Cook County Jail - Department of Corrections Inmate Bail & Bonds

No. Since September 18, 2023, nobody in Illinois buys their freedom before trial. The Pretrial Fairness Act, found in Article 110 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (725 ILCS 5/110), took money out of the process. In Cook County, as everywhere else in the state, a judge now looks at two things: whether the person is likely to come back to court, and whether letting them go would put someone in danger.

Most people are released after their first hearing. Some go home with rules to follow. A smaller group is held in jail because the prosecutor asked for it and the judge agreed.

Central Bond Court is gone. Its work is now done by the Pretrial Division of the Circuit Court, and the hearings are called First Appearance hearings. The Pretrial Division meets every day of the year, weekends and court holidays included. Its main phone is 773-674-0513. For case details, the Clerk of the Circuit Court answers at 773-674-5882 or 773-674-5889.

Some older websites and signs still say "bond court." They mean the same courtrooms.

If a person is kept in police custody overnight, the First Appearance should happen within 48 hours. The exact time and courtroom depend on three things: where the arrest happened (Chicago or a suburb), what the charge is, and what day of the week it is.

For people in custody after a Chicago arrest, weekday hearings are held at the George N. Leighton Criminal Courthouse, 2600 S. California Ave., Chicago. The courtroom depends on the charge:

• Felonies (not domestic violence): Branch 1, Room 100. Court starts at 12:30 p.m.
• Misdemeanors (not domestic violence): Branch 4, Room 100. Court starts at 11:00 a.m.
• Homicide and felony sex charges (except failure to register): Branch 66, Room 102, at 11:30 a.m. Both the first appearance and the detention hearing happen here.
• Continued detention hearings, for both felonies and misdemeanors: Branch 99-2, Room 102, at 9:00 a.m.
• Same-day ("instanter") detention hearings: Branch 99-4, Room 102, at 12:30 p.m.
• Out-of-county warrants, remands and release hearings: Branch 17, Room 100, at 12:30 p.m.

The phone for all of these courtrooms is 773-674-5882.

On Saturdays, Sundays and court holidays, all first appearances for the whole county move to the Leighton courthouse at 2600 S. California Ave. Each call starts at 12:30 p.m.

• Chicago felonies and misdemeanors (not domestic violence): Room 100.
• Suburban Cook felonies and misdemeanors (not domestic violence): Room 102.
• Domestic violence misdemeanors from anywhere in the county: first appearance in Room 201, detention hearing in Room 204.

On weekdays, a person arrested in suburban Cook goes before a judge at the courthouse for the district where the arrest happened:

• 2nd District, Skokie: 5600 Old Orchard Rd., Skokie. Courtroom 105 at 9:00 a.m. Phone 847-470-7250.
• 3rd District, Rolling Meadows: 2121 Euclid Ave., Rolling Meadows. Felonies and most misdemeanors in Courtroom 108 at 9:00 a.m.; domestic violence misdemeanors in Courtroom 207 at 9:00 a.m. Phone 847-818-3000.
• 4th District, Maywood: 1500 Maybrook Dr., Maywood. Felonies and most misdemeanors in Courtroom 113 at 10:30 a.m.; domestic violence misdemeanors in Courtroom 104 at 10:30 a.m. Phone 708-865-6040.
• 5th District, Bridgeview: 10220 S. 76th Ave., Bridgeview. Felonies and most misdemeanors in Courtroom 103 at 1:30 p.m.; domestic violence misdemeanors in Courtroom 204 at 9:00 a.m. Phone 708-974-6500.
• 6th District, Markham: 16501 S. Kedzie Pkwy., Markham. Courtroom 102 at 9:30 a.m. Phone 708-232-4551.

Yes. Anyone may sit in on these hearings. The Public Defender gives this advice for the day of court:

• Arrive early and wear neat clothes, like you would for an important meeting.
• Turn off your phone and stay quiet in the courtroom.
• Bring papers that show the person has roots here, such as a work schedule, a school schedule, or a recent utility bill in their name. The defense lawyer can show these to the judge.

If the judge orders electronic monitoring, make sure the court has the right home address and phone number. A wrong address can delay the release.

The law starts from the idea that every person charged with a crime may be released. The judge then weighs:

• the charge and the facts in the police report,
• the person's past record and any history of missing court,
• ties to family, work, school and the community, and
• whether any rules of release would be enough to keep people safe.

How much money a family has is not part of the decision.

The judge picks the least strict rules that will work. Common ones here are:

• a promise to come to every court date,
• check-ins with Pretrial Services, which is part of the Adult Probation Department,
• staying away from a named person or place,
• a curfew,
• giving up any guns and a FOID card,
• drug or alcohol testing, and
• home confinement or electronic monitoring run by the Sheriff.

Breaking a rule can lead to a new hearing, tighter rules, or detention.

