IL DOC is now scanning, and destroying, mail to people inside. Gov. Pritzker just signed a new law collecting data on how contraband is entering prisons, so why is this being done now? Tell JCAR to stop this: 217/785-2254 [email protected]

“There’s this culture — [Illinois] DOC officials, going all the way up to the director, have known about it for years and have done nothing to remedy it,” said Nicole Schult, legal director at UPLC. More coverage of our lawsuits about sexual assaults by prison staff on @wttw.bsky.social:

Today, Illinois celebrates the second anniversary of the successful implementation of the Pretrial Fairness Act and the end of money bond! Read our full statement here: endmoneybond.org/2025/09/18/c...

Today, we joined other organizations in filing 7 lawsuits that reveal a pervasive culture of sexual assault by correctional officers at Logan prison in Illinois. Individual perpetrators must face accountability, and the DOC must address this ongoing cycle of abuse, cover-ups, and retaliation.

The federal gov't controls only a small portion of U.S. imprisonment. But the Trump WH is using funding & influence to pressure states & cities to expand & intensify criminal legal systems, by dismantling due process, increasing harsh sentences, & worsening prison conditions. From @prisonpolicy.org:

Today is National Voter Registration Day. You should know: (1/2)

IL DOC's "Emergency Rule" to scan prison mail is a self-made emergency to restrict and monetize communications between people in prison and their loved ones. Tell JCAR not to let these proceed! 217/785-2254 [email protected]

Read the open letter we wrote w/other orgs: IL DOC’s "emergency" mail policy risks exposing confidential legal mail, delaying urgent responses, & cutting off family contact for people in prison. We urge JCAR to oppose this harmful rule, which erodes privacy, justice, & connection for people inside!

Chicago spent $231.2M on police misconduct lawsuits in just 7 months. Chicago can’t afford endless payouts for cops to abuse people. Real accountability and reform are overdue.

Lawmakers in Connecticut are considering a bill to make it illegal for businesses and individuals in the state to manufacture, sell, or supply drugs or devices for use in executions anywhere in the country. This is a great step against profiteering from capital punishment!

Trump’s plan to deploy military to Chicago could cost $1.6M per day—4x what it would take to house the city's unhoused! Our unhoused neighbors in Uptown are vulnerable during this manufactured crisis. We stand ready to continue to protect them & fight for the real solution: more affordable housing.

Mail from loved ones and friends provides a vital lifeline for people in prison. Illinois prisons banning physical mail is harmful and unnecessary. There is no evidence that prison mail scanning reduces contraband—to the contrary, there IS evidence it does NOT address it.

Hands Off Chicago is a grassroots effort to oppose military intervention in Chicago. Chicago does NOT welcome Trump's illegal and unnecessary invasion!

President Trump's executive order threatening the funding of jurisdictions that have moved away from cash bail is one more tactic in his platform of anti-Black racism and oppression. Illinois' passage of the Pre-Trial Fairness Act that ended money bail was groundbreaking, and we will not go back.

Neurodivergent youth of color in custody are more than twice as likely to experience physical assault by staff as their white, neurotypical peers. This is racism combined with ableism. Youth imprisonment puts the most vulnerable at greatest risk.

A former Indiana women’s prison officer was convicted of raping an imprisoned woman. While rape of prisoners by staff is not uncommon, convictions like this are rare. Justice and accountability are urgently needed!

Illinois has taken a historic step for justice, & will no longer be one of three US states without state oversight of trial-level public defense services. This new statewide public defender system means better oversight and fairer trials, no matter the county. Every person deserves quality defense!

Illinois prisons are seeing record lockdowns, which strip people of visits, programs, and basic dignity. Overuse of lockdowns is a crisis that undermines justice and human rights. Hear from people in prison what a lockdown is like:

Just how much can the president and federal government shape the criminal legal system in the US? Read @prisonpolicy.org's primer:

Mail-in voting is essential to ensuring votes from people in jail are counted. Trump is trying to do away with this system.

Approximately 90% of immigrants detained by ICE are now in private prisons. These companies make record profits from abuse, neglect, and human rights violations. End for-profit detention now!

Illinois’ UIC forensics lab used junk science for cannabis DUIs, causing wrongful convictions for years. Lax oversight enabled this injustice. People deserve transparency and protection from bad forensic evidence!

Trump wants to end Illinois’ Pretrial Fairness Act and bring back money bail, which disproportionately punishes poor people. Call Gov. Pritzker and IL legislators to defend this historic victory and protect justice!

Depending on where a tent city is in Chicago, the response to it will be different. Regardless of their location, unhoused people are neighbors, and housing is a human right: give them a home, or leave them alone!

