Cook County State's Attorney Candidate Questionnaire: Question 4
BOND REFORM
Although people charged with crimes are supposed to be considered innocent until proven guilty, many spend months and even years incarcerated pretrial simply because they cannot afford to pay a monetary bond.
Do you support ending the courts' reliance upon cash bail to determine whether a defendant should be jailed while they await trial, and instead utilizing an individualized showing of substantial flight risk or danger to other persons?
CONWAY: |
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| The Cook County Jail should be used to hold people who are a danger to the public; we should not be keeping people there just because they are poor or have substance abuse issues or mental health issues. As State's Attorney, I will stop the needless incarceration of nonviolent offenders while keeping violent criminals away from the public while they await trial. |
FIORETTI: |
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| I do not support entirely ending reliance on cash bail. For low level defendants who pose no risk to society or flight risk, yes. For dangerous criminals who pose a danger to society (or victims and witnesses) or are a flight risk, cash bail is still a valuable tool. |
FOXX: |
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| I have worked on bail reform in the past and continue to support it. Pre-trial detention should only be for those who are a flight risk or pose a threat to the community. That is why we have instructed our prosecutors to recommend that people charged with misdemeanors and low-level felonies who do not have a history of “violent crime” or pose a risk to public safety be released pre-trial. I am committed to continuing to work to create alternatives that bring an end to the further criminalization of poor, black and brown communities through cash bail. |
MORE:
DID NOT RESPOND
O'BRIEN:
DID NOT RESPOND
PFANNKUCHE:
DID NOT RESPOND