15 Jun Illinois Failing Key Pillar of COVID-19 Response
Governor JB Pritzker must address persistent racial inequities in the Illinois criminal legal system, including with COVID-19 early prison releases. ...
12 Jun John Howard Association Survey Sheds Light on COVID-19 in Illinois Prisons
We must treat people who are incarcerated with compassion, especially now during the COVID-19 pandemic. But, for nearly three months, incarcerated people and their loved ones have reported a lack of soap and cleaning products, and a lack of adequate healthcare. In order to identify...
10 Jun Status of Illinois Court Hearings: Most Circuits Operating Again After COVID-19 Closures
Court hearings throughout the state were cancelled this spring, as COVID-19 caused Illinois (and most of the country) to shut down. Courts are again holding hearings, but there may still be delays. We’ve compiled information about the status of hearings in each Illinois circuit. Find more...
02 Jun Governor Pritzker, IDOC Correct to Continue Temporary Moratorium of Transfers Between Jails, Prisons
Preventing Further Death in Prisons Requires Tough Choices Governor Pritzker and the Illinois Department of Corrections are correct to continue their freeze on transfers between county jails and Illinois prisons. As our state enters Phase 3 of the Restore Illinois plan, it is clear congregate settings...
21 May COVID-19 Webinar: Advocating for Your Incarcerated Loved Ones
This webinar will help you develop strategies for advocating for your loved ones during this COVID-19 pandemic. Find tips and tools for contacting officials and for demanding better conditions. https://youtu.be/we8HzWa4NXU ...
05 May IDOC Release Information
Prosecutors and state representatives have tried to weaponize Illinois Department of Corrections (IDOC) release information. They have conflated people who served their entire sentences with people who were released early. They've conflated discretionary sentencing credit-based releases with clemencies. Read more here. Restore Justice is working...
01 May The Facts About Illinois’s 848 (not 4,000) COVID-19 Related Early Prison Releases
This photo was shared with Restore Justice by our partners at the Uptown People's Law Center. This is a cell shared by two people at Menard Correctional Center. Illinois's prisons are overcrowded, which makes them particularly vulnerable to COVID-19. Update 5/28/20: IDOC has continued small...
27 Apr Updated Recommendations: COVID-19 and Prison Communities
Updated April 27, 2020 Read our earlier recommendations here. Our state must continue to expand and accelerate early prison releases throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. Governor Pritzker must continue centralized early releases, expanding review to focus on anyone within 18 months of release, the terminally ill and disabled,...
22 Apr How You Can Help People Who Are Incarcerated
We need to treat people who are incarcerated compassionately. Restore Justice continues to push for our original recommendations. But, we also believe we have to advocate for transparency. The New York Times reported this week that 70 percent of the incarcerated people at one Ohio...