When a judge orders electronic monitoring (EM) as a release condition, the Cook County Sheriff's Office runs it. The request can come from the prosecutor's side or the defense side. The person wears a GPS ankle bracelet all day and night. The bracelet reports when the person leaves home, where they go, and whether anyone tampers with it. Letting the battery run down counts as tampering.

To qualify, the home must be a house, apartment or condo in the county, the owner or renter must agree, the equipment must work there, and it cannot be the home of a victim in a domestic or sex case.

Everyone on the program gets "essential movement" time. Under the Sheriff's schedule, booking numbers ending in an odd digit get Monday and Wednesday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.; even digits get Tuesday and Thursday at the same hours. Work and school trips need a court order and a letter from the employer or school. Other requests must be sent at least 72 hours ahead. The program line, open 24 hours, is 877-326-9198.

Read more on the Sheriff's EM page.

Only after the State's Attorney files a written petition asking for detention. The petition is allowed only for certain charges listed in 725 ILCS 5/110-6.1, such as many forcible felonies, some gun charges, and domestic battery. At the hearing, the state has to prove with clear and convincing evidence three things: that the person likely committed the crime, that they are a real danger to someone or will likely run, and that no set of release rules could fix that problem.

The person has a lawyer at the hearing. If the judge orders detention, the judge must explain why in writing, and the question is reviewed again at each later court date.

Chicago police first take the person to a district station, where they are booked. Many leave the station with a ticket or a court date and never go to the jail. Anyone still held overnight is taken to the lockup at the Leighton courthouse for the First Appearance. If the judge orders detention, the person goes next door to the Cook County Department of Corrections at 2700 S. California Ave.

Check the Chicago Police arrest search for adult arrests, then the Sheriff's Individual in Custody Locator once the person is at the jail. Our inmate search guide walks through each step.

Suburban police hold the person at their own station until court. Then the person goes to the district courthouse in Skokie, Rolling Meadows, Maywood, Bridgeview or Markham (or Leighton on weekends). Our court guide shows which towns go to which courthouse. If detention is ordered, the Sheriff moves the person to the jail on California Avenue in Chicago.

Write down the booking number from the locator first. Every service asks for it. Then:

• Set up phone calls so the person can reach you and the lawyer.
• Plan a visit; the person must add you to their list first.
• Send letters by mail, or read about email and text messages.
• Put money on the account with our money guide, so the person can buy commissary items.

Keep every court date in mind. The court's free reminder service and the case lookup on our court guide help with that.

No. There is no bail payment anywhere in the county. No clerk, jail window, or police station takes release money. If anyone asks you for a "bond" payment by phone, text, gift card, payment app or cryptocurrency, County officials will never collect release money that way. Stop talking to the caller and dial the jail at 773-674-5245.

Money you send to a person in jail pays for phone calls and commissary items only. It does not change when they get out. Our guide to sending money explains deposits.

If cash was posted under the old system, the Clerk of the Circuit Court handles any refund after the case ends. Refunds usually arrive four to six weeks after the case ends. For a felony, call the Clerk's Criminal Division at Leighton, 773-674-3140. If it was a Chicago misdemeanor, the Clerk's office in Room 1006 of the Daley Center handles it: 312-603-4641. Have the case number or bond slip ready.

A judge may order a warrant. Skipping court can also bring an added Illinois charge and tighter rules on any future release. If you know someone missed court, have them call their lawyer right away. The Public Defender's main line, 312-603-0600, can tell you who the assigned lawyer is. The court's free reminder system can send texts or calls before each date.

At the first hearing, say out loud that there is no money to hire private counsel. Right after an arrest, family can call the Public Defender's Arrest Hotline at 844-817-4448, open 24 hours, to have a lawyer sent to the police station. The Law Office of the Cook County Public Defender has lawyers at every courthouse. Its main office is at 69 W. Washington St., Chicago, and the phone is 312-603-0600. Office locations are on the Public Defender's website.

Federal charges do not go through the Pretrial Fairness Act. They go to the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois at the Everett McKinley Dirksen U.S. Courthouse, 219 S. Dearborn St., Chicago (312-435-5670). In that courthouse, release questions go to a magistrate judge who applies the federal Bail Reform Act. Many federal detainees in Chicago stay at the Metropolitan Correctional Center (MCC Chicago), 71 W. Van Buren St. (312-322-0567). Search for them on the BOP inmate locator.

No. The Illinois TRUST Act (5 ILCS 805) bars local police and jails from keeping a person only because of an immigration detainer or a civil immigration warrant. When the judge releases someone, the jail releases them. A warrant signed by a federal judge is different and can be honored.

If ICE does take someone, ICE commonly processes them at its Broadview site, 1930 Beach St. Use the ICE Online Detainee Locator or call the ICE Chicago Field Office at 872-351-3990.

Youth cases go to the Juvenile Justice Division of the Circuit Court, not to adult First Appearance court. Youth ordered held are placed in the Cook County Juvenile Temporary Detention Center, 1100 S. Hamilton Ave., Chicago. Youth files are sealed from the public, and no online custody search covers them.