Cook County officials are discussing moving electronic monitoring to the chief judge’s office for better management and fairness.
Cook County: So, there’s this big debate going on between Sheriff Tom Dart and Chief Judge Timothy Evans about who should handle electronic monitoring for people awaiting trial. They’re thinking about moving it all under the chief judge’s office, which would actually make things more consistent with how the rest of Illinois does it.
Right now, Dart’s program is pretty strict, putting people on 24/7 house arrest. This makes it tough for them to work or even do simple things like take care of their kids. A study showed that people in Dart’s program struggle to keep jobs and can’t even do basic chores at home. It’s wild that folks can’t even go grocery shopping without risking getting in trouble.
Things got so bad that before the law changed, one guy got a 10-year sentence just for taking a shower at his aunt’s place in the same building. That’s just crazy! The state had to step in because the rules were so harsh.
Now, both programs have to follow the same state laws, and they actually have high compliance rates. Less than 1% of people on electronic monitoring get rearrested for serious crimes. So, it’s not about needing reforms; it’s about how Dart’s program is run.
Some people worry that if the chief judge takes over, they won’t be able to arrest anyone without a warrant. But that’s not true! If there’s a reason to think someone did something wrong, the supervising agency just calls the police, and they can handle it from there. This works fine in over 70 counties that already use the state’s pretrial services.
A study found that a whopping 80% of alerts sent to the sheriff’s office were false. But instead of checking things out first, the sheriff’s office jumps right in, often putting people in cuffs in front of their families. The court’s program, on the other hand, investigates first and only takes it to a judge if there’s a serious issue. This way, people can explain themselves before anything drastic happens.
It’s important to remember that everyone in these programs is presumed innocent. The Pretrial Fairness Act makes sure judges have enough time to decide if someone is a danger while waiting for trial. Jailing someone just because of the charges isn’t fair or practical.
In the end, Evans’ program is way more effective and humane than Dart’s. That’s why a study from 2022 suggested combining the two programs. It just makes sense for officials to work together to make this happen smoothly.
