Chicago’s Worst Crime: Cook County Central Bond Court

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In a city that is notorious for political corruption and consistent street crime, Chicago’s worst offender is the Cook County Central Bond Court. Aside from the financial burden that it places on taxpayers, the more serious problem is the inefficiencies in the system resulting in morally questionable treatment of defendants. Using research conducted by The Chicago Reader and the Justice Advisory Council of Cook County as well as my own personal observations of the Bond Court, I argue that the Central Bond Court is doing an injustice to both tax payers of Cook County and the accused. Because of these inefficiencies, defendants are not adequately represented as they would be in other bond courts; with only one courtroom in use, each defendant is allowed only 40 seconds in front of a judge. This alone, regardless of the deplorable conditions of the jail, is certainly a cause for moral concern. In this essay I will discuss the concerns with these inefficiencies and the overall impact they have to society through a philosophical analysis.