COOK COUNTY, Ill. — New numbers from the chief judge of the Cook County court system seek to help answer the question: Has releasing more defendants awaiting trial made us less safe?
Data show that 10,353 felony defendants have been released pre-trial since new provisions of the SAFE-T Act took effect in September of 2023. Of those, 89% were not charged with new crimes. However, 10% of criminal defendants have missed a scheduled hearing data and a judge has issued a warrant for failure to appear.
“Initial statistics indicate that our jurisdiction has reduced the number of defendants in custody and that the majority of defendants on pretrial release are doing what they’re supposed to be doing – going to their court dates and staying away from criminal activity,” Cook County chief judge Tim Evans said in a press release.
MORE WGN INVESTIGATES: FBI serves subpoenas at Dolton Village Hall
The removal of cash as a consideration for bail statewide took effect in September. Instead, judges were ordered to consider a defendant’s perceived threat and flight risk. But some non-violent crimes including burglary and retail theft are – on their own – non-detainable.
Of the felony defendants charged with new crimes while awaiting trial, 4% (411) were charged with a property crime, and less than one percent were charged with a new violent crime (74) or weapons office (73).
Meanwhile, the population of the Cook County Jail has declined by 13% since the implantation of pre-trial release.
In February, WGN Investigates spoke with Cook County state’s attorney Kim Foxx, suburban prosecutors and experts about the impact of new pre-trial release policies.
Click here to view the Cook County court’s data dashboard.
