Formerly incarcerated students can now Zoom back into prison to finish their degrees
The pandemic forced prison programs across Illinois to adapt to remote learning. It also paved a path for college students leaving prison.
Criminal Justice
The investigative reporters on WBEZ’s criminal justice desk tell the stories of the thousands of individuals churning through the legal systems every year in Chicago, Cook County and Illinois and hold to account the powerful officials in charge of those systems. Covering policing, jails and prisons, gun violence and solutions to it, WBEZ’s Criminal Justice team works to bring understanding to some of the most difficult problems facing our region.
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Two Chicago-area sisters were sentenced to probation after pleading guilty to joining Jan. 6 Capitol riot
Federal prosecutors had asked that Trudy Castle and Kimberly DiFrancesco serve at least 30 days in jail, followed by 36 months of probation and 60 hours of community service.
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Lockdowns and transfers have disrupted college classes for students at this Illinois prison
Stateville prison has the most postsecondary programming of any Illinois prison. But the recent transfer of dozens of students, and persistent lockdowns are disrupting educational opportunities.
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How to understand crime statistics this election season
Politicians are talking about recent spikes in crime, which can be scary to hear about, but the statistics many of them use are misleading.
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Formerly-incarcerated Illinoisans could become a powerful voting bloc
A coalition of organizations want to mobilize the millions of former prisoners in Illinois.
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Lying officers unpunished in 2018 inmate death, records show
Three former Illinois prison guards face life behind bars after the 2018 fatal beating of a 65-year-old inmate in a case marked by the unpunished lies of other correctional officers.
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Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker moves to make abortion more accessible to people in prisons
In removing fees and promising access, Illinois joins a handful of states providing abortions for incarcerated people.
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14 shot in Chicago’s East Garfield Park on Halloween night — including 3 kids
The drive-by was among nine mass shootings that took place this Halloween weekend across the U.S. — from Florida to California.
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What forms of self-defense are protected under law?
And are victims of abuse who fight back given harsher punishment?
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14 people shot, including 3 children, in East Garfield Park
The drive-by shooting on the West Side was one of the worst mass shootings in Chicago in recent years.
