Why We Issue Reports

What is the purpose of JHA’s prison monitoring reports?

JHA’s unique access to monitor confinement conditions and treatment and hear from incarcerated people and correctional staff across the state offers rare insight into the realities of prisons. These reports shine a light on issues and document observations and the information we collect and learn, as well as share agency responses when provided.

We believe sharing information is foundational to system change.

This is the best way to make sure that EVERYONE – legislators, judges, attorneys, administrators, individuals impacted by the justice system, academics, researchers, members of the media, correctional practitioners, criminal justice reform advocates, the public – has access to critical information on exactly what is happening inside Illinois’ prisons.

JHA’s reports are used in policy-making initiatives, in legislative testimonies, in news stories and scholarly articles, by individuals seeking to advocate for themselves or on behalf of a loved one, and in myriad criminal justice reform efforts.

JHA uses our monitoring work to fuel our advocacy efforts, and we invite others to use JHA’s reports to do the same.

At the heart of our mission is the belief that what people in our prisons experience is important and should matter to all of us. This is why we document and share the information we are able to access about and from our prisons.