Additional Pretrial Resources | State of Illinois Office of the Illinois Courts
Additional Pretrial Resources
NOTE: On July 18, 2023, the Illinois Supreme Court found the Pretrial Fairness Act components of the SAFE-T Act constitutional. This has an effective date of Sept. 18, 2023. The opinion can be found here.
On Aug. 23, 2023
, the Illinois Supreme Court created the Committee on Pretrial Education to provide judges, pretrial officers and other judicial branch justice partners ongoing continuing education and educational opportunities. Please see press release for more information.
The Illinois Supreme Court Pretrial Implementation Task Force was created in 2020 to prioritize and implement the recommendations of the Supreme Court Commission on Pretrial Practices
Final Report and help prepare the justice system for the changes coming once the Pretrial Fairness Act (PFA) takes effect in 2023. The PFA was passed as part of the Public Act 101-0652, signed into law by the Governor in February 2021.
The Task Force is committed to preparing all justice system partners throughout Illinois to implement the requirements of the PFA by its January 1 effective date. To accomplish this, the Task Force, its subcommittees and other AOIC working groups are partnering with national, state and local experts including the Center for Effective Public Policy and Justice System Partners. The Task Force has created six subcommittees: Communications, Education and Training, Legislation, Pretrial Assessment Tools, PFA Guidelines and PFA Pilot Sites. The subcommittees are made up of over 100 members from around the state and include judges, sheriffs, police chiefs, state’s attorneys, public defenders, circuit clerks, pretrial officers, domestic violence advocates, victims’ rights advocates, community members with lived experience in the pretrial system, trial court administrators and researchers.
As part of preparing for implementation of new pretrial release processes and ensuring each county is equipped to provide pretrial services, the Illinois Supreme Court has also established an Office of Statewide Pretrial Services. Information on the Office of Statewide Pretrial Services is available
here.
PFA Lessons Learned
PFA Implementation Toolkit
Draft Flowcharts and Considerations
Note: These documents have been updated due to reflect the latest PFA amendments as of December 15, 2022,
- Release by Citation Flowchart and Implementation Considerations - January 9, 2024
- Release from Custody Flowchart and Implementation Considerations - December 14, 2022
- Pre-First Appearance Activities Flowchart and Implementation Considerations - December 14, 2022
- Setting Release Conditions Flowchart and Considerations - December 14, 2022
- Issuing Arrest Warrants and Summonses Flowchart and Considerations - December 14, 2022
- Out of County Warrants Flowchart and Implementation Considerations - December 14, 2022
- Modifying, Sanctioning or Revoking Conditions of Release Flowcharts and Considerations - December 14, 2022
- Detention Hearing Flowchart and Implementation Considerations - December 14, 2022
- Application of the PFA to People Arrested Before January 1, 2023, Considerations - December 14, 2022
Sample Orders
These sample orders are not an official resource but are being provided so counties can customize them for local operations.
Note: These documents have been updated to reflect the latest PFA amendments as of December 15, 2022,
Press Releases
Reports
Town Hall Meetings
The Task Force began hosting a series of monthly
town hall meetings on June 23. These meetings will provide an update on the work of the Task Force as it prepares for the changes coming once the Pretrial Fairness Act and answer questions regarding the PFA.
Future town hall meetings are typically scheduled for the third Thursday of the month at noon. Upcoming topics include: citations/release from custody, pre-first appearance/first appearance, conditions of release, detention of hearings and modifying conditions of release.
Any questions regarding the town halls and the work of the Task Force can be sent to
pretrialtaskforce@illinoiscourts.gov
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Title
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Date & Time
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PowerPoint
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Recorded Town Hall
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Event Overview
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Introductory Town Hall
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June 23, 4 p.m.
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This first town hall provided an introduction to the Task Force, the six subcommittees and their work to prepare the state for implementation of the PFA.
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Town Hall No. 2
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July 21, noon
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This town hall covered the topics of Release by Citation and Release from Custody.
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Town Hall No. 3
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August 18, noon
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This town hall covered the topics of Pre-first Appearance Activities pursuant to the Pretrial Fairness Act (PFA).
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Town Hall No. 4
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September 16, noon
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1 2
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This town hall covered Evidence-based Pretrial Assessments.
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Town Hall No. 5
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September 29, noon
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This town hall covered Practical Guidance for PFA Implementation.
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Town Hall No. 6
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October 27,
12:00 p.m. & 4:00 p.m.
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1 2
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12pm 4pm
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This town hall covered the detention process.
