CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) — After eight sometimes-contentious years, Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx is walking away from the job. She would be the first to say that her feelings are mixed.
In her two terms as Cook County state’s attorney, Foxx has had some clear wins, including helping to bring an end to cash bail in Illinois and promoting alternatives to jail sentences for some non-violent offenses.
Foxx fought to eliminate cash bail before she was state’s attorney, and she said it was tough for justice reform advocates to win on that one.
“The struggle was getting people to understand that the system we had in place was not making us safer,” she told WBBM. “The moment you start talking about letting people out of jail, people instinctively think, ‘Well, if they’re in jail, they belong there.’ Trying to explain who belonged there and who didn’t, and telling the stories of the impact that it had on families and outcomes, was a lot of work that a lot of coalition builders [and] movement leaders were doing, that I happened to be a part of, and I’m really proud of.”
In the end, even a number of conservative groups agreed the new system is better, though it may still need some tweaks — and no one is detained pre-trial just because they can't afford to be released.
Foxx, though, has had challenges, too, in the form of confronting gun crimes and stormy relations with some police officials. She said she’ll leave office with a combination of relief and excitement.
“It’s been bittersweet,” she said. “Having worked in that office both as the lead prosecutor and as an assistant prosecutor for 20 years, there’s been no more rewarding work. It will be hard to say goodbye to my colleagues, to be on the ground on these issues and meeting families where they are. At the same time, it’s been a grueling eight years as the top prosecutor, and I’m in need of some rest.”
That's what Foxx said she'll do next, at least for a few months, and then she'll think about what comes next.
Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx is the guest on the latest edition of “At Issue,” which airs every Sunday at 9:30 a.m. and 9:30 p.m..
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