Hundreds of thousands of Americans languish in jails because they don’t have money to post bail. Lawmakers worked to undo this unjust system before the pandemic, but the national mood has recently lurched in the opposite direction, with states rolling back reforms or even expanding bail.
In the middle of the backlash, Illinois became the first state to end cash bail. Now, if prosecutors want to detain someone, they have to prove, in a robust hearing, that the person either poses a "real and present threat" or will engage in "willful flight.” Money plays no part. It's a radical departure from how pretrial detention works everywhere else, even in reform states.
It’s "going better than we could have ever expected,” a source told journalist Bryce Covert. There has been no Purge-like crime spree as headlines predicted. Jail populations have declined and people have been allowed to go home to their lives.
This history-making law has only gotten local coverage, but it holds national importance, offering an example of what it would mean to ensure justice for legally innocent people.
With support from the Pulitzer Center, Covert reported this feature by observing the impact the law is having on the ground. She spent time in courtrooms to observe these new hearings and met people who can now avoid incarceration before trial. In addition, to illustrate the stakes, Covert spent time with someone who was jailed under the old regime because the person couldn't afford bail.