I spent an unforgettable day with a group of men at the Kewanee Life Skills Re-Entry Center in Kewanee, Illinois this week. They were part of a book club, one of a dazzling array of activities offered at Kewanee, which I got to see on...
January 24, 2023; Chicago, IL. - A task force is recommending Illinois legislators create new pathways for people currently incarcerated to be resentenced. This marks the first time an Illinois government entity has recommended retroactive reform and acknowledged retroactive reform is both constitutional and overdue....
Restore Justice Policy Manager James Swansey prepared the following testimony for House Bill 1064. However, he ultimately did not need to deliver the testimony. The Illinois General Assembly passed House Bill 1064 in January 2023, sending it to Governor JB Pritzker. Thank you to the...
ILLINOIS LEGISLATURE MOVES TO ABOLISH LIFE WITHOUT PAROLE SENTENCES FOR CHILDREN & YOUNG ADULTS January 10, 2023 - Springfield, IL The Illinois General Assembly has moved to abolish life without the possibility of parole sentences for children and young adults. With a bipartisan vote, the Illinois Senate...
June 10, 2022 - Chicago, Il. We applaud Governor JB Pritzker, Senator Laura Fine (D-Glenview), Representative Robyn Gabel (D-Evanston), and the Illinois Department of Corrections for making Senate Bill 3180 law. Governor Pritzker signed this family-support measure into law today, and Senator Fine and Representative Gabel...
Dear friends, The Illinois General Assembly wrapped up the regular spring session on April 9, earlier than its usual May 31 end date. This was a unique election-year legislative session. The primary is usually held in March but was pushed back to June 28 because the...
Dear Friends, The Illinois General Assembly recently wrapped up the fall Veto Session in Springfield on October 28. While the Veto session is officially just a short opportunity for the legislature to reconsider any measure that the Governor vetoed, it is also an opportunity to continue...
Thank you! Thank you to everyone who has made Believe in BELIEVE 2021 possible. Thank you to everyone who donated, volunteered, called friends, and shared the information with your networks. And thank you to everyone who made this event a reality. Thank you to our...
Our advocacy training series for people with incarcerated loved ones will resume in the fall. See below for recordings of some of our previous sessions. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FxK2V3anCxY https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2qpqChKzKWU ...
Olivia Cal, a founding member of Communities and Relatives of Illinois’ Incarcerated Children, passed away on October 27 following a brief illness. Olivia advocated for children and families caught in the criminal legal system for nearly 30 years. She visited Springfield several times a year...
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