John Howard Association of Illinois

Working for Corrections Reform Since 1901

Publications
Cook County Jail

Crowding and Conditions of Confinement at the Cook County Department of Corrections, (January 15, 2010)(Report of the monitoring of the Cook County Jail pursuant to the Consent Decree in Duran v. Sheahan)

Crowding and Conditions of Confinement at the Cook County Department of Corrections (May 22, 2009) (Report of the monitoring of the Cook County Jail pursuant to the Consent Decree in Duran v. Sheahan)

Crowding and Conditions of Confinement at the Cook County Department of Corrections (August 8, 2008) (Report of the monitoring of the Cook County Jail pursuant to the Consent Decree in Duran v. Sheahan)


Executive Summaries of the following Duran Consent Decree Reports are available here: 

May 2002
July 2004
May 2005
 
 
Illinois Prisons / Illinois Department of Corrections

Dwight Correctional Center Monitoring Report, by Robert Manor, January 29, 2010

Testimony on Tamms Correctional Center by Cynthia Kobel (John Howard Association Board Member) -- delivered on May  , 2008 at the Illinois General Assembly Prison Reform Committee Special Hearing on Tamms Correctional Center (Chicago, IL )


After 10 Years,  Does Illinois Need Its Own Guantanamo Prison, by Malcolm Young, Executive Director of the John Howard Association of Illinois, delivered on May 2008 at the Illinois General Assembly Prison Reform Committee Special Hearing on Tamms Correctional Center (Chicago, IL)


Lawrence Correctional Center (September 2004) 

Monitoring Visit Report – Illinois Department of Corrections, Pontiac Correctional Center (March 2004)

Tamms Revisited: Super-Max Confinement In Illinois (April 2, 2001) 
 
 
Sentencing Issues

To Set the Record Straight: A John Howard Association Report on the Parole Rates of Indeterminately Sentenced Prisoners, by James "Yaki" Sayles (September 15, 2008)

"We are Here to Fix a Problem," Testimony by Malcolm C. Young, Executive Director, to the Illinois House of Representatives Juvenile Justice Reform Committee (March 16, 2007)

 

John Howard Association of Illinois Annual Reports


2008 Annual Report (September 18, 2008)
2007 Annual Report (September 2007)

John Howard Association of Illinois Policy Statements

  • Addiction Treatment in Corrections (July 14, 2003)
  • AIDS and Correctional Institutions (February 25, 1997)
  • Capital Punishment (January 15, 2003)
  • Charging Inmates a Fee for Health Care Services (November 19, 1996)
  • Conflict of Interest Statement for Officers and Board Committee Members (October 25, 1989)
  • Drugs and Drug Testing in Prisons (April 14, 1993)
  • Electronic Monitoring Programs (April 14, 1993)
  • Illinois Juvenile Waiver Provisions (May 25, 1994)
  • Impact Incarceration: The Military "Boot Camp" Alternative (May 25, 1994)
  • Legal Assistance for Prisoners (April 14, 1993)
  • Levels of Inmate Supervision (May 25, 1994)
  • Literacy and Education Programs for Adult and Juvenile Offenders (April 14, 1993)
  • Mental Health and Corrections Policy Statement (March 19, 2003)
  • Parent/Child Pre-Release Reunification Program (April 14, 1993)
  • Policy for Statements by Directors and Officers (June 14, 1985)
  • Pretrial Release Programs (July 16, 2003)
  • Prevention Strategies: The Rational Response to America's Crisis in Corrections (October 6, 1992)
  • The Privatization of Prisons (June 26, 1997)
  • Sentencing (April 14, 1993)
  • Sentencing of Juveniles (April 14, 1993)
  • Sex Offender Treatment Programs (April 14, 1993)
  • Sexual Abuse of Inmates (November 19, 1996)
Other

"The Promise and Challenge of Citizen Oversight and Visits to Prison," Testimony of Malcolm C. Young
Submitted to the Commission on Safety and Abuse in America's Prisons, Hearings on Oversight, Accountability and Other Issues in Los Angeles, California on February 8-9, 2006.  Read it at prisoncommision.org .
 

For Help with Criminal Case after Conviction

Unfortunately, the John Howard Association of Illinois is unable to provide direct services or legal assistance to our constituents. However, below are some resources that may be of interest to you.

Post Trial Remedies Handbook: Summarizes a prisoner's appellate rights

Illinois Clemency Guidelines: Procedures for filing a clemency petition in Illinois

Certificate of Innocence: For individuals whose cases, either by judgment, dismissal, new trial which is not pursued by the state, or acquittal, resulted in relief of a criminal conviction for which you served some time in prison, you may now file a Certificate of Innocence with the Circuit Court in order to access monetary damages through the Court of Claims. 

Sex Offender Registry / Violent Offender Registry

Registration on the sex offender registry is mandated by law for people convicted of certain sex crimes.  The times and restrictions vary. Until recently, the law required certain people whose crimes involved minors to register as sex offenders even though their crimes were not sexual in nature. The Illinois General Assembly changed this requirement and created a new registry, the Violent Offender Registry. If you believe that your name should be removed from the Sex Offender Registry and that you should be listed on the Violent Offender Registry instead, please click here for an informational sheet on how to obtain relief.