Alex Keefe

2 months ago | wbez.org | Alex Keefe

For Joseph, locked inside Menard Correctional Center, it sounds like “peace and quiet and not hearing keys jingle all day.”For Carrie, in Logan women’s prison, it’s gratitude for “rain falling on my forehead and grass between my toes.”But when we asked hundreds of people in Illinois prisons and jails how they define “rehabilitation” – which is supposed to be a core tenet of Illinois’ criminal justice system – many more responded like Stacy Erica, inside Illinois River Correctional Center.

2 months ago | ourcommunitynow.com | Alex Keefe

For Joseph, locked inside Menard Correctional Center, it sounds like “peace and quiet and not hearing keys jingle all day.” For Carrie, in Logan women’s prison, it’s gratitude for “rain falling on my forehead and grass between my toes.” But when we asked hundreds of people in Illinois prisons and jails how they define “rehabilitation” – which is supposed to be a core tenet of Illinois’ criminal justice system – many more responded like Stacy Erica, inside Illinois River Correctional Center.

2 months ago | wbez.org | Alex Keefe

For Joseph, locked inside Menard Correctional Center, it sounds like “peace and quiet and not hearing keys jingle all day.”For Carrie, in Logan women’s prison, it’s gratitude for “rain falling on my forehead and grass between my toes.”But when we asked hundreds of people in Illinois prisons and jails how they define “rehabilitation” – which is supposed to be a core tenet of Illinois’ criminal justice system – many more responded like Stacy Erica, inside Illinois River Correctional Center.

Mar 5, 2025 | ourcommunitynow.com | Alex Keefe

Advocates pushing to repeal Illinois’ so-called “truth-in-sentencing” law are urging patience as they navigate competing bills through a General Assembly that’s still politically wary of voting on sweeping criminal justice reforms. Lawmakers and advocacy groups in the Credit for Change coalition are debating whether to go for a complete repeal of the law via House Bill 2367 (formerly H.B. 5219), or whether to take an incremental approach with H.B. 3449 .

Mar 5, 2025 | wbez.org | Alex Keefe

Advocates pushing to repeal Illinois’ so-called “truth-in-sentencing” law are urging patience as they navigate competing bills through a General Assembly that’s still politically wary of voting on sweeping criminal justice reforms. Lawmakers and advocacy groups in the Credit for Change coalition are debating whether to go for a complete repeal of the law via House Bill 2367 (formerly H.B. 5219), or whether to take an incremental approach with H.B. 3449.