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Town Hall No. 7
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Nov. 17, noon
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This town hall topic is Revocation/Modification of Pretrial Release.
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Town Hall No. 8
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Dec. 16, noon
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This town hall covered the recent changes to the SAFE-T Act passed by the Legislature.
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Regional Education Seminars
The Task Force will host
regional education seminars across Illinois to overview pretrial justice and the implementation of the Pretrial Fairness Act (PFA), which is scheduled to go into effect on January 1, 2023. The education seminars are scheduled to go from 8:45 a.m. to 3:45 p.m. The confirmed seminar dates and locations are:
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Date
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Register
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Location
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Flyer
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November 9
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Spoon River Community College in Macomb
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Digital / Print
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November 15
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Northern Illinois University in DeKalb
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Digital / Print
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November 21
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Malcolm X College in Chicago
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Digital / Print
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December 1
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University of Illinois at Springfield
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December 13
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John A. Logan Community College in Carterville
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December 14
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I Hotel and Conference Center, Champaign
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Task Force Members
Charge: Provide guidance and recommendations regarding pre-trial reform in the Illinois criminal justice system.
Chairperson: Hon. Robbin J. Stuckert
Supreme Court Liaison: Hon. P. Scott Neville, Jr.
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Members
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Carol Ammons - Representative
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John Booker - Sheriff
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John Curran - Senator
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Mitchell Davis - Chief of Police
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Garien Gatewood - Director, Illinois Justice Project
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Keith Grant - Chief of Special Defense, Office of the Lake County Public Defender
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Justin Hood - State's Attorney, Hamilton County
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Nathalina Hudson - Chief of Staff, Office Illinois Attorney General
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Clint Hull - Chief Judge, 16th Circuit
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Rebecca Janowitz - Cook County Justice Advisory Council
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Sharone Mitchell - Cook County Public Defender
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P. Scott Neville - Justice, Illinois Supreme Court
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David Olson - Professor, Criminal Justice and Criminology
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Elgie Sims - Senator
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Cara Smith - Director, Office of Statewide Pretrial Services
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Robbin Stuckert - Chair, Illinois Supreme Court Pretrial Practices Implementation Task Force
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Carol Thompson - Partner, Chapman and Cutler LLP
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Dan Ugaste - Representative
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Carol Ammons
Representative Carol Ammons serves as a State Representative in Illinois, representing the 103rd District in Champaign-Urbana. She has served in the Illinois House of Representatives since January 2015.
John Booker
Sheriff John Booker serves as the Sheriff in Whiteside County, Illinois. He has served as Sheriff since 2019.
John Curran
Senator John Curran serves in the Illinois Senate representing the 41st District. He has served as an Illinois Senator since July 2017.
Mitchell Davis
Mitchell Davis is the Chief of Police for the Hazel Crest Police Department. He serves on the Board of Officers of the Illinois Association of Chiefs of Police and recently served as president of the Association.
Garien Gatewood
Garien Gatewood is the Director of the Illinois Justice Project. He also has served as a Governor-appointed member of the Board of the Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority since 2021.
Keith Grant
Keith Grant is Chief of Special Defense in the Office of the Lake County Public Defender. He serves as President of the Illinois Public Defender Association.
Justin Hood
Justin Hood has served as the State’s Attorney in Hamilton County, Illinois since 2008. He also recently served as President of the Illinois State’s Attorney Association.
Nathalina Hudson
Nathalina Hudson is the Chief of Staff in the Office of the Illinois Attorney General and previously was Deputy Attorney General for the Criminal Enforcement Division.
Hon. Clint Hull
Hon. Clint Hull is the Chief Judge of the 16th Judicial Circuit in Kane County, Illinois. He was first elected Chief Judge in 2019 after being appointed by the Illinois Supreme Court as a Circuit Judge in 2016 and Associate Judge in 2009.
Rebecca Janowitz
Rebecca Janowitz serves as a member of the Cook County Justice Advisory Council. She previously was Special Assistant for Legal Affairs at the Cook County Justice Advisory Council.
Sharone Mitchell
Sharone Mitchell has served as the Cook County Public Defender since April 2021. He was previously director of the Illinois Justice Project.
Hon. P. Scott Neville, Jr.
Hon. P. Scott Neville, Jr. was appointed to the Illinois Supreme Court in 2018 and elected to a 10-year term in 2020. He previously served as a judge in the Circuit Court of Cook County in 1999 and elected in 2000. On June 11, 2004, Justice Neville was appointed to the Appellate Court. Justice Neville was elected to the Appellate Court in 2012. Justice Neville served as Chairman of the Executive Committee for the Illinois Appellate Court, First District from September 1, 2013 until August 31, 2014, is a former member of the Appellate Court's Executive Committee and has been the Presiding Justice of the Second, Third and Fourth Divisions.
