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ROCKVILLE, MD (July 18, 2023) - Criminal justice expert and author of an amicus brief supporting the local prosecutors’ and sheriffs’ case, Sean Kennedy, visiting fellow at the Maryland Public Policy Institute responded to the court’s ruling by the Illinois Supreme Court on abolishing money bail in the state.
 

Sean Kennedy said: “The real losers here are the people of Illinois whose safety will be further jeopardized by this politically-motivated decision. Abolishing money bail neither promotes justice nor does it protect public safety. State after state and city after city that have experimented with radical bail changes have experienced significant increases in crime and disorder, which exact a heavy toll in victims and dollars.”
 

Read Kennedy’s Amicus Curiae brief here
 

“The state Supreme Court is wrong on the facts and the law – and even the politics of bail reform. The Illinois Constitution is clear that bail is up to the discretion of the judiciary – not the whims of lawmakers in Springfield. Bail abolitionists have every right to take their case to the voters of Illinois and amend the constitution. Instead, they chose to slip into a massive bill without much scrutiny. Money bail has a centuries-long history as a necessary mechanism to balance the rights of the accused against the rights of the public to be safe and ensure that justice is done. Illinois will reap the consequences of this dangerous ruling for decades to come.”

In March 2023, Kennedy also penned op-eds for the Chicago Sun-Times and Craig’s Chicago Business on the subject.