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Support for HB 3665: The Joe Coleman Medical Release Act

PUBLISHED: March 2021 UPDATE: May 2021 - The Joe Coleman Medical Release Act (HB 3665) passed both chambers of the Illinois General Assembly and now awaits the signature of the Governor. Click here for more information. The Joe Coleman Medical Release Act (HB 3665), introduced by Represent...

VICTORY: Governor Pritzker Abolishes Money Bail by Signing HB 3653 – The SAFE-T Act – into Law

On Monday, February 22, 2021, Governor Pritzker signed HB 3653 SFA2: the SAFE-T (Safety, Accountability, Fairness and Equity - Today) Act. The bill was sponsored in the 101st General Assembly by Senator Robert Peters, Senator Elgie Sims, and Representative Justin Slaughter as part of the Ill...

Dispelling Myths: The Pretrial Fairness Act and Domestic Violence

In January 2021, the Illinois General Assembly passed a sweeping criminal justice reform package, presented by the Illinois Legislative Black Caucus, which includes the Pretrial Fairness Act (HB 3653 SFA2). The Pretrial Fairness Act (PFA) abolishes money bail; ensures faster release f...

Letter to Governor Pritzker: Support for HB 3653

On January 13, 2021, the Illinois General Assembly passed a historic criminal justice reform package (presented by the Illinois Legislative Black Caucus). Among the many provisions in the 764 page bill is the Pretrial Fairness Act (PFA) - a comprehensive proposal that ends money bail, reduce...

Waiting for Justice: An examination of the Cook County Criminal Court backlog in the age of COVID-19

The content in this article was originally submitted as testimony to the Cook County Board of Commissioners’ Criminal Justice Committee meeting on January 27, 2020, about peoples' lengths of stay in Cook County Jail and on electronic monitoring, and the effect COVID-19 has had on the growing jail po...