Former Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx pushed for bail reform and the SAFE-T Act. It took effect in September 2023, the year before she left office.
The goal of the new law: to take money out of decisions regarding which defendants remain in custody while awaiting trial and which can go home, possibly being put on electronic monitoring.
“Mothers, grandmothers, sisters, partners, should not be making decisions about whether I should pay for my loved one’s freedom or pay the rent,” said Sharone Mitchell, Jr. He is the Cook County Public Defender and believes in the benefits of the two-year-old no cash bail system…