John Howard Association in the News
2019
Mysterious Prison Deaths In Illinois Linked To ‘Unknown Substance’ And Falsified Documents, WBEZ 91.5, 8/26/2019
The truth about suicide behind bars is knowable, The Hill, 8/13/19
U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin files bill to abolish death penalty nationwide, MDJ Online, 8/12/19
Surveys say prison conditions troubling, The Edwardsville Intelligencer, 8/12/19
Surveys say prison conditions troubling, Jacksonville Journal Courier, 8/12/19
Surveys say prison conditions troubling, Alton Telegraph, 8/12/19
U.S. Prisons Need a Board of Visitors, Medium, 8/8/19
Surveys Reveal Troubling Conditions Inside Illinois Prisons, Public News Service, 8/1/19
Surveys Reveal Troubling Conditions Inside Illinois Prisons, WKEI Talk Radio, 8/1/19
A prison reform group called a strip search exercise at the Lincoln Correctional Center 'dehumanizing.' The courts had a different view., Herald & Review, 7/22/19
Reform group disappointed by ruling involving Lincoln inmates, The Pantagraph, 7/22/19
Transgender woman released from prison after long battle, Sauk Valley Online Newspaper, 7/9/19
Transgender Woman Released From Illinois Prison After Long Battle, WBEZ News, 7/9/19
IDOC Director On Book Removal: Lack Of Policy, Oversight At State Prisons, WILL News - Illinois Public Media, 7/9/19
Illinois Issues: Are Correctional Boot Camps Underutilized?, NPR 91.9, 6/26/19
Will County puts off vote on using suits to recoup costs from ex-inmates, Chicago Tribune, 5/21/19
State Workers Violently Assaulted in Illinois Youth Centers, NBC 5, 5/14/19
Lawmakers Renew Effort To Eliminate Prisoner Medical Co-Pays, Illinois Public Media, 5/14/19
Will County considering lawsuits against inmates to recoup costs of incarceration, Chicago Tribune, 5/14/19
Illinois Legislators are Calling For Changes to a Law That Keeps People In Prison Without a Conviction, Frontline, 5/3/19
Prison Reform Group Sheds Light On Need For State Funded Halfway Houses, WBEZ 91.5, 4/9/19
Parole options increase for young offenders, Galesburg Register-Mail, 4/4/19
Kirkland Helps Minors Shake Adult Time Over Jail Scuffles, Law 360, 3/17/19
Southern Illinois lawmakers keep pushing to reopen Tamms Correctional Center's work camp, The Southern, 3/16/19
New Bill Would Force Transparency On How People Die In Prison, WBEZ 91.5, 3/11/19
Bill would allow prisoners to search online for jobs before release, Pekin Daily Times, 2/12/19
Pritzker unveils justice reform initiative, Chicago Sun-Times, 2/11/19
Illinois Bill Would OK Inmate Pre-Release Job Searches, Government Technology, 2/11/19
Bill would allow prisoners to search online for jobs before release, Galesburg Register-Mail, 2/10/19
Report: Prisoners In Work Release Program Struggle With Healthcare Costs, State IDs, NPR 91.9, 1/31/19
Column: Illinois now has the lowest prison phone rates in the nation, and that's a good thing, Chicago Tribune, 1/24/19
Excerpts from recent editorials in newspapers in Illinois, Charlotte Observer, 1/15/19
Murdered Illinois Inmate’s Family Suing for Answers, Legal Reader, 1/14/19
EDITORIAL: No more foot-dragging on getting proper health care for prisoners, Chicago Sun-Times, 1/13/19
Lawsuit: Springfield man killed fellow inmate in state prison, The State Journal-Register, 1/11/19
2018
6 Young Men, Given Adult Sentences for “Minor” Infractions, Are Freed in Illinois, ProPublica, 12/28/18
J.B. Pritzker wants criminal justice reform. Here's how it could work. Herald & Review, 12/26/18
Pritzker moves criminal justice reform under one roof, Bloomington Pantagraph, 12/23/18
Solitary confinement: A human rights issue within U.S. borders, Medill Reports Chicago, 12/13/18
EDITORIAL: Steal $33 worth of underwear, go to prison for 10 years, Chicago Sun Times, 12/10/18
Medical Co-Pays for Prisoners Remain Unchanged, Alton Daily News, 12/10/18
Report: Doctors at Illinois youth prison gave kids antipsychotic medication for common behavioral problems, Chicago Reporter, 12/3/18
Effort To Eliminate Medical Co-Pay For Prison Inmates Fails, NPR, 12/3/18
Foxx, Gordon-Booth, Kelly to co-chair Pritzker's Restorative Justice and Safe Communities Committee, Capitol Fax, 11/30/18
Inmate Dies After Altercation With Prison Staff, Death Ruled A Homicide, WBEZ 91.5 Chicago, 11/15/18
