Peer Support Programs have the potential to address a multitude of the issues that JHA identifies through our monitoring work. Not only is there an enormous need for care, but also a need for productive programming and the opportunity to learn skills that people can use to improve their daily lives while incarcerated, which will ideally also provide them with employment opportunities upon release.
We thank the Michael Reese Health Trust for funding this project. (March 2025)
Read MoreThe phrase “reentry preparation begins the first day of incarceration” has been widely used in recent years, but evidence of it happening is scant. However, the formation of the IDOC Reentry Unit in 2020 demonstrates increased focus on preparing individuals nearing release. JHA has spent time over the past few years taking a deeper look at how this unit functions and how IDOC is preparing people for release. In Part 1 of our Reentry Report, JHA discussed IDOC’s reentry-dedicated facilities: 2 Life Skills Reentry Centers and 4 Adult Transition Centers. Today we are pleased to share Part 2 of JHA’s Reentry Report, focused on Lincoln, Jacksonville, and Southwestern as reentry-focused prisons; the reentry unit at Danville is also discussed. (April 2025)
Read MoreRead JHA’s 2024 Annual Report
Read MoreJHA visited all six reentry facilities between July 2022 and July 2023 in order to report on the resources available within IDOC’s best established and most intensive reentry-focused settings. Findings from these visits, data, and JHA’s ongoing communications and survey work indicate that reentry facilities remain relatively successful, productive, and well-received compared to IDOC prisons, and yet are vastly underutilized. Most existing reentry facilities have populations far below reported capacities, and even at full capacity, could only serve a small percentage of the IDOC population potentially meeting eligibility criteria. Further, they remain regionally limited, particularly for women. (Dec 2024)
Ensuring the safe and secure operation of Illinois’ prisons is a critical state function, yet the Illinois Department of Corrections (IDOC) is facing a chronic staffing shortage that jeopardizes the health, safety, and well-being of staff and incarcerated people. The purpose of this report is to document the nature and scope of staffing shortages in Illinois’ prisons, detail the harms to incarcerated people and staff, and make recommendations for urgent and vital action to address the identified challenges. (Oct 2024)
Read MoreRegular 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)
Read MoreWhat 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.
Read MoreSystem 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.
Read MoreAmidst 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.
Read MoreJHA'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.
Read MoreThis 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.
Read MoreThis 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.
Read MoreAs 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.
Read MoreThe 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.
Read MoreIt 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.
Read MoreJHA's 2020 Annual Report highlights some of our most important work from this past year and previews some of the initiatives we will be undertaking in 2021. We will continue to fight for the health and safety of those living and working in prisons during this unprecedented time and to advocate for increased transparency and government accountability.
Read MoreThis report on the Illinois Department of Corrections disciplinary process addresses three key findings derived from research conducted for a graduate thesis written by JHA staff during their candidacy for a degree of Master of Arts in Criminal Justice and Criminology at Loyola University Chicago. The full thesis is also available.
Read MoreIn March of 2020, the Juvenile Justice Initiative, John Howard Association and the Raphah Institute sent staff members to Hamburg, Germany to see their prison system firsthand. JHA Corrections Policy Analyst Phil Whittington participated in this comparative correctional systems work, touring and evaluating prisons in Germany that evidence a humane, rehabilitative model.
Read MoreThis report highlights our achievements in 2019 and also provides a look forward to our objectives in 2020.
Read MoreFrom our work, it is apparent that access to law libraries and legal information, and hence to courts, is an area of concern. This report memorializes our findings and presents nine recommendations for our state to better meet the needs and constitutional rights of people who are incarcerated in Illinois.
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