People locked up in Cook County Jail are forced to spend thousands of dollars each year to meet their most basic needs. In 2025, incarcerated in Cook County Jail spent around $430,000 on over 159,000 bars of soap. southsideweekly.com/why-are-we-d...

More often than not, missing court is an accident. And yet, 546,000 jail bookings in 2024 were due to arrests related to failure to appear warrants. If no one was jailed for missing court, there would be 52,000 fewer people in jail each day nationwide www.prisonpolicy.org/blog/2026/01...

Join us for another round of community court watching! Starting in March, we’ll be watching pretrial hearings in DuPage County to monitor implementation of the Pretrial Fairness Act. Register for a training here: bit.ly/DupageCourtwatch

More than 100 advocacy, health and human services, faith and community organizations have come together to call on Governor Pritzker and the General Assembly to stand strong against Trump's attacks. Read the letter: endmoneybond.org/100-advocacy...

Law enforcement claimed that crime would skyrocket when Illinois ended money bond in 2023. In 2025, we saw crime rates drop throughout the state. The Elgin chief of police went as far as saying that last year had "one of the lowest crime levels we’ve recorded in decades".

"Researchers at the University of Chicago found that for every 1% increase in eviction rate in a given census tract, there were 2.66 additional shootings" If we want safer communities, we need to invest in them. www.wbez.org/housing/2026...

Last week, the Judiciary Committee of the US House of Representatives held a hearing in which they discussed two reactionary and dangerous bills aimed specifically at increasing the number of presumed innocent people imprisoned while awaiting trial. Learn more: endmoneybond.org/us-house-of-...

5 years ago today, the Illinois General Assembly passed the Pretrial Fairness Act. Hundreds of millions of dollars that would have been used to purchase the presumption of innocence are instead staying in our state’s most marginalized communities. Read more: endmoneybond.org/five-years-a...

"I'm so proud Illinois became the first state to end the use of cash bail" - @chuygarcia.house.gov We are so grateful for Rep. Garcia's vigorous defense of the Pretrial Fairness Act at yesterday's House Judiciary hearing on bills attacking pretrial reform. Watch: www.youtube.com/live/65whKL3...

While the Pretrial Fairness Act has been in effect, crime rates have been dramatically falling and the majority of people released while awaiting trial are succeeding.

They said ending money bond would cause "the end of days". What we actually saw during the second year of implementation in Chicago: - 35% decrease in shootings. - 36% decrease in robberies - The fewest killings since 1965. chicago.suntimes.com/crime/2026/0...

People incarcerated in Cook County Jail talked with Southside Weekly about the gross & unhealthy meals and expensive commissary food items: southsideweekly.com/going-hungry...

Send a letter to help protect our communities and people awaiting trial. As the nation continues to push criminalization, we need to ramp up vital life saving resources so our communities can have a chance.

The Pretrial Success Act is connecting people awaiting trial to services like transportation and child care to help get them to court & providing resources for people with mental health & substance use disorder needs. Tell your legislators to expand it: actionnetwork.org/letters/d76f...

This @capitolfax.bsky.social column lays out the facts about pretrial release and safety and gestures toward the political and financial motives of those who (my words) lie in wait for a tragedy to exploit

"SAFE-T Act criticism after Blue Line attack is mostly misguided" by Rich Miller chicago.suntimes.com/columnists/2...

Instead of reducing scrutiny of Chicago Police, State's Attorney Burke should be increasing it. The elimination of felony review for many gun cases is ripe for abuse. Read FDLA Civil Right's Clinic Director Daniel Massoglia's full letter to the editor here: chicago.suntimes.com/letters-to-t...

State's Attorney Burke ended the office’s policy of both keeping and disclosing a list of police officers who have a history of lying in court and committing misconduct. This signals to cops they will not be held accountable by the chief law enforcement officer of Cook County.

Yesterday, Cook State's Attorney Eileen O'Neill Burke celebrated her first year in office. Community members angered over her policies, which have increased the number of people incarcerated in Cook County Jail 14%, disrupted the event several times. 🎥 submitted to @lucyparsonslabs.com

One year ago today, Cook County State’s Attorney Eileen O’Neill Burke took office & began implementing harmful policies that have dramatically increased the number of people locked up in Cook County Jail despite crime steadily trending downward. Read our statement: endmoneybond.org/one-year-aft...

Tomorrow marks one year since Cook County State's Attorney Eileen O'Neil Burke took office. Check out her report card below, then join us on December 10th at Grace Place for a teach-in on how communities are fighting back against these harmful policies. Register at bit.ly/SATeach-in

Our hearts go out to Bethany MaGee and her family, who experienced an unimaginable horror. Unfortunately, some are blaming the Pretrial Fairness Act. Here is what they have gotten wrong: endmoneybond.org/pretrial-ref...

Pretrial jailing in Cook County has increased dramatically since Eileen O'Neill Burke took office last year. Learn about the harmful policies that State's Attorney Burke has put in place & how communities are fighting back on 12/10 at Grace Place(637 S Dearborn)! Register at: bit.ly/SATeach-in

We are alarmed by State’s Attorney Burke's elimination of felony review in gun possession cases. This policy ignores decades of police misconduct, while signaling that Burke is not committed to preventing, combatting, or protecting people from misconduct. endmoneybond.org/states-attor...

