Illinois — Jail and Prison Conditions — Galsworthy Criminal Justice Reform Program

For Some Illinois Prisoners, One Good Eye Is Enough

“It’s easy to underestimate the brutality of boredom, but people in prison will tell you that keeping your mind occupied is essential to survival. Paulette Fiedler, a 69-year-old prisoner at Logan Correctional Center in Illinois, keeps her mind alive by reading — she plows through book after book. So, Fiedler said, when she got cataracts in both eyes, she wanted them fixed as soon as possible. But the prison doctor told her that she’d have to make a choice. Which eye did she want fixed, the right one or the left one? Multiple Illinois prisoners say they have been denied eye surgery because of a “one good eye” policy that only entitles them to have one functioning eye.“

WBEZ Chicago

November 19, 2019

Prison Programs, Jail & Prison ConditionsPhillip ReevesNovember 19, 2019WBEZ Chicago, IllinoisComment

New Bill Educates Illinois Prisoners on Voting Rights After Release

“The bill, which takes effect in January 2020, will add mandatory workshops at both adult and juvenile prison facilities to instruct inmates that their voting rights are restored as soon as they finish out their prison sentences. Prisoners entering the last 12 months of their sentence already go through similar lessons informing them how to find housing or set up health care once they’re released. This new workshop will operate similarly, but will instead focus on civics and voting.“

WTTW Chicago

August 21, 2019

Access to Outside World, EducationPhillip ReevesAugust 21, 2019WTTW Chicago, IllinoisComment

The Enduring Battle Over Access to Educational Materials for Inmates

“There are more than 2 million people incarcerated in the United States, and for many of them, access to books and other learning materials is not guaranteed and can even be purposely denied. One Illinois prison recently removed more than 200 of its books, many about race, from its library.“

New York Public Radio

June 5, 2019

Access to Outside WorldPhillip ReevesJune 5, 2019Illinois, New York Public RadioComment

'We carry a light': Inmates at Shawnee Correctional Center care for the prison's dying

“Smoot has been a nurse for about 20 years. She has worked for the Illinois Department of Corrections since 2016, and said hospice or end-of-life care is different for prisoners. They are not in their homes, in their own beds, and oftentimes are not surrounded by loved ones. But still, Smoot sees it as her job to comfort them.“

The Southern Illinoisan

May 26, 2019

Death in PrisonPhillip ReevesMay 26, 2019The Southern Illinoisan, Illinois, Shawnee Correctional CenterComment

How solitary confinement drove a young inmate to the brink of insanity

“Gay entered the Illinois Department of Corrections in 1994 as a young man, convicted of robbery after brawling with another teen who told police that Gay took his hat and stole a single dollar bill. He expected to serve as little as three and a half years. Instead, a fight with a fellow inmate led to Gay’s first stint in segregation, pushing him into a downward spiral that resulted in 22 years in solitary confinement. Shortly after the segregation started, the cutting and suicide attempts began.“

Chicago Tribune

January 2, 2019

Solitary ConfinementPhillip ReevesJanuary 2, 2019Chicago Tribune, IllinoisComment

New Report Says Illinois Prisons Are Nearly 40 Percent Over Capacity

“Felicity Rose, director of criminal justice research and policy for FWD.us, said overcapacity prisons can result in a myriad of problems. ‘That can mean that people are housed in very inhumane conditions. It can be dangerous for the people who work in those prisons, that can lead to less programming, so less opportunities for recidivism reduction,’ she said.“

Illinois Public Media

December 7, 2018

Jail & Prison ConditionsPhillip ReevesDecember 7, 2018Illinois, Illinois Public MediaComment

Judge Rules Illinois Prisons Still Not Properly Caring For Mentally Ill Inmates

“The original settlement had 25 provisions the corrections department needed to follow to provide proper care for the mentally ill. It included allowing eight hours of out-of-cell time each week to those in solitary confinement and enhanced treatment for the actively suicidal. A June report by an independent court-appointed monitor, Dr. Pablo Stewart, found the department was noncompliant with 18 of those terms. Stewart testified that mentally ill prisoners in solitary confinement were ‘suffering immensely’.“

NPR Illinois

October 31, 2018

Mental HealthPhillip ReevesOctober 31, 2018NPR Illinois, IllinoisComment

Stealing a hat and $1 landed him at Tamms. After decades in solitary, he’s now free.

“Gay expected to die in prison because of a long series of felony assaults on guards that consisted of throwing body waste or yanking back on chains. These sentences were consecutive and added 99 years to Gay’s prison time. He was up for parole at age 120.“

Belleville News Democrat

September 7, 2018

Solitary ConfinementPhillip ReevesSeptember 7, 2018Belleville News Democrat, IllinoisComment

Why the nationwide strike against ‘modern-day slavery’ may not reach Illinois. And why it's already here.

"Until the mid-1990s, the Illinois Department of Corrections had a robust vocational training program and on- and off-site job opportunities for inmates. In more recent years, however, prison jobs, apprenticeships, and educational programs have all but disappeared. Most inmates in IDOC now spend more than 20 hours a day confined to their cells—even if they're not technically in solitary confinement or segregation"

Chicago Reader

August 25, 2018

Jail & Prison ConditionsAnthony BradleyAugust 29, 2018Illinois, Chicago Reader, Prison Strike

A Troubled Federal Prison Unit Gets New Life in a Different State

"The Bureau of Prisons claims that 'solitary confinement does not exist' in the federal prison system and considers placement in the SMU to be 'non-punitive.' It’s a rosy characterization roundly rejected by criminal justice advocates, incarcerated people, and reporters alike; 'USP Lewisburg might be the worst place in the federal prison system,' Justin Peters wrote in Slate in 2013, 'so bad that some inmates there actually dream of being transferred to the famously isolating Supermax facility in Florence, Colorado'."

The Appeal

August 21, 2018

Illinois Settles Lawsuit Over Deaf Prisoners

"Taylor estimates there could be 300 prisoners affected by the settlement, but he doesn't know exactly how many Illinois inmates are deaf. He says part of the problem is that until now, the Department of Corrections has not had to screen people for hearing loss."

NPR Illinois

July 25, 2018

Jail & Prison ConditionsAnthony BradleyJuly 29, 2018NPR Illinois, NPR, Illinois

Jail and Prison Conditions

Galsworthy CJR Program

Info