TAZEWELL COUNTY ( 25News Now ) - Illinois is approaching two years since the implementation of the no cash bail system, making the state the first in the nation to do so.

In 2023, the court system switched from bond to detention hearings . Both pre-trial systems consider the risk assessment characteristics of a defendant, but now, they either stay in jail or are released on conditions with no cash required.

Tazewell County Presiding Judge Chris Doscotch said it’s been a learning process, and there’s still more to understand.

Over the last two years, Doscotch knows of no defendants on pretrial release committing a Class X or other serious felonies. However, he has seen more repeat offenders at the misdemeanor level.

“It can happen to anyone because predicting human behavior is not a

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