About an hour west of Chicago is the youth prison in St. Charles.  The 125-acre campus is just one of a handful of facilities in Illinois where young men and boys are sent to be reformed. It is a facility that has had its struggles in the past - nearly two years ago an inmate committed suicide

In March 2010 WBEZ explored conditions at the facility, as part of the Inside and Out series. The John Howard Association has also been keeping an eye on St. Charles. Representatives of the prison watchdog group were at the facility back in May and recently issued a report on its findings. Chris Bernard, director of John Howard Association’s Juvenile Justice Project and author of the report, joined Eight Forty-Eight to discuss the continuing challenges facing the facility.

WBEZ will hear from Department of Juvenile Justice director Arthur Bishop on Thursday’s Morning Edition.

Music Button: Tristeza, “Golden Hill” from the release Spine&Sensory (Better Looking Records)