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Promoting public safety through cost-effective prison reform

What We Do

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Monitoring

Independent prison monitoring is the heart of JHA’s work.

Our staff and volunteers visit approximately 20 correctional facilities every year to evaluate conditions for incarcerated people and staff. During our observation visits, we focus on issues including medical and mental health care, disciplinary procedures, the physical condition of facilities, and educational and vocational programming. We point out concerns and problems and also highlight productive, innovative programs and initiatives that can serve as models for other facilities.

 
 

Special Reports

We publish periodic special reports highlighting case studies, stories and issues impacting our correctional system.

Explore our latest special reports below.

 
Special Reports
Communication Impacts People in IDOC and Their Support Systems: Changes are needed to improve outcomes and daily living

Regular communication with the outside world is vital to people in custody. Methods of communication such as phones, mail, video visits, and email via tablets allow incarcerated people to stay in touch with loved ones, access information related to their legal rights, and prepare for their lives after prison. Therefore, it is crucial that prisons provide reliable methods of communication to those in custody. (February 2024)

JHA 2023 Annual Report

What does it mean to have impact as an oversight organization, and how do we effect change as prison monitors? In 2023, we did this by doing what we have done for 122 years – witnessing firsthand and sharing out the realities of our prisons, and pushing for changes that improve lives, increase system effectiveness, and better use of limited resources.   

JHA 2022 Annual Report (and 2023 Preview)

System change takes a village. We deeply appreciate all of our supporters, allies, donors, volunteers, board members, and staff. Our success is based on the efforts of everyone who works for and with JHA, as well as all those who support the organization in countless and myriad ways. We are grateful for our partners in this work, who include stakeholders and advocates working on criminal justice, public health and civil rights issues facing disenfranchised citizens.

2022 Online Commissary Survey

Amidst continued reports in early 2022 of ongoing commissary issues, JHA launched an online survey to seek additional information about the availability of commissary and state-issued items. 92% of survey responses reported issues with purchasing items from commissary or receiving state-issued items.

JHA 2021 Annual Report (and 2022 Preview)

JHA's 2021 Annual Report highlights some of our most important work from this past year and previews some of the initiatives we will be undertaking in 2022. We will continue to push for the health and safety of those living and working in prisons and to call for increased transparency and government accountability. We advocate for a prison system that is fair, safe, and humane – one that recognizes that people can and do change, and one which supports rehabilitation and a successful return to society. We will be on the front lines of this fight and thank you for being there with us.

Three State Prison Oversight During the COVID-19 Pandemic

This report documents the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and the response in prisons in Illinois, New York and Pennsylvania – the only three states in the country with non-governmental oversight bodies.

IDOC MSR/Parole Population Profile (as of 12/31/20)

This page contains information based upon IDOC’s MSR/Parole Population Data Set for 12/31/20 that is accessible to the public on the IDOC website. JHA analyzed this data to create a profile of IDOC’s MSR/Parole population to increase the public’s understanding about the people who are under IDOC supervision in the community following release from prison as of 12/31/20.

Communications Response Summary Spring 2021

As a way to gather more direct information about specific issues, conditions, and practices which people inside Illinois prisons experience, JHA has started responding to those who have written to us by asking specific questions. In March 2021, JHA asked incarcerated people who had written to us the month prior to respond to questions on how they access information – both about COVID-19 and in general – and the extent to which they are able to do so.

IDOC Prison Population Profile (as of 12/31/2020)

The following information is based upon IDOC’s Prison Population Data Set for 12/31/20 that is accessible to the public on the IDOC website.

JHA analyzed this data to create a profile of IDOC’s prison population to increase the public’s understanding about the people who are in prison. We also used the IDOC data set to generate charts and graphs representing nuanced breakdowns of information related to IDOC’s prison population and to make comparisons to the IDOC prison population over time.

Illinois Must Improve Standards for the Care of Youth in Detention and Strengthen Juvenile Justice Oversight

It is important that we not only reduce the number of youth in any kind of custody, but also improve the standards of care for those who still end up in county detention facilities, or youth jails, and expand the reach of the Office of the Independent Juvenile Ombudsman so that any youth in county or state custody has access to the protections afforded by this effective oversight.

 

Reports and Surveys

Oversight, transparency and accountability are the cornerstones of correctional system reform.

JHA publishes regular reports on prison conditions in Illinois and special reports on issues impacting our correctional system.

Reports are based on our prison monitoring visits, observations, interviews with and written surveys from both staff and incarcerated people, interviews and information exchange with prison administrators, correspondence from those housed in correctional facilities, and information provided directly by the Illinois Department of Corrections.

We collect voluntary, anonymous surveys of both staff and incarcerated people during adult correctional center visits. Survey results enhance and amplify our monitoring work by incorporating the attitudes and opinions of incarcerated people and prison employees. Survey data provides useful comparisons among facilities and changes in perceptions over time, and is critical to amplifying the voices of incarcerated people and staff beyond prison walls. Find individual facility survey reports using the report finder or the buttons below.

Search facilities using the search bar below.

Browse facilities by criteria by using the filters on the left.

Featured
Big Muddy Correctional Center
Big Muddy Correctional Center
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Big Muddy River Correctional Center is a medium-security male facility, located in Ina, Illinois, about five hours southwest of Chicago and three hours southeast of Springfield. Big Muddy is designated within the Illinois Department of Corrections to house people who are civilly committed as Sexually Dangerous Persons.

