DECATUR, Ill. (WAND) — In just three weeks, the Pretrial Fairness Act will go into effect across the state of Illinois. The sweeping law with get rid of cash bail and make major changes to the jail system. But one local county is already offering pretrial services.
Under the current cash bail system, if a suspect is arrested in Macon County—and is eligible for bond—staff work behind the scenes to create a custom plan for the case.
"Running leads, entering criminal history, interviewing clients for risk assessment purposes and then creating a report for the court," Amy Smith, a Supervisor for the Macon County Parole Department, told WAND News.
Starting September 18th, these services are required for every county. Those without a pretrial department are opting into a statewide program, to help navigate the time between an arrest and the jury's verdict.
"The Office of Statewide Pretrial Services is a newer function. We had our own pretrial program here so we opted not to go that route for the time being," Smith explained.
Their case load is expected to rise later next month as judges can soon only hold someone behind bars if they are considered dangerous or a flight risk. Suspects let out could still be assigned GPS tracking or a curfew, something Smith's staff is already doing.
"So if an ankle monitor is placed on, pending the outcome of that case, our department monitors that. I have two officers that monitor those individuals," Smith said.
She is now working with the Macon County State's Attorney and Public Defender offices to prepare for the changes.
"Keeping community safety in check and adapting the best we can," Smith said.
Starting September 18th, if a judge determines a suspect is in fact dangerous or a flight risk—and should be held until trial—they would not be able to pay for any release, as they can now under the cash bail system.
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