Kane prosecutor calls for lower bail to reduce jail crowding

Some nonviolent criminals might spend less time in Kane County's new jail under a plan to offset crowding by setting lower bail for defendants with steady jobs and living conditions.

Kane County State's Attorney John Barsanti said his office is exploring the possibility of consolidating morning bond call procedures in three cities to one, centrally-located afternoon session.

The change, he said, would give court officials more time to verify defendants' backgrounds, "so we're more responsible about who's in custody and who's not."

Currently, overcrowding forces the county jail to ship about 70 inmates, at a cost of $67 a day, to other facilities. Changing procedures, Barsanti said, could save nearly $2 million a year.

"In the end, we're going to make a sea change with how we handle bond call," he said. "We're all looking at ways to be a little bit more responsible in terms of the jail population."

Barsanti admits it will be no easy task. The current system has been in place for decades and thrives on the cooperation of 28 municipal police departments and the sheriff's office.

Each morning, those agencies take prisoners before judges in Aurora, Elgin and St. Charles who set bail based on individual cases. Because bond call takes place first thing in the morning after a prisoner's arrest, there is little time to verify employment and other factors to be considered in setting bail.

"People with jobs should be working," Barsanti said.

In comparison to other towns, Aurora's prisoner intake "dwarfs" all others, and the police department's cooperation is paramount, Barsanti said.

He estimated that while Aurora can make 60 to 70 felony arrests in a single week, the Tri-Cities of Batavia, Geneva and St. Charles combined bring in only 30 or so over the course of an entire month.

Aurora Police Chief Gregory Thomas said he's open to revising protocol, though officials still are gathering information on how it could affect travel costs, staffing and other factors.

"If there's issues, we'll work through them," Thomas said. "If we can add some efficiencies by moving bond call to the afternoon instead of the morning, then that's fine with me."

Several other police officials who would be affected by bond call changes did not respond to requests for comment.

Barsanti, who was sworn in to a second term earlier this month, said his office is still investigating the potential costs of revising bond call and how to get all police agencies on board.

"We have to make this easier for everybody," he said.