#MeToo comes to prison: Illicit sex reports increase at women’s lockup, Illinois Times, 11/13/18
4 Months After An Illinois Prison Death, Family Still Doesn’t Have Any Answers, WBEZ 91.5, 11/1/18
La Verdad Nos Hace Libres, dialoga sobre el sistema de justicia penal en EE.UU., Enlace TV, 10/23/18
Progress slow in prison reform; politics seems the reason, Injustice Watch, 9/19/18
Prisoners frustrated by slow movement of law offering early release opportunity, Injustice Watch, 9/19/18
Beyond the Beltway with Bruce DuMont, 9/16/18
Prison-Reform Advocates Urge Rauner to Sign Medical Co-Pay Bill, Public News Service, 8/10/18
How Low Literacy Rates and Lack of Education Funding Fuel the Cycle of Incarceration, Truthout, 8/5/18
America's Criminal Justice System: Essential for the Rule of Law, World Justice Project event, 8/4/18
Problems of Prisoner Review Board go beyond voting records, attorney writes, Injustice Watch, 8/2/18
Illinois parole board rarely grants inmates release, Rockford Register Star, 7/28/18
Prisoner Review Board routinely rejects parole, 1 member nearly always saying no, Chicago Sun Times, 7/27/18
Crosby: Inmate's letter of gratitude reveals 'hope is a dangerous thing in prison', Chicago Tribune/The Beacon-News, 7/27/18
California, Like Other States, Needs Independent Monitor to Solidify Reform, Ward Off Abuses, Juvenile Justice Information Exchange, 7/25/18
Criminal justice reform group says stigma on ex-offenders must end, Illinois News Network, 7/6/18
Criminal Justice Group: Stigma on Ex-Offenders Must End, Riverbender.com, 7/6/18
Criminal justice reform groups pushes to destigmatize ex offenders, Illinois News Network, 7/5/18
Illinois Parolee Can't Find a Home, Delaware Public Media, 6/16/18
State Struggling To House Paroled Prisoner As Communities Push Him Out, WBEZ, 6/9/18
Cheers and Jeers, Moline Dispatch and Rock Island Argus, 6/9/18
Reaction mixed on Rauner death penalty plan, Herald & Review, 5/21/18
Reaction mixed on Rauner death penalty plan, Bloomington Pantagraph, 5/21/18
Illinois Democrats grill Rauner aide on death penalty plan, Herald & Review, 5/21/18
Rauner on death penalty: More Politics than Policy?, Capitol Fax, 5/16/18
Rauner wants to bring death penalty back to Illinois, raise standard of proof, Cherokee Tribune & Ledger-News, 5/15/18
Rauner wants to bring death penalty back to Illinois, raise standard of proof, Illinois News Network, 5/15/18
Rauner wants to bring death penalty back to Illinois, raise standard of proof, Neighbor News Online, 5/15/18
Rauner proposes re-instituting death penalty, Illinois News Network, 5/14/18
Rauner proposes re-instituting death penalty, Cherokee Tribune & Ledger-News, 5/14/18
Rauner proposes re-instituting death penalty, LCBC Radio, 5/14/18
Number of moms in U.S. prisons on the rise, but each time that happens 'you incarcerate the whole family,' Chicago woman says of experience, Chicago Tribune, 5/13/18
In Decatur prison, technology removes barriers for moms behind bars, Herald & Review, 5/13/18
Technology removes barriers for moms behind bars, Bloomington Pantagraph, 5/13/18
Reforms in Illinois juvenile system blocked by youth assaults, San Quentin News, 5/8/18
Illinois Inmates Hope To Get Into This Prison, WBEZ 91.5, 5/7/18
Youth riot at Illinois Youth Center-St. Charles caused serious injury, Kane County Chronicle, 5/4/18
Legislation would let police withhold arrest details for weeks, Daily Herald, 4/13/18
IDOC Re-Entry Center set to open in Murphysboro aims to give adults exiting prison tools to succeed, The Southern Illinoisan, 2/6/18
Incarceration Numbers Fall in Illinois, WBGZ Radio/Alton Daily News, 2/2/18
Illinois incarceration rates decline, but state may be able to do more, Illinois News Network, 2/1/18
Illinois incarceration rates decline, but state may be able to do more, Macomb County News, 2/1/18
Restoring the State Legacy of Rehabilitation and Reform, Northwestern University Bluhm Legal Clinic Children & Family Justice Center, January 2018
Forging Solutions to the Difficulties Faced by Older Returning Citizens, Summit on Reentry, Reintegration and Aging hosted by the Jane Addams Center for Social Policy and Research - which focused on solutions to the barriers faced by older returning citizens as they reenter the community. Watch JHA's Director, Prison Monitoring Gwyn Troyer as she speaks about these challenges.
