Illinois Department of Corrections Articles

Lockdowns and transfers have disrupted college classes for students at this Illinois prison

Stateville prison in Joliet has the most postsecondary programming of any Illinois prison. But the recent transfer of dozens of students, and persistent lockdowns due to staffing shortages are disrupting educational opportunities for people inside.

by Adriana Martinez-Smiley November 17, 2022January 8, 2024

Gerald Berry, 16 in this photo, holding his baby brother Kendrick. Berry is serving life in prison on a felony murder conviction.

Criminal Courts

Illinois changed its controversial ‘felony murder rule.’ Here’s who the reform left behind.

Illinois recently made changes to narrow the scope of the law, which disproportionately impacts young people of color and women. But advocates say the reforms don’t go far enough.

by Rita Oceguera and Chloe Hilles January 20, 2022January 8, 2024

Chart showing 7% of prison staff have received Covid boosters, compared with 45% of incarcerated people

Illinois Prisons

Most Illinois prison staff haven’t gotten Covid-19 boosters

Fewer than one in ten prison staffers have received a booster, even as Covid-19 cases spike in correctional facilities across the state.

by Adam M. Rhodes January 7, 2022December 5, 2023

A group of people holding signs protesting the water quality at Stateville prison

Illinois Prisons

A water crisis decades in the making has come to a head at a prison just outside Chicago

Men inside Stateville prison say the water is discolored and murky and smells like sewage. Officials say the water is safe to drink, but they’ve been bringing in water from outside.

by Grace Asiegbu December 16, 2021January 8, 2024

Illinois Prisons

Health care in Illinois prisons is deficient: Report

Health care inside Illinois prisons does not meet standards, and serious health issues are going untreated, according to an independent, court-ordered monitor.

by Chloe Hilles October 21, 2021January 8, 2024

A white bus parking in front of a brick wall with the words "Sheriff of Cook County" written in gold lettering on the side

Cook County Jail

Cook County sheriff takes state officials to court over stalled prison transfers

Sheriff Tom Dart filed a petition before the Illinois Supreme Court on Monday asking the justices to force the state department of corrections to accept the transfer of over 500 people from the Cook County Jail.

by Carlos Ballesteros and Chloe Hilles September 23, 2021January 8, 2024

Prosecutors

The history and harm behind Illinois’s criminal HIV transmission law

Injustice Watch and the Chicago Reader examined the origins of Illinois’s HIV transmission law, how Cook County prosecutors have leveraged it, and its impacts on people charged. The investigation is part of The Circuit, a courts data project from Injustice Watch, the BGA, and DataMade.

by Adam M. Rhodes June 7, 2021January 8, 2024

Illinois Prisons

Should incarcerated people get early access to Covid-19 vaccines? Illinois says ‘yes.’

Illinois is one of a handful of U.S. states that will prioritize incarcerated people in the next phase of its rollout.

by Kiran Misra January 20, 2021December 5, 2023

Illinois Prisons

The way prisoners flag guard abuse, inadequate health care and unsanitary conditions is broken

Prisoners rely on grievances as an early-warning system for dangerous conditions, from poor medical care to abuse. But in Illinois, experts say the system is sputtering, with little oversight, resulting in injuries to prisoners, according to an investigation by WBEZ and ProPublica.

by Shannon Heffernan (WBEZ) December 3, 2020December 5, 2023

Illinois Prisons

Hundreds serving mandatory life sentences under Illinois ‘three strikes’ law

“Each received what amounts to a death sentence for one horrifying but familiar reason: race,” writes attorney and advocate Jennifer Soble.

by Jennifer Soble August 18, 2020December 5, 2023

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