Bye bye bond? Cook County considers doing away with pay-for-freedom system

It's a scene recognizable to anyone familiar with the criminal justice system: after a night in lockup, a recent arrestee gets hauled into court, where a judge sets bond - the amount of money the defendant must fork over to get out of jail while awaiting trial.

But what if there were no bond, at least not the kind that requires cash?

That's a question Cook County authorities are asking. County Board President Toni Preckwinkle and four board commissioners launched a push this week to dramatically change the way the system treats people who are charged but not yet convicted.

<h3 class="leadin">Unfair and discriminatory?

Preckwinkle and others say requiring defendants to come up with sometimes thousands of dollars or wait behind bars, even for relatively minor and nonviolent offenses, is costly to county taxpayers who pay for jail and unfair to defendants and their families.

“Many of our residents have limited resources,” Preckwinkle said at a news conference this week. “What may seem like a relatively small dollar amount to some of us can represent an unreachable financial commitment for many families of those who are charged with nonviolent minor crimes.”

A Cook County detainee spends on average 59 days in custody - 33 days longer than the national average, according to the advocacy group Injustice Watch.

County Board Commissioner Jesús “Chuy” García points to a League of Women Voters report last year that found today's system “produces unequal treatment of rich and poor defendants.” Other studies show Hispanic defendants are more likely to be required to pay bond, receive the highest bond amounts and are least able to afford it.

Preckwinkle says her proposal would not do away with money bond for defendants seen as dangerous.

<h3 class="leadin">Looking to D.C.

Supporters point to the court system in the nation's capital, which no longer requires cash for release in most cases. According to a story this year in The Washington Post, about 90 percent of the people arrested and held overnight in D.C. are released the next day with only a promise that they'll return for court.

According to Injustice Watch, 91 percent of those defendants did not commit subsequent offenses and 98 percent did not commit violent crimes. Ninety percent showed up to every court date - a higher percentage than when money bond was required, the agency reported. And by housing far fewer people in jail, the district saves hundreds of millions of dollars every year.

<h3 class="leadin">What's next?

In spite of the criticism, Chief Cook County Judge Timony Evans, said the system has made strides in reducing pretrial jail time. The county will hold a public hearing Nov. 17 in Chicago to discuss pretrial detention and bond practices. The League of Women Voters Palatine Area will hold its own meeting Nov. 17 at The Wine Cellar, 361 West Northwest Highway in Palatine, to discuss the pretrial system and the organization's recommendations for improving it.

<h3 class="leadin">

Meet the new boss

The state's highest court gets a new leader Monday, when Justice Lloyd A. Karmeier becomes the 120th Chief Justice of the Illinois Supreme Court during an installation ceremony in Springfield.

A lifelong resident of downstate Washington County, Karmeier has been on the state's highest court since 2004. He replaces Justice Rita Garman, an Aurora native who's wrapping up a three-year term as chief.

<h3 class="leadin">

Explosive discovery

A Yorkville resident out for a walk kicked up a surprise Sunday night: a World War I-era British hand grenade known - affectionately? - as the “pineapple.”

“We really don't have any idea” how the Mills Bomb grenade ended up in the woods on the edge of the Hoover Education Center, Yorkville Deputy Police Chief Larry Hilt told us.

The walker was smart enough to leave the weapon alone and contact police, who called in the Kane County Bomb Squad to dispose of dispose of it.

Although the grenade was not live, the firing pin was in it and it appeared its previous owner was trying to make it explosive again, Hilt said.

Finding old grenades is not common, Hilt said, but “we do run in to them once in a while.”

<h3 class="leadin">

Cubs and 'crime'

Who was the last Cub guilty of theft in a World Series?

Longtime Mount Prospect resident Andy Pafko.

It was Oct. 3, 1945, at Briggs Stadium in Detroit.

In the first game of the Cubs last World Series appearance before this year, Pafko reached first base on a seventh inning single then promptly stole second.

The star center fielder headed to third on a passed ball, then scored on a single in the Cubs' 9-0 victory, according to Baseball Almanac.

Pafko died in 2013 at age 92.

Got a tip? Have a question? Please email Charles Keeshan and Susan Sarkauskas at copsandcrime@dailyherald.com, or call our tip line at (847) 427-4483.