Illinois bail reformers: New Jersey’s model works, plain and simple.

In his State of the State address, Gov. J.B. Pritzker said he wants to eliminate cash bail in Illinois and called on lawmakers to act on the idea in the spring session. An admirable goal, one that has been pursued in a handful of states such as New Jersey, California and New York.

But now comes the hard part — navigating the special interests to arrive at an effective new law that, when implemented, results in successful criminal justice reform.

Our message to Gov. Pritzker and the Illinois legislature: New Jersey reform works and you should copy it, plain and simple. There is no need to reinvent the wheel. New York tried an approach different from New Jersey and, so far, it has been a disaster.