New Illinois law gives cops choice not to jail people for small amounts of drugs — a follow-up to our ‘Costly toll of dead-end drug arrests’ investigation

Tucked into the new and much-debated 764-page law that does away with Illinois’ cash-bail system is a single paragraph that could have a big impact. It means that people caught with small amounts of drugs won’t have to sit in jail for days until they’re brought before a judge.That might sound like a small thing. But advocates for people who use drugs say spending any time behind bars can have disastrous consequences, like losing a job or... + full article