Dart wants to allow sheriffs to seek reduced bond

CHICAGO (AP) - Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart wants the ability to seek reduced bond for criminal detainees.

The Chicago Sun-Times (https://bit.ly/2e3Cz6E ) reports that Democratic state Rep. LaShawn Ford of Chicago will work on legislation to add the sheriff to the list of officials who may ask a judge to reduce bail in the case of indigent inmates.

Ford says the sheriff knows his inmates and which ones can be safely released from jail cells. He says it’s unfair if some people can get out because they have money.

Cara (KAH’-ruh) Smith is Dart’s policy chief. She says the jail last year had more than 1,000 “turn-arounds.” Those are people who have served so much jail time that by the time they’re sentenced to state prison, they’ve already served it.

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Information from: Chicago Sun-Times, https://chicago.suntimes.com/