Felony murder law locks people up for deaths they didn’t cause or intend. Illinois' felony murder law was narrowed by reforms in 2021, but remains a form of first-degree murder, carrying long sentences. And people convicted before the reform remain in prison.

"Climate scientists warn that Illinois will soon be part of an 'extreme heat belt,' where heat index levels could exceed 125°F by 2053. For those incarcerated, the risks are magnified by old buildings, toxic water, and a system that prioritizes punishment over health and safety."

Trump wants to kill the Pretrial Fairness Act and bring back money bail, which locks people up people for being poor, not dangerous. Illinois chose justice; don’t let Trump drag us backward! Click here: bit.ly/BeatBackTrump

Adam Bryant died alone on Christmas, after days of neglect in solitary confinement. Solitary is torture, & every day, tens of thousands across the US are affected, including youth & vulnerable people. It’s well past time to end this inhumane practice. #StopSolitary

IL DOC ended its 10-year, $4B contract with Wexford Health, but new contractor Centurion has its own troubling track record: "Centurion faces allegations of malfeasance of almost every possible type for a corporation of its kind."

Alabama’s prison system is one of the most deadly in the US. Prisoners' loved ones are demanding urgent reform, not delays. Alabama, along with the rest of the country, must invest in safety, accountability, and true justice.

The U.S. locks up more people than any nation. This hurts families and communities, and doesn't make people safer. It's well past time to fund real alternatives. It’s time to decarcerate for safety, dignity, and justice for all.

A federal appeals court just gutted New Jersey’s private prison ban, opening the door to more profit-driven detention and abuse. UPLC stands with immigrant communities. Human rights must come before corporate gain.

People are being tortured in Illinois prisons due to the excessive heat. Call Gov. Pritzker TODAY and tell him this must be addressed! See the second image for what to say when you call.

A federal appeals court just gutted New Jersey’s private prison ban, opening the door to more profit-driven detention and abuse. UPLC stands with immigrant communities. Human rights must come before corporate gain.

Heat is about to rise again this week and it takes more than the small cup of ice people in prison are given to address this public health crisis. Take action now!

Venezuelan migrants detained in the El Salvador CECOT mega-prison describe appalling conditions: hunger, violence, and trauma. The inhumanity is appalling. This prison should be emptied immediately.

IL ranks 17th in the US for the affordability of a 15 minute call from prison. Meanwhile, in New York, starting next month all phone calls from state prisons will be FREE. This supports families and reentry. IL should follow NY's lead on this victory for dignity and justice!

Chicago’s housing crisis is far from solved: The number of longtime Chicagoans experiencing homelessness grew by 38% from January 2024 to January 2025. We demand bold action and real investment in affordable housing for everyone in this city. Housing is a human right!

Many NY prisons are keeping people in their cells 20 hours a day. The prisons have cancelled all summer programming, as well as weekend visits. "Understaffing" is being blamed for these awful conditions.

Shocking DOJ report reveals systemic abuse in federal prisons: people shackled for days, denied basic needs, even left with permanent injuries. No one should be treated this inhumanely, in or out of prison.

Without due process, no one is safe from deportation. This is inhumane, unjust, and it must stop!

People are being tortured in Illinois prisons due to the excessive heat. Call Gov. Pritzker TODAY and tell him this must be addressed! See the second image for what to say when you call.

Please call Gov. Pritzker! As temperatures rise, people are suffering inside Illinois' extremely old prisons. The heat is actually life-threatening. Call 217-782-6831; see second image for a script! #prisonersrights

"I’m worried that people are actually going to die," said our attorney Alyssa Meurer. "It’s emergency-level. It’s upwards of 100 degrees, 110 on some of those [floors], especially on the higher ones." Read this article about how climate change is affecting people held inside antiquated prisons.

Read this: Sweltering heat and no relief remains the norm in Illinois DOC. Please call the Governor's office to tell them to take action to protect people inside from heat related injuries and death: 217-782-6831.

ICYMI: our Legal Director Nicole Schult was quoted in this @wttw.bsky.social article about the first report released as part of the Nelson Mandela Data Collection Act in Illinois. #StopSolitary

UPLC will have a table at the Prison + Neighborhood Arts/Education Project event this weekend! There will be Jam Rock BBQ food, yard games, board games, street skeeball, and a mechanical bull! Come support PNAP's work:

We unequivocally condemn Trump's Executive Order criminalizing homelessness and bringing back the arcanely cruel practice of institutionalization and forced treatment. We need compassion, housing, and a community of care.

As temperatures climb across the country, people inside prisons suffer. This article is about Texas, but it is true nationwide: prisoners should be protected from extreme heat!

Last year, the state of WI said that only new books from preapproved vendors could be sent to people in prison. This forced the nonprofit Books to Prisoners to halt shipments of used books, cutting off access to free, diverse reading materials to people inside.