from the Inside.

Fall 2024

Our Future Generations Deserve Abundance, Not “State of the Art” Prisons.

This essay is a winner of Truthout’s 2024 Keeley Schenwar Memorial Essay Prize.

Spring 2024

The Spring 2024 edition of Stateville Speaks highlights stories and advocacy efforts addressing issues within the criminal justice system. It includes insights from incarcerated individuals, updates on policy reforms, and community initiatives aimed at fostering rehabilitation and justice. Readers can explore powerful narratives and calls to action that drive meaningful change.

Summer 2022

The article highlights the voices of women incarcerated at Logan Correctional Center who shared their experiences of surviving domestic and sexual violence, and their advocacy for criminal justice reform. Through a performance titled "Look At Me," these women, including Janet Jackson, Sharonda Miller, and Debraca Harris, discussed the need for legal reforms such as domestic violence law expansion and the repeal of Truth-in-Sentencing. The piece underscores their collective struggle to dismantle the systemic silencing of women and the importance of amplifying their stories in the fight for justice.

Winter 2023

Many incarcerated individuals in Illinois are awaiting clemency decisions, which can include pardons or sentence reductions, granted by the governor. Public hearings were held in January by the Prisoner Review Board (PRB), which will make confidential recommendations to Governor Pritzker. Clemency offers a way to address the harms of mass incarceration, and those awaiting decisions, along with their families, remain hopeful for freedom.