Prison lockdowns cut incarcerated people off from educational opportunities, and they often occur due to staff shortages. Experts say peer mentorship could help fill the gap.
Drugs and violence remain a serious concern for employees inside Hill Correctional Center in Galesburg, with a series of major events occurring inside the prison in a matter of days.
Lawmakers accuse DOC of moving too slowly, poor communications
Illinois Department of Corrections policy does not allow volunteers to communicate by phone, electronic mail or letter.
DANVILLE — People in prison can vote in Vermont, Maine and Washington, D.C. It’s a right that one incarcerated Illinois man would like to have. “The incarcerated community is probably the largest group of people who have the most skin in the game, yet we’re not acknowledged as stakeholders,” Raúl Dorado said. About 29,000 people are
GALESBURG — For the first time in two decades, Robert Curry has a window. Curry is one of over 400 men transferred out of Stateville Correctional Center before its closure at the end of September. “I am able to see the world,” he said. “I’m able to see things like the highway from the yard.
Over 200 more men and women say they were sexually abused as children at Illinois juvenile detention centers, joining hundreds of others who previously joined in lawsuits. Three new lawsuits were filed Monday describing “a culture of sexual abuse” in Illinois juvenile detention centers between 1996 and 2021, the latest in a series of suits
CHAMPAIGN — Anthony spent about half of his life in prison and just got out last year. It was a huge adjustment because so much had changed in the decades Anthony was incarcerated. “I hadn’t seen a cell phone in almost 30 years,” Anthony said. “Now in this new world, you can’t function without a
PONTIAC — A scathing report from the State Executive Inspector General show a climate of hazing and sexual discrimination created a hostile work environment at the state prison in Pontiac, including stating there is reason for disciplinary action against 10 employees for discriminating against a guard who was perceived to be gay. The guard was
At around noon on a recent Monday, Maria Garza logged on to Zoom. She set her laptop on her kitchen stove and placed several plastic cups on the counter. One by one, she filled them up with things like baking soda and ammonia ahead of a chemistry experiment. Then, a classroom popped up on her
CHICAGO — Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker pledged to remove a barrier to abortion for people in prison after a WBEZ investigation found incarcerated people had to pay for the procedure and the wages of the correctional officer required to accompany them to appointments outside the prison. “Moving forward, abortion procedures and their associated expenses will
CHAMPAIGN – Nearly 350 incarcerated people in the custody of the Illinois Department of Corrections have tested positive for COVID-19, and more than 200 staff members have also contracted the virus. At least 13 inmates have died from COVID-19. But as of June 23, IDOC had conducted only 958 COVID-19 tests on its prison population,
Editor’s note: This story was updated at 7:54 p.m. on May 26 to include comments from the Illinois Department of Corrections. An amended lawsuit filed against Rob Jeffreys, director of the Illinois Department of Corrections, and Gov. J.B. Pritzker last week claims that the state’s prison system has failed to protect medically vulnerable prisoners from
Joseph Horton is overwhelmed and stressed because he’s struggling to keep himself and his cell clean. Horton is incarcerated at Menard Correctional Center in southern Illinois. He says safety measures have improved in the prisons since the pandemic began, but he says more could be done to protect inmates. “I’m in a cell with another
A University of Illinois college-in-prison program created a reentry guide for those released from prison and jail during the COVID-19 pandemic. Every year, the Education Justice Project updates one reentry guide to reflect the latest information about resources available to those released from prison and returning to Illinois communities, as well as another guide for