John Howard Association of Illinois

The John Howard Association of Illinois (JHA) is pleased to announce that it has relocated to the campus of Northwestern University School of Law.

Since 1901, JHA has provided public oversight of Illinois’ juvenile and adult correctional facilities. Every year, JHA staff and trained volunteers inspect prisons, jails and detention centers throughout the state. Based on these inspections, JHA issues regular reports that are instrumental in reforming prison conditions, improving inmates’ access to medical facilities, and demonstrating the need for increased educational and vocational programming, one of the most effective ways of reducing recidivism.

While JHA will remain an independent organization at its new location, it will work closely with members of Northwestern Law’s Bluhm Legal Clinic, one of the nation’s largest and most respected law school clinics. Much of the Bluhm Legal Clinic’s work, especially work done by its Children & Family Justice Center, its Center on Wrongful Convictions and its Center for International Human Rights, involves representation of incarcerated clients. The work of the John Howard Association will complement much of the work done by students and faculty in Northwestern Law’s Bluhm Legal Clinic.

Tom Geraghty, the director of Northwestern University School of Law’s Bluhm Legal Clinic, and Rob Warden, the executive director of the Bluhm Legal Clinic’s Center on Wrongful Convictions, will serve as JHA’s acting co-executive directors pending the recruitment of a new full-time executive director.

“The Bluhm Legal Clinic is thrilled to work with the John Howard Association,” said Geraghty. “This is a tremendous opportunity for both our faculty and students to study and to help to support improvements in Illinois’ prisons, youth correctional centers and jails.”