Today, the Cook County Board of Commissioners approved the 2026. Since 2016, the Sheriff’s budget grew by $300 million & the State’s Attorney’s budget doubled. We are disappointed that these budget have increased yet again. Full statement: endmoneybond.org/approved-coo...

Later this week, the Cook County Board of Commissioners will vote on a $10.1 billion budget proposal for 2026. We remain steadfast in our belief that the most responsible action for the Board to take is to freeze law enforcement spending to protect social services. endmoneybond.org/as-trump-sla...

Amid funding cuts and increased criminalization, learn how organizers on the frontlines continue to push for solutions to the ongoing overdose epidemic, and adapted their initiatives to a changing environment. Join us & our partners on 11/19 at 7pm at UChicago: bit.ly/HRnextsteps

"New report from the Data Collaborative for Justice, drawing on nearly 18 months of statewide court data, finds that NY's initial bail reform law did not increase overall recidivism in suburban and upstate regions — and in some cases reduced long-term reoffending." davisvanguard.org/2025/11/new-...

Pretrial jailing in Cook County has increased dramatically since Eileen O'Neill Burke took office last year. Come learn about the harmful policies she has put in place and how communities are fighting back. Register here: actionnetwork.org/events/commu...

We were in Bloomington-Normal this week, while in town we gave four teach-ins at ISU! Over the course of three & half hours, we talked to more than 100 students about the Pretrial Fairness Act. Want to host us for a public education event? Email: info @ endmoneybond.org

Last week, our members testified the Cook County Board of Commissioners meeting. We called on the Board to freeze law enforcement spending to protect funding for essential services like violence prevention, behavioral health, and community investment to reduce intra-community violence.

Chicago-area friends, let's support the things that have helped support communities and prevent crime. In the face of federal defunding of proven strategies, Cook County needs to invest in health and prevention.

The real solution to community safety is not more money for police and prosecutors. The invasion of federal agents proves that. It's housing, violence prevention, guaranteed income, and other supports. Join us in calling for Cook County to use the solutions that work to keep us all safe.

More than 60 organizations have joined us to call on Cook County to protect funding for essential services like violence prevention, behavioral health, and community investment to reduce intra-community violence by freezing law enforcement spending. Read more: endmoneybond.org/2025/10/09/6...

Last month, Governor Pritzker signed the FAIR Act into law. Next summer, the state will undertake the work of launching a statewide office for public defense. www.chicagotribune.com/2025/09/29/n...

"Organizations supporting survivors of gender-based violence tend to operate in silos, without direct collaboration with criminal legal reform work. But advocates in both spaces partnered together to support Illinois’ bail reform law." 19thnews.org/2025/10/cash...

This year, communities across the country have been forced to make difficult budgetary decisions due to federal funding withheld by the Trump administration. Read our blog post: endmoneybond.org/2025/07/29/c...

Today, Illinois celebrates the second anniversary of the successful implementation of the Pretrial Fairness Act and the end of money bond! Read our full statement here: endmoneybond.org/2025/09/18/c...

Next week marks two years since Illinois implemented the Pretrial Fairness Act and ended money bail. Join us & some special guests on Tuesday at 6pm an online event marking this historic anniversary. Register: bit.ly/Pushing4Pretrial

For the last five years, volunteers with Chicago Community Jail Support have been outside Cook County Jail supporting people who are being released. This work is especially challenging because Sheriff Dart is increasingly releasing people in the darkness of night: www.wbez.org/curious-city...

Join us! Register today! bit.ly/PretrialFreedom0916

Illinois won't bow to the bully. We ended the unjust money bond system and we're not going back. Take action to defend the Pretrial Fairness Act: bit.ly/BeatBackTrump

Donald Trump is not going to override our democracy by telling Illinois how to run our pretrial system. We made history by taking the price tag off the presumption of innocence & we're not going back. Take action to defend the Pretrial Fairness Act: bit.ly/BeatBackTrump

September 2025 marks two years since Illinois implemented the Pretrial Fairness Act and ended money bail. Join us and some special guests on Tuesday, September 16th at 6pm for an online event marking this historic anniversary. Register here: forms.gle/Y1mHJuaxq6Wb...

"Illinois Democrats, advocates bash Trump's executive order banning cashless bail policies while Republicans celebrate" www.wandtv.com/news/stateho...

Trump wants to bring back money bail. Why did Illinois end it?

Illinois is defending the Pretrial Fairness Act. We will not bow down to Trump. Read our statement on the President's attack on the end of money bail in Illinois: endmoneybond.org/2025/08/25/i...

President Trump has issued an executive order aimed at forcing states that have ended or reduced the use of money bail in the pretrial process to reverse those policies. Tell Governor Pritzker & your legislators to defend the Pretrial Fairness Act: actionnetwork.org/letters/beat...

Mass incarceration *is* an economic justice issue. It's no coincidence that the poorest & most vulnerable communities are also the most policed.

Since Illinois eliminating cash bail, this is probably the biggest change for the better to our criminal justice system. This is a huge deal for protecting people's constitutional rights!