Lawsuit Over How Cook County Inmates Are Treated After Release Headed To Trial

Lawsuit Over How Cook County Inmates Are Treated After Release Headed To Trial

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If you’re a man in the Cook County jail and you’re found not guilty, you don’t get to go home right away. In a class action lawsuit, former inmates say the policy violated their rights and put them in danger of being attacked.

A federal judge says there’s evidence that the Cook County jail endangers men who have been found not guilty in criminal trials. It can take many, many hours for them to be released, during which time they are held in the jail, even though they should be free to go. Attorney Jacie Zolna represents former inmates in a class action lawsuit.