217 Today: Illinois prisons need $2.5 billion in repairs, and that’s just the beginning

By Kimberly Schofield and Stephanie Mosqueda
Jul 26, 2023

Photo: Pontiac Correctional Center, Livingston County, 651-000-174 Facility Condition Assessment

July 26, 2023

Today’s headlines:

The National Weather Service has placed many parts of Central Illinois under a Heat Advisory from Wednesday until Saturday.
After structural problems at Dennis Lab School caught Decatur administrators by surprise, they want to get every school inspected.
Following in the footsteps of their neighbors in Champaign-Urbana, Illinois State University police are adopting a co-response policing program.
Illinois labor groups and Democratic officials signed an agreement to avoid any strikes affecting the 2024 Democratic National Convention in Chicago.

In today’s deep dive, we’ll learn more about the poor conditions in some Illinois prisons and what state consultants recommend for them.

217 Today is produced by Stephanie Mosqueda. Reporting contributed by Reginald Hardwick, Emily Hays, Melissa Ellin, Mawa Iqbal and Shannon Heffernan.

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