Every Donation Matters
We rely upon the generosity of individual, corporate and foundation donors committed to criminal justice system reform. We receive no government funding.
All donations to the John Howard Association are tax deductible. JHA is a registered 501(c)3 in the state of Illinois with EIN # 36-2167739. For more information please visit our GuideStar profile.
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Volunteer
Volunteers are critical to helping us fulfill our mission.
Volunteers help us with:
Prisoner Communications support: Assist in reviewing incoming reports about prison conditions, policies and the treatment of people in prison. Help JHA code and track issues in furtherance of our monitoring work.
General Administrative/Office & Fundraising
Citizen Prison Monitoring: Come with us to inspect Illinois' prisons and juvenile facilities and talk to incarcerated people and staff. (Volunteers interested in prison monitoring must first volunteer in an administrative role in our office.) To read our rules for visiting correctional facilities, please click here.
Note: At this time, JHA is not accepting volunteer applications. If you would like to submit your information for future consideration when we resume our volunteer program, please complete the form below. Thank you for your patience and understanding.
Contact Us
Report information or concerns to JHA using the form below.
Need to raise a concern directly to the Illinois Department of Corrections? Contact IDOC via their online form. You can also contact Natalie Mason, IDOC’s Family Liaison and part of their Office of Constituent Services, directly at 217-558-2200 x6226 (8:30am-4:30pm Mon-Fri) or DOC.Constituent.Services@illinois.gov. JHA is interested in hearing about your experience with this office.
Media Inquiries
The John Howard Association is the most reliable source for independent information about Illinois' adult and juvenile prison systems.
For media inquiries, please contact JHA's Executive Director, Jennifer Vollen-Katz, at jvollen@thejha.org or 312.291.9183.
Prison Communications program
People currently incarcerated in Illinois prisons/jails can send us privileged mail to report concerns at John Howard Association, P.O. Box 10042, Chicago, IL 60610-0042.
Other Inquiries
For all other inquiries, please contact Office Manager Dan Hoffman at 312-291-9183 or dhoffman@thejha.org.
Internships
If you are interested in interning at JHA, please send your resume and a cover letter to Dan Hoffman. Indicate what dates you are available to intern in your cover letter. All internships at JHA are unpaid.