Illinois’ chronic underfunding of public defense is a civil rights crisis. Public defenders are tasked with overwhelming caseloads and are often deprived of the resources required to provide quality defense. These dynamics disproportionately impact Black, Latinx, and rural communities. The robust pretrial hearing process required by the Pretrial Fairness Act makes increasing funding for public defense more important than ever.

The Funded Advocacy & Independent Representation (FAIR) Act can end this injustice. Illinois is one of only seven states without any statewide oversight or standards for trial-level public defense. The FAIR Act will bring Illinois public defense into the 21st century by creating a statewide office of public defense and increasing resources for public defense. By expanding the capacity of public defenders to represent the most vulnerable accused people, the FAIR Act will ensure that everyone is able to benefit from the rights enshrined in the Pretrial Fairness Act.