Illinois Is Helping People Awaiting Trial Get Back to Court and Stay Out of Jail

"Illinois abolished cash bail three years ago, but over the past year, he has been required to regularly appear in court as his case proceeds. In December, Horacek moved to Aurora, a six-hour walk from the court. He doesn't have a car or any extra funds to pay for rideshares; he's unemployed and was recently homeless. He has no family or friends nearby. "I pretty much have no one," he said. If he fails to make it to an in-person hearing, he could have a warrant issued for his arrest for failing to appear."

"Then in March, a public defender told Horacek about Radical Hospitality Ministries, a nonprofit that is runs one of four pilot sites through state grants to offer a variety of free pretrial services to people like him. Three days before an in-person hearing, as he contemplated making that six-hour walk, the organization told him it could get him to the courthouse for free. He immediately felt "that stress lift off my shoulders," he said. "I've been struggling with everything, and just to have this one part of it [taken care of], that is huge.""

"The organization has given him rides to and from court ever since. "They make it happen no matter what, because they understand people in my scenario don't have any other means," he said. "Without their support, it feels quite impossible." That wasn't the only help Horacek received. The organization offers food to people who have been released pretrial and has given Horacek a snack and tea after stressful court appearances. It put him in touch with a nearby legal aid organization."

"It connected him to a church that helped him print documents for court for free and covered the cost of legal consultation. Horacek struggled to express his gratitude for the help Radical Hospitality Ministries has given him. It has "been everything"

Illinois abolished cash bail, but many defendants still must appear in court regularly. Horacek, unemployed and recently homeless, moved far from the courthouse and lacked money for transportation. A nonprofit, Radical Hospitality Ministries, provided free rides to and from court, reducing the stress of missing hearings. The nonprofit also offered food for people released pretrial and provided snacks and tea after court. It connected Horacek with legal aid and a church that printed court documents for free and paid for a legal consultation. The support helped him manage practical barriers to participation in the legal process.

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