"Mentally ill people should not have to seek help in a cage, surrounded by feces, within a storage closet. This is the state of the Illinois Prison System." The dire assessment of conditions in the Illinois Department of Corrections was recently offered by Harold Hirshman, a Chicago lawyer who has spent nearly two decades litigating
On Saturday, April 25 indepedent bookstores across the country will celebrate Indie Bookstore Day with author visits, activities and a general reminder that local bookshops are making a comeback in the United States. I will be participating in the Ink & Imprint Books event in Lincoln with our book Prairie Flyers of Central Illinois: A
It has been more than 25 years since Bart McNeil and Alan Beaman met at Stateville Correctional Center in Joliet. The two had more in common than convictions in separate murder cases in McLean County. Both would spend their years in prison fighting a wrongful conviction. McNeil is serving 99 years in the suffocation death
Rica Rountree’s life lasted eight short years, ending after prolonged torture and abuse at the hands of her faither’s girlfriend took its toll. Rica’s death played out in near silence as adults who saw the bruises, chipped teeth and signs of neglect took notice but dismissed the clear warning signs of trouble as clumsiness. Rica’s
The expungement of a person's criminal record is meant to provide a fresh start to individuals whose criminal arrest or charges have been removed by the court from public view. Illinois law spells out the goal of an expungement: "The effect of an order of expungement shall be to restore the person to the status
One of the most rewarding parts of being a storyteller is the experience of sitting down with someone and listening to what has made their life worth living. For the better part of two years, I worked with Denis Hambucken and John Warner to gather stories from aviators and people involved in aviation from a
News last Friday that the United States Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit reversed the judgement that effectively ended a landmark overhaul of mental health care for Illinois prison inmates opens the door to a brighter future for those suffering from serious mental illness behind bars. At least 12,000 men and women are part of
“Healthcare in the Illinois Department of Corrections is in a state of crisis.” That opinion came last week from Harold Hirshman, a Chicago lawyer who has worked as a part of team of litigators who have challenged the treatment of mentally ill inmates housed by the IDOC. The crisis developed in recent weeks as the
For thousands of mentally ill inmates in Illinois prisons, the suffering never ends. A new lawsuit filed on behalf of 19 named inmates and an additional 12,800 mentally ill prisoners, outlines allegations of widespread constitutional violations. The 50-page filing describes prisons with large mental health caseloads as “aggressively stressful, hostile environments in often physically unsafe
From Denis Hambucken, close friend of John and co-author of a new book on central Illinois aviators" John Warner and Hooterville Airport John Warner caught the flying bug early in life—probably from his mother, Dorothy. Though not a pilot herself, Dorothy shared vivid memories of the great aviation pioneers she once counted among her acquaintances:
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