David Olson
David Olson is a Professor in the Criminal Justice and Criminology Department at Loyola University Chicago, and is Co-Director of Loyola’s Center for Criminal Justice Research, Policy and Practice. He serves as the Chairperson for the advisory boards of the Illinois Department of Corrections and the Illinois Department of Juvenile Justice.
Elgie Sims
Senator Elgie Sims serves in the Illinois Senate representing the 17th District in Chicago. He has served as the Illinois General Assembly since 2012, first in the House of Representatives, then in the Senate beginning in January 2018.
Hon. Cara Smith
Hon. Cara Smith is Director of the Office of Statewide Pretrial Services within the Administrative Office of the Illinois Courts. She previously served as a Cook County Circuit Court Judge beginning in 2019 and as Chief Policy Advisor to the Cook County Sheriff prior to joining the bench.
Hon. Robbin J. Stuckert
Hon. Robbin J. Stuckert is the Chair of the Illinois Supreme Court Pretrial Implementation Task Force after previously leading the Supreme Court Commission on Pretrial Practices. She was appointed Associate Judge for the Sixteenth Judicial Circuit in 2001 and was appointed Circuit Judge for the Sixteenth Judicial
Circuit by the Supreme Court in 2003. She was elected as Chief Judge of the Twenty-Third Judicial Circuit and is Chair of the Evidence Based Pre-Trial Practices Committee of the Conference of Chief Circuit Judges. She retired from the bench in 2021.
Carol Thompson
Carol Thompson is a partner at Chapman and Cutler LLP. Carol serves as Chair of the Criminal Justice Committee of the Civic Federation of Chicago and represents the Civic Federation on the Task Force.
Dan Ugaste
Representative Dan Ugaste serves as a State Representative in Illinois, representing the 65th District. He has served in the Illinois House of Representatives since January 2019.
Dan Hunt
Dan Hunt was named as the new Assistant Director for Probation Services for the Administrative Office of the Illinois Courts on Jan. 6, 2020. Dan previously served as the Director of Probation and Court Services in Peoria County since 2011. He started his career in Court Services in 2005 in Tazewell County as an Intensive Probation Officer.
Joanne Olson
Joanne Olson is the Chief of Staff for the Office of Statewide Pretrial Services. She previously served as Deputy Chief of Staff for Public Health for the Illinois Department of Public Health.
Sharjeel “Sarge” Rizvi
Sharjeel “Sarge” Rizvi was hired as the Pretrial Services Administrator for the AOIC’s Office of Statewide Pretrial Services on July 20, 2020. Prior to this role, Sharjeel was the Pretrial Services Coordinator with McLean County Court Services for 13 years. Sharjeel also previously served as a Pretrial Officer and held various positions with the Kankakee County Probation Department. Sharjeel is a certified Pretrial practitioner through the National Association of Pretrial Services Agencies (NAPSA) and has served leadership roles with the IPCSA in its Pretrial Advisory Committee, Legislative Committee, and as a Regional Executive Board Member. Sharjeel was also chosen to serve as a subcommittee member for the Illinois Supreme Court Commission on Pretrial Practices. During his tenure with the Office of Statewide Pretrial Services, Sharjeel has served on the Task Force and a variety of its respective subcommittees. He is currently serving on the Assessments subcommittee.
Sharjeel is a 1996 graduate of Purdue University, BA in Criminology and 2005 graduate of Governors State University, Masters of Public Administration.
Jason Slone
Jason Slone is a Field Services Coordinator in the Probation Services Division of the Administrative Office of the Illinois Courts. He previously worked for McLean County Court Services.
Wendy Venvertloh
Wendy Venvertloh is the Deputy Director of Performance Management in the Office of Statewide Pretrial Services. She previously served as the AOIC’s Pretrial Services Administrator and started her career in 1999 with Adams County Probation.
Subcommittee Information
PFA Guidelines
Subcommittee Purpose
The purpose of the PFA Guidelines Subcommittee is to develop a model process, guidelines, and related resources for counties to use to implement the Pretrial Fairness Act.
Subcommittee Activities
To accomplish its purpose, this subcommittee will conduct the following activities:
- Prepare a model system map that illustrates how the system “should” work based on the PFA and taking into consideration the Commission’s report.
