Most youths at the jail ‘are locked in their cells for most of the day, every day,’ possibly resulting in long-term damage to their mental health, according to a committee convened last year by Chief Judge Tim Evans.
Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart warned County Board President Toni Preckwinkle that the way bail reforms are being enacted risks a dangerous situation. But Preckwinkle responded that Dart’s own numbers do not support that conclusion.
Cook County’s Chief Judge Timothy C. Evans filed suit against the Cook County Board Thursday, contending the budget cuts would require laying off 161 court employees and put in jeopardy recent efforts to revamp the county’s bail system.