John Howard Association of Illinois

Summary: Almost no educational programs for inmates, but prison management is minimizing lockdowns.

On April 6, 2010, a group of four John Howard Association staff and volunteers conducted a monitoring tour of Menard Correctional Center, by far the largest maximum security prison operated by the Illinois Department of Corrections. We visited a general population housing unit, medical and mental health care unit, disciplinary segregation unit and protective custody. This tour did not include an adjacent medium security unit and this report focuses mainly on the maximum security section of the prison.

Read the full report here (PDF).