- Prepare guidelines that explain how pretrial decision making should occur under the PFA (e.g., what are the components of a pretrial detention hearing, under the PFA).
- Identify where new court rules or forms are needed to provide guidance to the counties.
- Develop documents that are designed to advise counties on the steps they can take to implement the PFA.
- Identify the most challenging parts of the PFA and develop guidance for counties to consider when starting to implement the PFA.
- Liaise with the PFA Pilot Sites Subcommittee and hear what challenges are facing the pilot sites; revise any documents or guidance accordingly.
- Liaise with the Education Subcommittee to ensure that any training materials align with the guidance prepared by this subcommittee.
PFA Pilot Sites
Subcommittee Purpose
The purpose of the Pilot Sites Subcommittee is to identify and provide technical assistance to two (2) to three (3) sites to support their implementation of the PFA, and to share their tools, templates and experience with other jurisdictions so that all Illinois counties are prepared to fully implement the provisions of the PFA in advance of the 1/1/23 effective date.
Subcommittee Activities
To accomplish its purpose, this subcommittee will conduct the following activities:
- Identify pilot sites via engagement with cross-disciplinary local stakeholders and community members
- Work with the sites to develop and implement plans that incorporate the input of cross-disciplinary local stakeholders and community members and have clearly defined goals and objectives
- Serve in a supportive advisory role to the sites as they conduct planning and implementation
- Develop baseline measures and support sites’ data collection efforts to determine the impact of the pilot project in partnership with the Guidelines subcommittee
- Create and implement a forum to support statewide sharing of tools, processes and lessons learned from pilot sites
Education
Subcommittee Purpose
The Education Subcommittee shall develop a comprehensive Education Plan (Plan) to support the implementation of the Pretrial Fairness Act (PFA) effective January 1, 2023.
Subcommittee Activities
To accomplish its purpose, this subcommittee will conduct the following activities:
- Develop a comprehensive education plan to identify the following and sustain continuing education post PFA implementation.
- Identify overall educational goals.
- Identify the Stakeholders, including the community.
- Determine the educational needs of each Stakeholder group.
- Develop a comprehensive PFA curriculum.
- Design courses consistent with Stakeholder need and overall educational goal.
- Identify presenters.
- Develop a calendar of PFA programs and course presentations.
- Collaborate with the Task Force Guidelines, Assessment and Communication Subcommittees, to ensure educational content, materials and resources align.
- Coordinate with OSPS on PFA related education content, materials and resources.
Communications
Subcommittee Purpose
The purpose of the Communications Subcommittee is to develop a plan and resources to educate diverse internal and external audiences about the PFA—including the legal and evidence-based practices that will support successful implementation of the law—and the AOIC’s plans for PFA implementation.
Subcommittee Activities
To accomplish its purpose, this subcommittee will conduct the following activities:
- Prepare a strategic communications plan for both internal and external audiences that the Task Force can discuss and approve.
a. Create a public webpage that covers the basics of the PFA, explainers, and news coverage; this would be geared towards public, media, legislators.
- Identify and recruit spokespeople from varied constituencies, including stakeholder agencies, advocacy groups, and the community.
- Create documents (e.g., issue briefs, policy summaries, talking points) that are designed to:
a. help the public understand the changes underway as the PFA is implemented
b. provide clear, accurate, and up-to-date guidance to those speaking publicly (or internally) about PFA implementation
- Coordinate with the Education Subcommittee and PFA Guidelines Subcommittee to ensure consistency in content and messaging.
Legislation
Subcommittee Purpose
Review pretrial-related legislation for possible improvements and clarity.
Pretrial Assessment Tools
Subcommittee Purpose
The purpose of the Pretrial Assessment Tools subcommittee is to develop and approve guidelines for scoring and using assessment tools related to the Pretrial Fairness Act (PFA).
Subcommittee Activities
To accomplish its purpose, this subcommittee will conduct the following activities:
- Review the sections of PFA about the use of pretrial assessment tools
- Identify existing pretrial services professionals within Illinois and outside of Illinois to serve as advisors to the subcommittee, as necessary
- Develop processes and clearly defined instructions on scoring the three approved tools in use across Illinois (ORAS, VPRAI-R, PSA)
- Represent the Taskforce on the JSP Steering Committee for the development of a statewide tool
- Identify potential research questions or measures that may need to be forwarded to the AOIC (OSPS) data team
- Defining willful vs. non-willful flight - Potential cross over with PFA Guidelines
Pretrial Task