[uncut conversation] llinois Leads the Way: What the End of Cash Bail Means for Racial Equity

This month, on Laura Flanders & Friends, we’re taking a closer look at criminal justice—through the lens of abolition, accountability, and the power of the creative arts to tell fuller, truer stories. This week we’ll look closely at what’s wrong with cash bail—and how one state chose to end it.

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Description: What happened when Illinois ended cash bail? As Laura’s guests explain, this deeply discriminatory and unjust system puts “a ransom on people’s heads,” disproportionately impacts Black and Brown people, and favors the wealthy who can buy their freedom while leaving the poor to languish in jail. Bail reform has faced tremendous pushback over the years, but Illinois implemented the first-of-its-kind Pretrial Fairness Act, ending cash bail statewide in 2023. The historic win didn’t happen overnight. In this episode some of those most involved explain what it took and describe the surprising results. Sharone R. Mitchell Jr., the Cook County Chief Public Defender was the lead policy expert for the Coalition to End Money Bond. Mitchell also heads the state’s largest public defender office. State Senator Robert Peters represents Illinois’ 13th District and was one of the main sponsors of the Pretrial Fairness Act. He chairs the Senate Labor Committee. Bryce Covert followed this important and under-covered story for The Nation magazine. What has Illinois to teach the nation? All that plus Laura’s commentary: Illinois has moved out of the Middle Ages. What’s holding the rest of the nation back?

Guests:

• Bryce Covert: Contributor, The Nation

• Sharone R. Mitchell Jr.: Chief Public Defender Cook County, Illinois

• Robert Peters: Illinois State Senator, 13th District

 

Watch the episode cut airing on PBS stations across the country at our YouTube channel

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Related Laura Flanders Show Episodes:

•  Corporate Prison Reform Will Not Keep Us Safe: A Report from Los Angeles: Watch / Listen: Podcast Episode

• Crime & Migration: An Abolitionist Plan for Immigration Justice: Watch / Listen: Podcast Episode

• D.A. Larry Krasner Facing Impeachment: Criminal Justice Reform in the Crosshairs: Watch / Listen: Podcast Episode

Related Articles and Resources:

• Illinois Has Put an End to the Injustice of Cash Bail, by Bryce Covert, December 2, 2024, The Nation

• U.S. Commission on Civil Rights Releases Report:  The Civil Rights Implications of Cash Bail, by U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, January 20, 2022, USCCR.org

• Cash bail disproportionately impacts communities of color.  Illinois is the first state to abolish it. By Claire Savage and Corey Williams, September 12, 2023, AP News

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