As murders soar in Chicago, judges are freeing more violent-crime suspects on electronic monitoring

Judges in Chicago have increasingly ordered criminal defendants placed into an electronic-monitoring program in lieu of jail, a move police officials blame for the surge in gun violence plaguing the city. On Aug. 9, 43 people facing murder charges were enrolled in Cook County's electronic-monitoring program, a 40% increase from the same day last year. In addition, 160 people charged with robbery and 1,000 people charged with illegal gun possession are enrolled as of Aug. 9, the Chicago Sun-Times reported.-- More...