judge would rule against the Pre-Trial Fairness Act based on where that lawsuit was filed.
“(The jurisdiction) picked for that lawsuit was one that was very friendly to the prosecutors who were bringing this lawsuit,” Staudt says.
Then, the Illinois Supreme Court put the law on-hold just before it was to go into effect Sunday, but Staudt, while disappointed, understood why--so Illinois would not have two systems in effect at one time.
“Obviously, it’s frustrating. Every day that we keep the money bail system in place, we’re keeping an unjust system functioning in Illinois even after the legislature and voters have decided that it should go,” she says.
But Staudt believes that, after hearing the arguments on the matter, the Illinois Supreme Court will allow money bail to end.
The Chicago Appleseed Center for Fair Courts has been among those working since 2016 to end the cash bail system in Illinois.
Staudt says money bail is fundamentally unjust and racist, with the decision about who is in jail or not awaiting trial based on how much money someone has, not whether they’ll flee the jurisdiction or pose a danger to the community.
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