Cook County Public Defender's Office

Cook County Public Defender's Office We protect the fundamental rights & dignity of our clients & provide excellent legal representation. Call our 24/7/365 ARREST HOTLINE. 844-817-4448. Mitchell Jr.

If someone has been arrested in Chicago or anywhere in Cook County. An attorney will go to the police station to represent them for free. We are one of the largest criminal defense firms in the Country, with more than 450 attorneys and 600 employees overall, representing thousands of Cook County residents charged with every type of criminal offense and child protection violation. The Public Defender has the responsibility to staff courtrooms throughout the Circuit Court of Cook County. The Public Defender of Cook County is Sharone R. The attorneys in the office work as his assistants.

09/18/2026

Today marks the three year anniversary of the implementation of the Pretrial Fairness Act. We sat down with ABC7 Chicago to discuss pretrial detention and release decisions in Illinois today.

The Pretrial Fairness Act allows judges to assess the details of each individual case when it comes to who is jailed pretrial. The vast majority (94%) of people on pretrial release are not re-arrested for violent or person-based crimes and crime rates are at historic lows.

While we are still building on the success of the Act, we are excited to celebrate three years without money bond in Illinois.

With so much recent debate about the role of pretrial jailing, electronic monitoring, and how to think about the charges...
09/16/2026

With so much recent debate about the role of pretrial jailing, electronic monitoring, and how to think about the charges someone faces, we wanted to share more about what actually happens after a case is filed. Most news coverage of criminal cases comes from police announcements of arrests and coverage at the very first stage of a case, including whether someone is jailed or released the first time they appear in court. A relatively small percentage of media stories end up covering how cases end months or even years later.

Did you know that about half of all the cases where someone could be jailed awaiting trial end without a conviction? Of the cases where the prosecution can seek pretrial detention in 2025, almost half (~50%) ended with the case either being dismissed or the person being found not guilty.

Looking at all felony cases resolved in Cook County in 2025, more than one out of three people (36%) were never convicted. This means a lot of people are at risk of losing their liberty, their jobs, time with their children, etc. for something the prosecution never proves and maybe never could prove.

This is why the presumption of innocence matters, and it's why pretrial jailing must never be the default. Otherwise, you're punished until proven innocent.

Data source: Cook County Criminal Justice Data Dashboard (cook-dashboard.loyolaccj.org)

09/16/2026

The State's Attorney believes the decision to incarcerate someone awaiting trial should be based solely on which charges she files.

This proposal would be disastrous and a major violation of people's civil rights.

In Cook County, one out of three people charged with a felony is ultimately found not guilty or has their case dismissed.

Sharone's op-ed on why more pretrial incarceration is not the answer is out in today's Chicago Sun-Times.

đź”— You can also read the full piece via the link in our bio.

We love to see some strong DEFENSE!🏀 Congratulations to our 2nd Annual Defenders of the Court FINAL FOUR 🏅- WHA, BUILD C...
09/15/2026

We love to see some strong DEFENSE!🏀 Congratulations to our 2nd Annual Defenders of the Court FINAL FOUR 🏅- WHA, BUILD Chicago, Penny Elite, and r2c2_roseland! These four teams will face off on Thursday to determine this year's Defenders of the Court Champion.

đź”— Follow the link in bio for more information about attending Thursday's championship game at Wintrust Arena & joining us for the Chicago Sky game afterward.

Thanks to all the neighbors, friends, and partners who joined the fun in Roseland and Austin last week!

Attorneys from the Law Office of the Cook County Public Defender donated their time and expertise Saturday at the 15th D...
09/14/2026

Attorneys from the Law Office of the Cook County Public Defender donated their time and expertise Saturday at the 15th Driver's License Reinstatement Expo at Malcolm X College. The event, hosted by PNCC, helps people reinstate their driving privileges.

📆 Mark your calendars for the next Driver's License Reinstatement Expo on January 23rd, 2027.

