Chicago Appleseed and our partner Chicago Council of Lawyers applaud today’s announcement by Timothy C. Evans, Chief Judge of the Circuit Court of Cook County, that his office will direct judges to set monetary bonds only in amounts that people can pay. This move brings Cook County in line with a recent federal court decision in Harris County (Houston), Texas that found incarcerating people pretrial solely because they cannot afford to pay bond violates the both the Equal Protection and Due Process Clauses of the United States Constitution.

Under General…