Institute of Politics

In September 2023, Illinois made history when it became the first state in the US to completely abolish cash bail.

Featuring Briana Payton (Chicago Appleseed Center for Fair Courts) and Quinn Rallins (Loevy + Loevy), this speaker panel presented by Chicago Style will discuss the past, present, and future of the Pretrial Fairness Act.

For a long time, tying together pretrial release and bond payment had disproportionately affected poorer communities, especially Black and Hispanic Illinoisans. The Pretrial Fairness Act claims to promote equity in the criminal justice system by rejecting cash bail and embracing a new system of evaluating release decisions based on public safety risks. What is the real impact of the Pretrial Fairness Act on public safety today? Briana Payton, a key campaigner who made this change possible, and Quinn Rallins, a civil rights attorney and scholar, will dig deep into bail reform. Join the discussion at the IOP.