Court no-shows have suburban jail bursting at the seams under cashless bail, sheriff says

In a striking analysis of Illinois’ cashless bail system, Kane County Sheriff Ron Hain has voiced serious concerns about its effectiveness. Since the law’s implementation, the county’s jail population has nearly doubled, countering the initial expectations set by advocates of the reform. According to Sheriff Hain, the increase is not due to the detention of violent criminals awaiting trial; rather, it is attributed to nonviolent defendants who, having been released under the new rules, subsequently failed to appear for their court dates, leading to the issuing of warrants for their arrest.

“The majority of the surge in jail population is the result of defendants not showing up for court under the cashless bail framework, which has resulted in a significant number of failure-to-appear warrants,” the sheriff’s office stated recently, highlighting these developments as the law celebrates its two-year anniversary.

Hain emphasized that the cashless bail law has undone years of progress made by his office and local judicial partners to decrease incarceration rates. He recounted how the average daily inmate count in Kane County peaked in the “550s” in 2018, thanks to various rehabilitation programs, only to plummet to an impressive low of 229 at the close of 2022. During this period, recidivism rates also saw a dramatic decrease, dropping from nearly 49% down to 18%.

As of now, however, the jail is burdened with a renewed population of 401 inmates—a sharp rise that Sheriff Hain argues has significant financial implications. “Each inmate costs taxpayers a minimum of $75 per day, placing a sizable strain on our budget during a time of financial distress for Kane County,” he remarked. In response to this uptick, the county has had to recruit additional correctional officers and transport some detainees to other facilities experiencing lower occupancy.

Moreover, Hain criticized state lawmakers for pushing forward with the reform without adequate consultation with the sheriffs who manage these jails daily. “Too many legislators make decisions based on sensational headlines without considering the real-world impacts on the ground,” he observed.

Hain’s office has also pointed out that one of the key objectives of the Pre-Trial Fairness Act—to diminish wealth and racial disparities associated with the cash bail system—has not materialized. Their assertion claims that demographic disparities in jail populations remain largely unchanged under the new regulations.

A comparison with Cook County further illustrates this trend. In June 2023, just prior to the establishment of cashless bail, the Cook County Jail housed approximately 5,491 inmates. As of now, this number has escalated to around 6,002, representing a 9% increase. In terms of demographics, changes have been minimal: male inmates decreased slightly from 94.4% to 93.3%, while Black residents represented 74% before the law and now account for 69.5%. Meanwhile, Latino inmates rose from 17% to 20.3%, and White inmates saw a slight increase from 8% to 8.7%.

Below is the comprehensive statement from the Kane County Sheriff’s Office regarding their experience under the Pre-Trial Fairness Act:

PRE-TRIAL FAIRNESS ACT UPDATE ON THE IMPACT TO THE KANE COUNTY JAIL

St Charles – As of September 2023, the Pre-Trial Fairness Act (commonly referred to as the cashless bail system) was instituted in Illinois. This legislation aimed to reduce jail populations and address wealth and racial disparities in custody related to the cash bail system, yet it was enacted with minimal consultation from state sheriffs responsible for the management of county jails.

The Kane County Sheriff’s Office had spent the previous five years focused on lowering jail numbers, reducing recidivism, and minimizing local crime rates through various initiatives like vocational training, substance abuse treatment, and job placement programs. Under Sheriff Ron Hain’s leadership since 2018, the jail population declined from daily averages in the 550s to a record low of 229 by the end of 2022, accompanied by a substantial reduction in recidivism from nearly 49% to 18%.

As of September 18th, 2025, however, the Kane County Jail’s population has surged to 401, largely due to individuals skipping court appearances and accruing failure-to-appear warrants. Moreover, we have not observed a reduction in either racial or demographic disparities under the current law.

Sheriff Hain stated, “Too many legislators are misunderstanding intent by acting hastily without consulting those involved in daily operations. Each detainee costs our taxpayers at least $75 a day, which imposes a significant burden on our budget during challenging financial times. We’ve also been forced to recruit additional officers and transfer detainees to other counties just to manage the influx.”

The Kane County Sheriff’s Office aims to keep the public informed about ongoing operations, budget challenges, and the importance of collaborative efforts to craft effective legislation that serves the best interests of our community.

Tim Hecke is CWBChicago’s managing partner. He started his career at KMOX, the legendary news radio station in St. Louis. From there, he moved on to work at stations in Minneapolis, Chicago, and New York City. Tim went on to build syndicated radio news and content services that served every one of America’s 100 largest radio markets. He became CWBChicago’s managing partner in 2019.
His email address is tim@cwbchicago.com