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Promoting public safety through cost-effective prison reform

Our Impact

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 Advocacy

At JHA, we fight for a criminal justice system that is fair, effective and humane.

We inform and educate the public, policymakers and stakeholders about the treatment of people and conditions inside of our prisons, and advocate for legislative and administrative changes in prison operations.

Our advocacy efforts drive change that improves the lives and outcomes for people in prison and in our communities, and demands better use of limited taxpayer-funded resources. 

Our work uncovers problems large and small in Illinois correctional facilities. This serves as the foundation for improving the lives of incarcerated people and their families, and driving change that is humane, fair and effective:

 
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Closing of facilities due to inhumane conditions

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Importance of opportunities for education and job skill training

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Need for quality medical and mental health care

Creating transparency

 

 Policy Statements

People who are incarcerated don’t have a say in their conditions of confinement. At JHA, we give them voice.

Read our positions on prison conditions and policy reform in Illinois.

 
Policy Statements
JHA Testimony on FY26 IDOC Proposed Budget (House)

JHA Testimony on the IDOC FY26 proposed budget given to the Illinois House of Representatives Appropriations—Public Safety Committee (March 19, 2025)

JHA Testimony on SB 2201: Track and Publicly Report Prison Contraband Data

SB2201 mandates the collection and publication of what contraband is getting into prisons, where it was identified and how it is getting in, and how to best stop it from entering IDOC facilities.  This information will increase the safety of correctional staff and people who are incarcerated in IDOC and allow for fact-based decision-making, leading to implementable and impactful policies. (March 18, 2025)

JHA Measuring Quality of Prison Life Survey Data Dashboard

In 2022-2023, JHA conducted our second system-wide survey in the Illinois Department of Corrections (IDOC) using an adapted Measuring the Quality of Prison Life (MQPL) survey. Today we are excited to share our MQPL Survey Dashboard built by our partners at the Loyola Chicago Center for Criminal Justice. (August 8, 2024)

JHA Testimony on Proposal to Close and Rebuild Stateville and Logan

John Howard Association Testimony on Proposal to Close and Rebuild Stateville and Logan Correctional Centers given to the Illinois Commission on Government Forecasting and Accountability (May 10, 2024)

JHA Testimony on FY25 IDOC Proposed Budget (Senate)

John Howard Association Testimony on the Illinois Department of Corrections FY25 Proposed Budget given to the Illinois State Senate Appropriations - Public Safety and Infrastructure Committee (April 17, 2024)

Petition for Emergency Action Under the Safe Drinking Water Act

On April 15, 2024 the Coalition to Decarcerate Illinois (of which JHA is a part) gathered outside of the Environmental Protection Agency to hold a press conference and deliver a legal petition to address the critical issue of unsafe drinking water and aging infrastructure that incarcerated community members have been forced to deal with for the past decades.

JHA Testimony on FY25 IDOC Proposed Budget (House)

John Howard Association Testimony on the Illinois Department of Corrections FY25 Proposed Budget given to the Illinois House of Representatives Appropriations—Public Safety Committee (March 20, 2024)

JHA Statement on Governor’s Announcement to Rebuild Logan and Stateville Correctional Centers

Today’s announcement by Governor Pritzker to shutter Logan and Stateville Correctional Centers in order to rebuild them recognizes that these prisons are decrepit, unsafe, and inhumane. However, this announcement does not address the fact that the Illinois prisons are currently well under capacity, with close to 12,000 excess prison beds throughout the system; we can and should also permanently close some of our worst prisons. (March 15, 2024)

JHA Testimony on FY25 IDJJ Proposed Budget (House)

John Howard Association Testimony on the Illinois Department of Juvenile Justice FY25 Proposed Budget to the Illinois House of Representatives Appropriations—Public Safety Committee (March 13, 2024)

Lockdowns harm people in IDOC: Lack of out-of-cell time is detrimental to health and safety

Throughout 2023 JHA received reports from people incarcerated in IDOC about lack of out-of-cell time and excessive lockdowns, which they in part attribute to low staffing levels. The Illinois Department of Corrections (IDOC) reports they continue to struggle with high levels of staff vacancies; in July, they reported nearly a third of correctional officer positions were vacant. These numbers have real consequences that make living and working inside of prisons more difficult and less safe for everyone. (Jan. 24, 2024)

 

 Results

Our work has lead to real change for incarcerated people and their loved ones. 

