On January 1st, 2023, Illinois jails will turn many prisoners loose.

Illinois will eliminate its cash bail system on January 1st, 2023, under a new criminal justice reform law. Certain felony suspects, including those charged with second-degree murder, aggravated battery, and arson, will be released without bail, freeing approximately 400 criminal defendants into communities across the state. The Pretrial Fairness Act is part of a larger police reform initiative known as House Bill 163.

The act aims to free certain criminal offenders who cannot afford a bond and must wait in jail for their court date. Advocates of the law argue that cash bail is a pillar of institutional racism within the criminal justice system. Instead of bail, judges will issue pre-trial release conditions for offenders, which local pastors have been pushing to improve the criminal justice system. However, opponents of the law say it prohibits judges from considering each case on its own merits and applying the law accordingly.

  Additionally, the law restricts which crimes a person can be arrested for and frees those in custody for 12 offenses, including second-degree murder, aggravated battery, and arson, without bail. Meanwhile, Republicans are calling for stricter sentencing for violent offenders and the repeal of certain parts of the SAFE-T Act. Law enforcement agencies across the state are opposing the law's passage, and gubernatorial candidate Darren Bailey (R) promised to repeal the law if elected. Illinois is the first state in the country to completely abolish cash bail.