The new IDOC mail scanning policy has caused issues for some people trying to send or receive mail. Our partners at Restore Justice developed a survey to track what’s happening across facilities. If you’ve had problems, please take a moment to fill it out and share:
docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...
Even though the Illinois Department of Corrections has been under a consent decree since 2019, the state continues to fail to provide adequate medical and dental care to incarcerated people, according to reports from an independent court monitor, legal experts and people held in Illinois prisons.
7 years after a court-ordered consent decree, the IL Department of Corrections is still failing to provide adequate medical care.
“People are sentenced to prison. They’re not sentenced to die from preventable diseases.”
Read the Chicago Sun-Times article here: chicago.suntimes.com/health/2026/...
In moments like this, abolitionist leadership matters.
Congratulations to our colleague, Stanley Howard, on being named a 2026 Abolition Award Honoree. This recognition honors his work to abolish the death penalty, including helping end it in IL, and his continued advocacy for people in prison.
IDOC has made its mail-scanning policy permanent. We condemn this decision.
Mail is a lifeline for people in prison, and for legal aid organizations it is essential to confidential, timely legal communication. This policy puts both at risk.
Prison staff engaging in sexual activity with people in custody is a felony in IL, yet abuse still happens.
As federal and state protections weaken, UPLC’s action matters more than ever. We protect individuals and stand with survivors.
❣️Support this work today: www.uplcchicago.org/2025
A DOJ report shows that two IL prisons rank among the worst in the country for sexual abuse by staff.
At Logan Correctional Center, many of our clients are women who were abused and are seeking justice.
Support our year-end campaign and help hold institutions accountable: www.uplcchicago.org/2025
Women in IL prisons continue to face sexual abuse by the people meant to keep them safe. Without an attorney, survivors cannot seek justice and more women are harmed.
Your year-end gift can help hold abusers accountable.
Give before December 31: uplcchicago.org/2025
It’s #GivingTuesday! ⏰ Help us raise $8,000 to protect people in Illinois prisons.
🎁 New donors or anyone upgrading their gift today enters to win a UPLC tote. Every donation counts.
Donate now: uplc.networkforgood.com/projects/265...
Tomorrow is #GivingTuesday! 💥 We’re raising $8,000 to fight for people in Illinois prisons.
🎁 New donors or anyone who upgrades their gift is entered to win a UPLC tote. Every gift counts.
Donate early: uplc.networkforgood.com/projects/265...
THIS Wednesday!
Join UPLC for a free webinar about the Just Housing Amendment and how it protects your right to a home free from discrimination.
Register here: us02web.zoom.us/meeting/regi...
#FairHousing #KnowYourRights #UPLC
People with records deserve a fair chance at housing.
Join UPLC for a free webinar about the Just Housing Amendment and how it protects your right to a home free from discrimination.
Register here: us02web.zoom.us/meeting/regi...
#FairHousing #KnowYourRights #UPLC
Check out UPLC’s 2025 annual report– see the stories and wins donors help make possible: www.uplcchicago.org/2025-annual-...
Barbed wire in front of a light blue sky with some clouds. The UPLC logo is in the corner. There is a graphic of a postcard, which reads: Speak up for prisoners! They deserve their mail! (217) 785-2254 jcar@ilga.gov
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
jcar@ilga.gov
“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:
Text reads: On parole, mandatory supervised release, electronic monitoring, or a registry? You can still vote, either early at approved locations or by mail.
Text reads: Charged but not convicted? You still have the right to vote, whether you’re on bail, in jail pre-trial, or under electronic monitoring.
Text reads: If you’re already registered, you don’t need ID to vote, but bringing one can help resolve any questions about eligibility. Everyone deserves their vote. Stay informed and exercise your rights!
(2/2)
A graphic of a brown-skinned person in a white shirt casting a ballot. Text reads: Register to Vote! swipe for things you should know
Text reads: People with felony convictions CAN VOTE IN ILLINOIS*! You must register again after release from prison, even if you were registered before. *& many other states, too!
Text reads: You can use your IL DOC ID to register to vote in person—but you also need another ID that shows your home address.
Text reads: No permanent address? You can use a shelter, friend’s house, anywhere you can get mail. If registering in person, you need a letter from someone verifying you receive mail there. This can be used as one of your two forms of ID when you register in person.
Today is National Voter Registration Day. You should know: (1/2)
Text reads: "Tell the state of Illinois people in prison should be allowed their mail! (217) 785-2254 jcar@ilga.gov" Has a graphic with the shape of the state of IL, a stack of mail, & the UPLC logo
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
jcar@ilga.gov
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!
Text reads PROTECT OUR NEIGHBORS, with a graphic of the Chicago skyline in the background, and two tents in the foreground
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!
An image of a brick wall with an Illinois-shaped hole in it, & a broken chain running across, also has the UPLC logo in the corner. Text reads: PROTECT PRE-TRIAL FAIRNESS.
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.