W/ Clerk of the Circuit Court Mariyana T. Spyropoulos & Circuit Court of Cook County

State’s Attorney Eileen O’Neill Burke’s recent calls for legislative changes to how pretrial release works—and criticism...
09/14/2026

State’s Attorney Eileen O’Neill Burke’s recent calls for legislative changes to how pretrial release works—and criticism of the judges making those decisions— is deeply disappointing.

The presumption of innocence and due process are foundational principles of our legal system, so it is troubling to see Burke, a former prosecutor, criminal defense attorney, and judge, attacking these concepts and the judiciary's independent decision-making.

Public Defender Sharone R. Mitchell, Jr. discusses the problems associated with Burke's proposal for more pretrial detention in an Op-Ed published today in the Chicago Sun-Times.

đź”— Read the full commentary here: cookcountypublicdefender.org/links

09/11/2026

Last week, we were thrilled to join our partners at the FJRC to celebrate the signing of the Protecting Innocent Families Act (Public Act 104-0586) that will go into effect January 1, 2027.

This bill will provide enhanced transparency and procedural safeguards for parents who are investigated by the Illinois Department of Children & Family Services (DCFS).

Thank you to the elected officials who sponsored this effort: Senate Majority Leader Kimberly A. Lightford (Illinois State Senate Majority Leader Kimberly A. Lightford) and Representative Mary Beth Canty (Mary Beth Canty) for helping to ensure this bill becomes law and for your remarks last week!

Congratulations to the Family Justice Resource Center who developed this bill and built a strong and dedicated coalition of partners to get it across the finish line. We were proud to join the FJRC, Legal Action Chicago, and the many other organizations and partners who supported this legislation to help protect families.

Case in point: Yesterday, Assistant Public Defenders Sam Goldberg and Jessica Louis won a not guilty verdict for a clien...
09/10/2026

Case in point: Yesterday, Assistant Public Defenders Sam Goldberg and Jessica Louis won a not guilty verdict for a client who was facing murder charges. The client spent the first year of her case incarcerated before being released on electronic monitoring for two additional years awaiting trial. During that time, she had no new arrests, no violations, and completed an apprenticeship in house painting before beginning a full-time job.

The Cook County State's Attorney wants everyone accused of a violent offense to be incarcerated while awaiting trial, but imagine, in this case, this young woman would have lost two more years of her life, even though she was ultimately found not guilty.

đź”—More on these stories is available via the link in bio.

Separating Fact From Fiction — The Chicago Tribune Editorial Board published commentary with serious inaccuracies about ...
09/09/2026

Separating Fact From Fiction — The Chicago Tribune Editorial Board published commentary with serious inaccuracies about pretrial home confinement and electronic monitoring in Illinois. These inaccuracies grossly misrepresent the realities of pretrial release and electronic monitoring.

We want to set the record straight with the facts:
1. People on electronic monitoring are monitored 24/7 by GPS tracking.
2. Anyone ordered to pretrial home confinement is given movement over no fewer than two days a week to participate in defined activities. The Pretrial Fairness Act does not allow anyone movement for no reason at all, nor does it set the times for movement. All essential movement is set by a judge.

09/08/2026

The Pretrial Fairness Act is not perfect, and we have more work to do! Everyone has a role to play in creating more equity in our system. Vote for judges, advocate to your elected decision-makers, and follow Illinois Network for Pretrial Justice for more information on the Pretrial Fairness Act, what is next, and how to get involved.

Graphs shown in this video are all from "500 Years Forward, 10 Years Back: An Evaluation of Eileen O'Neill Burke's First 500 Days as Cook County State's Attorney." By Austin Segal and Maya Simkin, by 💋💄💍👩‍👧‍👧, 2026.

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Chicago, IL
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Tuesday 8:30am - 5pm
Wednesday 8:30am - 5pm
Thursday 8:30am - 5pm
Friday 8:30am - 5am

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