
The future of cash bail in Illinois is in the hands of the state’s Supreme Court.
Illinois passed a law that eliminated the use of cash bail starting on January 1, 2023 as part of the SAFE-T Act. Under the law judges could no longer require people to pay money in order to leave jail while they await trial. Instead, judges could only keep a person behind bars pretrial if they meet criteria that shows they are likely to flee or pose a safety risk.