ST. LOUIS (KMOX) - In the fall of 2023, the state of Illinois eliminated use of cash bail for criminal defendants.
"This is an overhaul of a system I've known in my 40 years of my legal career," said Andrew Gleeson, Chief Judge in the 20th Judicial Circuit in Illinois in 2023 on Total Information A.M. when the decision initially happened.
Months later, has it changed criminal justice system in Illinois for the better or for worse?
"I think as of now, you'd have to say yes, it's changed for the better" said Gleeson on Total Information A.M. Wednesday.
One of the fears from the change was that people who were released without posting any type of bond would fail to appear for future court dates.
"We still have to wait for (overall data), but the data that we presently see is that people are showing up for court," said Gleeson.
Gleeson says things have been operating well at the courthouses since the change, saying the state of Illinois has 'successfully turned the Titanic'.
"We changed the whole operation, we have a dedicated courtroom with a dedicated judge and it covered every aspect of the criminal justice system, from the clerks, public defenders, state attorneys, but everybody has stepped up in the process" said Gleeson. "Some people have used the word 'seamlessly' and I'm always reluctant to do that, but it working well."
Gleeson saying they has seen an average of 150 fewer people a day spending time in the county jail and that is something that should be a positive to Illinois taxpayers, as they don't have to pay to house them in the County jail.
"We are detaining those that need to be detained, those are not a significant risk to the society we are no longer paying to house and do all those things," said Gleeson. "We also are allowing them to go to work to pay their bills, no longer being stuck in jail, incarcerated, where they have a financial fallout from that. The paradigm has shifted."
Gleeson says the money saved could potentially be spent adding more sheriff's deputies or mental health services for defendants.