Book ban backlash in N.J. prisons raises local questions, even after reversal, Chicago Tribune, 1/12/18
Prisoner Review Board member made racist remark as sheriff’s deputy, Rock River Times, 1/4/18
Why Makeup Matters to Women in Prison, Racked, 1/3/18
2017
Illinois Prison Population on Decline, WGBZ Radio, 12/26/17
Corrections watchdog: More needs to be done for criminal justice reform, Springfield Daily, 12/26/17
Corrections watchdog: More needs to be done for criminal justice reform, Citizen Tribune, 12/25/17
Corrections watchdog: More needs to be done for criminal justice reform, Illinois News Network, 12/25/17
Advocacy group lauds Kane County Juvenile Justice Center; changes also recommended, Kane County Chronicle, 12/21/17
IDOC sees spike in alcohol brewed by inmates, Illinois News Network, 12/16/17
IDOC sees spike in alcohol brewed by inmates, Heartland Newsfeed, 12/16/17
Bryant focuses on budget, safety at correctional facilities during House panel hearing, SW Illinois News, 12/5/17
For some families, costs put visits with McHenry County inmates out of reach, Northwest Herald, 10/26/17
For Some Youths, ‘Minor’ Offenses Lead to Major Sentences in Adult Prison, Truthdig, 10/25/17
For Some Youths, ‘Minor’ Offenses Lead to Major Sentences in Adult Prison, ProPublica Illinois, 10/25/17
The Long Wait Part 1 of 3: Aging prisoners left to arbitrary process to win release, Injustice Watch, 10/2/17
Ripper Crew member to join others incarcerated past their parole dates due to housing issues, Chicago Tribune, 9/29/17
Getting a clean slate in the Prairie State, Chicago Lawyer, 8/29/17
Proposed law would punish parents of Chicago gun offenders, Illinois News Network, 8/7/17
Illinois Inmates Could Be Serving Shorter Sentences, Alton Daily News, 8/2/17
Advocates: New sentences for juvenile inmates part of national trend, Illinois News Network, 8/2/17
Editorial: Adult criminal charges no way to rehabilitate youth, Quad-Cities Online, 7/22/17
Juvenile Jail Too Hard On Some Offenders, Advocate Says, CBS, 6/16/17
Federal oversight of Cook County jail ends after decades, Peoria Public Radio, 6/14/17
A federal judge is ending years of monitoring at the Cook County Jail since it is meeting conditions set by a consent decree, WBEZ Radio, 6/13/17
Cook County Jail exits federal oversight of more than 40 years, Chicago Tribune, 6/13/17
Workshop for those impacted by incarceration, WCIA, 6/8/17
A Plea From Inside: Prisons Must Offer College Classes, Truthout, 6/7/17
How New York journalists overcame barriers to prison access and opened the world’s eyes to the horrors of Rikers, Media Matters for America, 5/30/17
Theater events, Daily Herald, 5/12/17
Cook County Settles Hundreds Of Jail Lawsuits — Are They Frivolous Or Valid?, WBEZ 91.5, 5/11/17
David Guiliani's weekly "As It Is" column, The Times, 5/7/17
Female inmates focus of House prison-reform measure, The Pantagraph, 5/2/17
Bill adds women's services division to IDOC, Herald & Review, 5/1/17
Williams' 'Nightingale' play inspires recipe evoking prison memories, Chicago Tribune, 4/28/17
NOT ABOUT NIGHTINGALES Audience Engagement Events Announced, Broadway World Chicago, 4/26/17
Diversion program aims to placate bill’s critics, Chicago Daily Law Bulletin, 4/10/17
Ex-cons will showcase ‘harsh realities’ of prison Sunday at Ms. D’s Kitchen, State Journal-Register, 4/7/17
AP NewsBreak: Illinois Governor Seeks Prison Tower Cameras, US News & World Report, 3/22/17
Rauner wants cameras in prison towers to cut OT costs, The State-Journal Register, 3/22/17
Illinois governor seeks prison tower cameras, Danville Commercial-News, 3/22/17
Illinois governor seeks prison tower cameras, The Galesburg-Register Mail, 3/22/17
Illinois governor seeks prison tower cameras, News Chief, 3/22/17
‘Club Fed’ or ‘terrible place?’ Drew Peterson’s new living conditions still unclear, Peoria Journal Star, 3/5/17
Illinois Prison Reform" on At Issue with Craig Dellimore, WBBM Radio, 1/15/17
Criminal Justice Reform Commission Releases Final Report, Chicago Daily Law Bulletin, 1/13/17
Criminal Justice Reform Commission Releases Final Report, SAT Releases, 1/12/17
Criminal Justice Reform Commission Releases Final Report, Military Technologies, 1/11/17
Criminal Justice Reform Commission Releases Final Report, Office of Governor Rauner, 1/10/17
