The end of cash bail? Backers and opponents ponder the consequences as bill awaits Pritzker’s signature.
CHICAGO — You would think DuPage County Public Defender Jeff York would be happy to see the end of cash bail in Illinois, as promised by criminal justice legislation that passed Wednesday, and he is — for the most part.
While clients of lesser means wouldn’t have to sit in jail until trial, he said, others who now receive affordable bails could see them taken away as nervous judges weigh the possibility that the accused could commit other crimes if released.
“It really depends on how it ends up getting applied,” York said. “I don’t know what judges will do.”
Such uncertainty is hanging over much of the state’s criminal justice system as prosecutors, police and defense attorneys ponder the consequences of one of the most sweeping pieces of
