As your State's Attorney, I am very concerned about the harm that bad checks have on local businesses. Millions of dollars are lost every year by merchants but we all pay. Higher consumer costs are passed on to offset losses, and taxes are increased to cover the costs of law enforcement and prosecution.

To respond to this problem, I have implemented a Bad Check Restitution Program to assist local merchants. The goal is to obtain full restitution for the victim without adding to the financial burden of the criminal justice system.

Our Bad Check Restitution Program operates as a unique effort between private and public sectors. Merchants in Cook County receive restitution without paying collection fees. First-time bad check offenders may avoid criminal prosecution by attending a mandatory, eight-hour intervention class, and paying restitution. All of this is accomplished with no cost to taxpayers.