Centralia Correctional Center
Centralia Correctional Center
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The Centralia Correctional Center strives to create a healthful environment, which provides individuals a humane and secure term of incarceration. It is a medium security adult male facility. The facility consists of 46 buildings, which comprise of 335,689 square feet. The living units consist of three housing unit clusters with a total of 14 housing units, one receiving unit, one segregation unit and a 15-bed health care unit. The facility sits on 100 acres with 50 acres enclosed by fencing.

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Crossroads Adult Transitional Center
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Crossroads Adult Transitional Center is located on the west side of Chicago. It is a minimum-security male facility, one of four ATCs remaining within the Illinois Department of Corrections. Crossroads has been operated contractually by the non-profit Safer Foundation for more than 30 years.

Danville Correctional Center
Danville Correctional Center
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Danville Correctional Center is located in Danville, Illinois, about a two and a half hours drive south of Chicago and 40 minute drive east of Champaign at the Indiana border. It is a medium-security male facility that offers notable volunteer educational programs within the Illinois Department of Corrections, including the University of Illinois’ Education Justice Project and the Divine Hope Reformed Bible Seminary.

Decatur Correctional Center
Decatur Correctional Center
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Decatur Correctional Center (Decatur) is located in Decatur, Illinois, about three hours southwest of Chicago. Decatur is the minimum-security female facility within the Illinois Department of Corrections (IDOC), now one of only two female correctional centers amongst the 27 IDOC parent facilities.

Dixon Correctional Center
Dixon Correctional Center
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Dixon Correctional Center is a medium-security facility that also operates: the maximum-security Dixon Psychiatric Unit, which serves as the primary psychiatric correctional facility for the Illinois Department of Corrections; a Special Treatment Center for people with mental illness or developmental disabilities; and a substantial healthcare unit.

Dwight Correctional Center
Dwight Correctional Center
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Dwight Correctional Center was the state’s only Level One maximum-security adult female facility. Dwight also housed medium and minimum-security residents, and handled the intake, classification and processing center for adult females for the entire state. The facility was located in Dwight, Illinois, about one and one half hours southwest of Chicago. It is now closed.

Dwight Reception and Classification Center
Dwight Reception and Classification Center
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The Dwight Reception and Classification (DRC) served as the intake, classification and processing center for all adult females in Illinois. The facility was housed within Dwight Correctional Center (Dwight), a maximum security adult female correctional center. It is now closed.

East Moline Correctional Center
East Moline Correctional Center
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East Moline Correctional Center is a minimum security adult male facility. The facility is located in northwest Illinois overlooking the Mississippi River. The facility was converted from a mental health facility in 1980. The facility consists of a total of 26 buildings, which comprise of more than 430,000 square feet. Included at the center are housing units, work camp, administration building, one segregation unit and a 12-bed health care unit.

Fox Valley Adult Transitional Center
Fox Valley Adult Transitional Center
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Fox Valley Adult Transition Center is located in Aurora, Illinois, about 40 miles outside of Chicago. It is a minimum-security female facility and the only female ATC, or work release center, within the Illinois Department of Corrections.

 

 Prison Communications Data & Reports

JHA serves as a critical resource and outlet for incarcerated people in Illinois. Incarcerated individuals often have limited access to information from reliable sources and little contact with the outside world. JHA provides a human connection as well as needed information.

JHA reads every letter and email sent to us, and listens to all voicemails; we track the information reported to us. This provides us with valuable quantitative information we use in our advocacy work - both when working with individual correctional facilities and when seeking system-wide reform. Unfortunately, as demand has outpaced supply, we are currently unable to respond to all communications sent to us.

Explore reports about and data from our prison communications program below or view ways to contact us.

 
 
 
 
 

IDOC Data & Analysis

 

Age at custody as of 6/30/22

Age at custody over time

Comparison at age of custody at Stateville vs. all other facilities

Data Visualization Tools for Illinois Prison Population

The data visualization tools below enable different presentations of data regarding the Illinois prison population – they can be limited by date and prison and have different tabs for looking at different variables. These were built from IDOC’s public datasets using the methodology described here. IDOC’s official admissions and recidivism rates are reported in fact sheets publicly available on IDOC’s website. Any errors found in these tools should be attributed to JHA.

  • Single deep dive: Allows you to look at different multi-level single variables (e.g., age, sex, race, offense type, etc.) of the IDOC prison population as of a particular date.

  • Compare facilities: Allows you to look at the population of a particular IDOC prison compared to the rest of the IDOC population over time.

  • Change over time: Allows you to look at the IDOC prison population’s change over time for various variables.

Additional data & analyses available:

Art & Writing from
People Incarcerated in Illinois

Cartoon by Arkee Chaney, a formerly incarcerated artist. www.arkeestudios.com

Cartoon by Arkee Chaney, a formerly incarcerated artist. www.arkeestudios.com

Each year, JHA receives hundreds of letters from people who are incarcerated. Some of those letters contain poems, cartoons, or other pieces of art that incarcerated people wish to share with us. Incarcerated people also share other publications with us, including articles and magazines created for their peers. While we can only showcase a sample on our website, we greatly appreciate receiving what people send to us. This section is generously sponsored by The Di Lullo Family.