Disparately resourced public defenders prepare for the end of cash bail in Illinois – Capitol News IL

Cook County, for example, is one of a few counties that has for years been moving toward limiting the use of cash bail. Additionally, the county’s criminal courthouse has for years been holding bond court every day of the week – a practice shared by other larger county court systems in Illinois. It’s an entirely different story in southeastern Illinois, where Nathan Rowland is the part-time public defender serving Gallatin County, which borders Indiana, and neighboring Hamilton County. More than half of Illinois’ 102 counties don’t have full-time public defenders.