Prioritizing reform with the Pretrial Stakeholders Working Group

Project: Cook County Pretrial Stakeholders Group

Clients: Cook County Office of the President, Cook County Office of the Chief Judge, Cook County Public Defender, Circuit Court of Cook County, Cook County Clerk of the Circuit Court, Cook County Sheriff’s Office, State’s Attorney of Cook County

Nearly three-quarters of the people in Cook County Jail are held accused, but not convicted, of non-violent crimes. Many defendants could be safely released before trial, but cannot afford their bond. The human cost is high: while detainees await trial, their lives are interrupted, often affecting their housing, employment, education, family, and relationships. The cost to taxpayers is also high: as the nation’s second-largest jail, Cook County Jail costs Illinois taxpayers more than $300 million annually. At the same time, those who are a threat to society should not be allowed to buy their way out of jail while awaiting trial.

Recognizing these costs, in 2013, Cook County President Toni Preckwinkle asked the Illinois Supreme Court to intervene. The Court produced an audit with 40 recommendations to reduce the number of low-risk defendants being detained and to ensure that those who pose a threat are not released. In fall 2014, Civic Consulting Alliance began working with the Cook County Board President, Clerk of the Circuit Court, Sheriff, Public Defender, Chief Judge, and State's Attorney—the Cook County Pretrial Stakeholders’ Group—to implement the audit recommendations. For over seven years, Civic Consulting Alliance has continued to provide strategic project management to the Stakeholders by convening the Stakeholders quarterly; guiding project implementation planning; and monitoring initiative performance.

Today, the Cook County Pretrial Stakeholders’ Group utilizes a framework – developed with support from Civic Consulting Alliance - to identify and execute criminal justice reform priorities, including the elimination of cash bail, improvement of electronic monitoring practices, and alignment of data collection and utilization practices across criminal justice stakeholders.