President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Aug. 25 that threatens to revoke federal funding from jurisdictions with cashless bail systems, such as Illinois.
The order claims that when individuals are released without bail, “they are permitted – even encouraged – to further endanger law-abiding, hard-working Americans because they know our laws will not be enforced.”
But how does the system work? Here’s what you should know.
What is cashless bail?
Illinois ended its cash bail system on Jan. 1, 2023, thanks to the Safe-T Act.
The new cashless bail system bases pre-trial detention on community risk rather than financial means, according to a 2022 press release from Gov. JB Pritzker’s office.
The new system would “ensure that individuals who pose a risk to the community aren’t released from jail just because they are able to pay bail, while people without financial means sit in jail regardless of whether they pose a risk at all,” according to the release.
New Cook County policy extends protections for citizens
In December 2024, the Cook County State Attorney’s Office announced a new detention policy “to increase public safety and protect victims,” according to a press release.
The new policy requires prosecutors to seek pre-trial detention “for the highest classes of violent offenses, all violent offenses that occur on public transit, any offense that involves the possession or use of an assault weapon, as well as numerous domestic violence/sex offenses and crimes against children.”
This includes sex offenses against minors, all murder offenses and all domestic violence offenses involving a weapon.
“Together we are going to build a safer, stronger Cook County and that starts on day one,” Cook County State Attorney Eileen O’Neill Burke said in the release. “Let me be clear: weapons of war, violence against the vulnerable, and rampant harm to our communities will not be tolerated. The SAFE-T Act is a seminal piece of legislation that instills more fairness into our system while also requiring that prosecutors use every tool at their disposal to give victims a voice and keep Cook County safe.”
This article originally appeared on Journal Star: How does cashless bail work in Illinois? Trump’s new executive order seeks to end system
Reporting by Hannah Hudnall, USA TODAY NETWORK / Journal Star
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