2016
Editorial: More work to do on helping parolees get ID, The Dispatch and The Rock Island Argus, Quad Cities Online, 12/29/16
Illinois rethinks its approach to juvenile justice, Christian Science Monitor, 12/22/16
Prison population down 9 percent under Rauner, Bloomington Pantagraph, 12/21/16
Guest Column: State ID bill for released inmates doesn't get the job done, The State Journal Register, 12/21/16
Illinois prison population down 9 percent under Rauner, Quad City Times, 12/19/16
Prison population down 9%, Journal Gazette and Times-Courier, 12/18/16
State's prison population on decline, Herald & Review 12/18/16
State's prison population on decline, Liberty Tribune, 12/18/16
Prison population down 9 percent under Rauner, Miami County Republic, 12/16/16
Rauner Signs Law Allowing IDs for Released Inmates, WBEZ 12/16/16
Freed-inmate ID bill draws support, but group says more could be done, Illinois News Network, 12/14/16
Guest Commentary: State-ID bill ignores underlying issues, The News-Gazette, 12/13/16
Past is not present: unconvential re-entry programs fight recidivism, The Columbia Chronicle, 12/12/16
State closes door on Stateville prison ’roundhouse’, Chicago Sun Times, 11/30/16
Keeping Parolees Out, Illinois Times, 11/4/16
Prison Watchdog Questions Tuesday Night Cook County Prison Fight Video, CBS Chicago, 10/26/16
Illinois Corrections proposes new limits on inmate segregation, Quad-City Times, 10/19/16
Rauner to shutter 'terrible,' outdated part of Stateville prison, Chicago Tribune, 10/18/16
Ex-Illinois youth prison to reopen as 'life skills' facility, Herald & Review, 10/14/16
Rauner: Lack of opportunity, not unfunded programs, fueling Chicago violence, Illinois News Network, 09/27/16
Racial disparities worsen as juvenile imprisonment declines in Illinois, The Chicago Reporter, 09/21/16
Racial disparities worsen as juvenile imprisonment declines in Illinois, Catalyst Chicago, 09/21/16
Violence in Chicago: A Special Edition of ‘Chicago Tonight’, WTTW Chicago Tonight, 09/20/16
CPD Superintendent Eddie Johnson Asks for Help on Violence, WTTW Chicago Tonight, 09/06/16
State prison population shrinks; still overcrowded, The Rock River Times, 08/31/16
Illinois’ Prison Population Falling – But Still Overcrowded, Vermilion County First, 08/28/16
Chicago City Council helps ex-offenders find jobs, Illinois News Network, 07/25/16
Licensing measure would help give former offenders a new start, Illinois News Network, 07/18/16
Prison watchdog group lands coveted grant, Chicago Sun-Times, 06/24/16
Getting a clean slate in the Prairie State, Chicago Lawyer, 06/16
IDOC director eager to start mental health overhaul, The Pantagraph, 05/22/16
IDOC director eager to start mental health overhaul, AMDA, 05/22/16
In the Loop: Illinois Prison Explosion, WYCC, 05/12/16
Does Illinois Put Too Many Prisoners In Solitary?, NPR, 05/11/16
Lawmakers Seek To Clear One Hurdle Preventing Prisoners From Getting Back On Track, WBEZ 91.5 Chicago, 03/07/16
New Bill Would Require Parolees To Get State IDs After Release, Northern Public Radio, 03/07/16
Prison Watchdog Blames Mandatory Minimum Sentences For Increasing Cost Of Criminal Justice System, CBS, 02/21/16
WBBM's At Issue: Criminal Justice Reform 2016, WBBM Newsradio, 02/16/16
Juvenile Detention Center to Close, WBGZ Radio, 02/14/16
2015
New Beginning for Cook County Juvenile Temporary Detention Center, WTTW Chicago Tonight, 10/25/15
Beyond the Beltway discussion on prison reform, Beyond the Beltway, 10/15/15
Prisoners’ Rights Group Hopes New IDOC Director Tackles Overcrowding, Treatment Of Mentally Ill, CBS, 09/28/15
The Real Piper Kerman, WTTW Chicago Tonight, 06/17/15
Report: Vienna prison 'worse than a Detroit homeless shelter', The Southern Illinoisan, 05/02/15
Prison Watchdog Group Watching U.S. Jails, 04/02/15
Dixon prison second-highest in state for OT pay, Sauk Valley, 02/20/15
Commission to address prison overcrowding, rehabilitation and other criminal justice reforms, Illinois News Network, 02/12/15
Rauner hopes to tackle prison crowding, understaffing, Quad City Times, 02/08/15
Illinois Criminal Justice Watchdog Wins MacArthur Award, Juvenile Justice Information Exchange, 02/06/15
Juvenile and criminal justice experts 'very pleased' with Gov. Rauner appointments, 01/31/15