System 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.

Amidst 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.

JHA'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.

This 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.

This 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.

As 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.

The 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.

It 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.

JHA'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.

This 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.

In 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.

This report highlights our achievements in 2019 and also provides a look forward to our objectives in 2020.

From 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.

Following herein are some of JHA’s real-world observations made in the process of accompanying and, at times, endeavoring to assist people as they attempted to access critical reentry supports, resources and services following their release from prison.