Illinois Answers reviewed annual jail inspections from 2017 to 2025 and reached out to state agencies to learn more about how they’re compelling jails to meet standards. The investigation found that many jails across Illinois violated standards for poor sanitation, healthcare and food services, among other concerns.
Jail staff are supposed to report any “extraordinary or unusual occurrences” to the Jail and Detention Standards Unit (JDSU) within the Illinois Department of Corrections (IDOC). But jails have been haphazardly reporting for years, and some incidents were never disclosed to the JDSU.
RIPPLE Effect brings together about two dozen strangers every holiday to write cards to incarcerated people from Champaign County.
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,