Illinois Prisons
About 30,000 people are incarcerated in the Illinois Department of Corrections. More than 40% are from Cook County. We write about correctional officers, solitary confinement, medical treatment, and other conditions inside Illinois prisons.
Featured Story
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.
Latest
More 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.
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.
Thousands of women are serving life in U.S. prisons. Their history of trauma is often overlooked.
A new study looks at the growing number of women serving life sentences and sheds light on the ways courts ignore trauma and abuse.
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.
How photos helped incarcerated mothers survive the pandemic in prison
A photo project helped keep incarcerated mothers and their children connected during the pandemic-related prison lockdowns.
Loading…
Something went wrong. Please refresh the page and/or try again.