Sheriff speaks after 30 inmates released from Williamson Co. Jail ahead of end of cash bail in Ill. on Monday

WILLIAMSON COUNTY, Ill. (KFVS) - About 30 inmates were released from the Williamson County Jail on Friday evening, September 15.

This is ahead of the end of cash bail in Illinois, which begins on Monday.

Williamson County Sheriff Jeff Diederich said on Friday he’s “not happy” but will comply with the new law.

“I’m not happy. This is not why I chose to be sheriff,” he said. “I chose to be sheriff to protect the community, stand up for the citizens and the visitors of Williamson County, to protect persons and property, and this is a step back. I’m not pleased.”

He said this was something he never thought he’d see happen.

He said he has about another 30 inmates set to be released on Sunday, Sept. 17.

The jail had 163 people in custody as of Wednesday, according to the sheriff. He said they were looking at numbers earlier on Friday and 80, or as many as 85, could be released. He added that there was a lot of discretion with those numbers.

When asked where the inmates are going next, he said they’re returning to the community in which they picked them up. They were all issued court dates with notices to appear.

Back in June, Illinois became the first state in the nation to eliminate cash bail as a condition of pretrial release from jail when the state Supreme Court upheld the constitutionality of the law abolishing it.

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