“Wealth should not determine whether or not one is held pretrial,” Eileen O’Neill Burke, who won the primary race for Cook County state’s attorney, wrote in her candidate questionnaire.
Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times
In the lead up to the Cook County state’s attorney’s primary race, many commentators characterized it as a referendum on Kim Foxx’s tenure and criminal justice reform writ large. They described voters considering a tough-on-crime approach vs. a candidate committed to implementing a more progressive, forgiving system.
In the aftermath, some referred to it as a victory for those who want to go back to the old days. But these observers got it wrong. Every aspect of this race — including the razor-thin results — shows just how far we’ve come.
Perhaps most critically, both candidates stood steadfastly behind Illinois’ implementation of the Pretrial Fairness Act, which eliminated the state’s use of a wealth-based system that allowed those with means to buy their way out of jail while the poor languished.
The primary winner, Eileen O’Neill Burke, recognized that detention should be focused on whether someone is a danger to the community, not on money. “Wealth should not determine whether or not one is held pretrial,” she wrote in her candidate questionnaire.
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O’Neill Burke could have followed a playbook to stoke fear and potentially gain votes, but she didn’t. Her position on the Pretrial Fairness Act should fill those of us working toward a more just and equitable system with hope.
It is also a testament to the success of the Act. Although we still only have limited data, all signs suggest it is working. People are receiving robust hearings, money is remaining in vulnerable communities, and stakeholders throughout Illinois have reported smooth and successful implementation. It is worth supporting, and so both candidates did.
People are wrong to view O’Neill Burke’s victory as a mandate for a return to the old days. Such a characterization ignores that in a county of over 5.1 million, just over 1,500 votes determined the outcome. There is no mandate. But more importantly, O’Neill Burke ran on a platform that included support for pretrial fairness and would have been considered progressive in much of the country.
We have a long way to go, but we will keep moving forward toward a more equitable future, further away from the failed policies of our past.
Rev. Charles Straight, board chair, The People’s Lobby Educational Institute
Mayor has wrong priorities
Last week, we learned of the Bears’ plan for the expenditure of potentially billions in public dollars for a new stadium on Chicago’s lakefront.
Then we heard (though the full plan remains hidden) that Mayor Brandon Johnson’s school board plans to slash funding for many of the schools with our highest-performing students.
These confused priorities will have devastating consequences for the future of our city.
Andrew Davis, Lincoln Park