Thursday, April 9, 2026
News Archive
July 1, 2025
CHICAGO – The Law Office of the County Public Defender is celebrating the passage of five new bills by the Illinois General Assembly during the 2025 spring session.
CHICAGO, Sept. 18, 2023 - Cook County Public Defender Sharone R. Mitchell, Jr., joined advocates, legislators, criminal legal system stakeholders and impacted people at a news conference on Monday morning marking the end of money bond in Illinois and the beginning of a more just pretrial system.
While celebrating a historic moment for a more equitable criminal legal system, Mitchell also pledged vigilance in making sure the Pretrial Fairness Act (PFA) is properly implemented.
CHICAGO, Sept. 14, 2023 -- On Sept. 18, the Pretrial Fairness Act will take full effect in Illinois, eliminating the use of money bond and redesigning pretrial processes to increase transparency in release and detention decisions. Cook County stands ready to implement all aspects of the Act, including the new initial appearance and detention hearing processes.
Friday, July 28, 2023
Cook County Public Defender's Office thrilled that SB424 and SB1886 are signed into law
We are thrilled that today, Gov. JB Pritzker signed SB424 and SB1886 into law, expanding rights and opportunities for people accused of gun possession and people on probation, respectively. Our office is proud of the leadership role we played in developing and passing these bills alongside our partner organizations and the sponsoring legislators.
September 14, 2022
The Pretrial Fairness Act (PFA) is the part of the larger SAFE-T Act that was signed into law in February 2021. The law makes reforms to Illinois' criminal justice system centered on increasing Safety, Accountability, Fairness and Equity.
We are being inundated with misinformation about the Pretrial Fairness Act.