 
Success Stories
Thanks to JHA’s leadership, all youth in state custody will have their rights protected by the Office of the Independent Juvenile Ombudsman (OIJO)
Thanks to JHA’s leadership, all youth in state custody will have their rights protected by the Office of the Independent Juvenile Ombudsman (OIJO)

Public Act 103-0397, which was passed and signed into law in 2023, expands the remit of the OIJO to cover not only youth housed in Illinois’ five state juvenile prisons but also its 16 county-run juvenile detention centers. Protecting the rights of youth in custody and ensuring they have access to a trusted adult/office who can help them both understand and assert their rights and get assistance when needed is critical to the safety and well-being of this vulnerable population.

Read More →
IDOC Adds Agency Policies to its Website
IDOC Adds Agency Policies to its Website

For many years, JHA has been asking IDOC to make its agency policies publicly available in order to increase prison system transparency. We are pleased to see that there is now a place on IDOC's website to house administrative directives, with 299 currently available (as of February 2022).

Read More →
Death in Custody Reporting requirements are expanded and improved by mandating that information about people who die in law enforcement custody be made publicly available
Death in Custody Reporting requirements are expanded and improved by mandating that information about people who die in law enforcement custody be made publicly available

The DCRA requires that basic information be publicly reported about who, where, when, and other circumstances surrounding a death in custody. This information enables family members and other stakeholders to hold agencies accountable for the treatment of people in their custody, thus safeguarding the constitutional rights of Illinois residents.

Read More →
Mandatory Supervised Release to be modernized to better support re-entering citizens
Mandatory Supervised Release to be modernized to better support re-entering citizens

JHA championed the fight to modernize Mandatory Supervised Release, or MSR, in 2021. Every person sentenced to prison in Illinois is required to serve a term of MSR in the community after they complete their term of imprisonment. Approximately 24,000 Illinoisans were on MSR in early 2021.

Read More →
Sentencing Credit Reform is Important for Better Individual Outcomes and Correctional System Improvement
Sentencing Credit Reform is Important for Better Individual Outcomes and Correctional System Improvement

HB94 was signed into law by Governor Pritzker in August of 2019 and is a significant step forward in our effort to reform Illinois’ counterproductive and inhumane overreliance on incarceration. 

Read More →
Eliminating Medical Co-Pays for Prisoners
Eliminating Medical Co-Pays for Prisoners

In 2019, JHA successfully led the effort to abolish the $5 medical co-pay that incarcerated people in Illinois must pay to see a doctor.

Read More →
New Mandates on IDOC Data Collection and Reporting
New Mandates on IDOC Data Collection and Reporting

JHA led the legislative effort to pass a new law which requires the Illinois Department of Corrections to collect and publicly report critical data about incidents of violence within its facilities.

Read More →
JHA uncovered and exposed the overmedication of youth in prison
JHA uncovered and exposed the overmedication of youth in prison

The result? IDJJ changed its medication policies.

Read More →
 

 In The Media

 
News
Lockdowns, Staffing Shortages at Illinois Prisons Leads to Visit Cancellations
Lockdowns, Staffing Shortages at Illinois Prisons Leads to Visit Cancellations

“Cut visits are one impact of the “staffing crisis” IDOC is facing, as the prison watchdog group, John Howard Association, reported in the fall.” (WTTW)

Read More →
Guzmán measure increasing transparency on how contraband enters prisons passes Senate
Guzmán measure increasing transparency on how contraband enters prisons passes Senate

State Senator Graciela Guzmán’s latest initiative, which would collect and publicize data on contraband found in each Department of Corrections  facility, passed the Senate, making it one step closer to becoming law and preventing overdose in facilities throughout the state. (IL State Democrats)

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Illinois Pitches Two New Prisons as a Way to Modernize and Address Aging Facilities. Some Advocates Aren’t Sold
Illinois Pitches Two New Prisons as a Way to Modernize and Address Aging Facilities. Some Advocates Aren’t Sold

As Illinois’ prison population sits at a near 30-year low, the Illinois Department of Corrections has put out a bid to build two new 1,500-single-celled facilities. That bid is part of a $900 million plan to close Stateville and Logan Correctional Centers, both of which are in dismal condition. (WTTW)

Read More →
 
 

COVID-19

COVID-19 in Prisons

On this page you can find JHA publications related to COVID-19, information on how to contact IDOC, and information on how to report concerns to JHA.

COVID-19 Resources

Here you can find list of external resources related to COVID-19 as well as information on how to advocate on behalf of those who are incarcerated.