Incarceration

According to the Missouri Department of Corrections, approximately 19,000 people are released from prison every year. Paige Spears was finally released from prison — after 37 years.

Of all Illinois jails, Madison County has the most incidents of restraint lasting longer than 10 hours–the upper limit set by the chair manufacturer. The jail said they’re not equipped to care for so many mentally ill detainees.

A proposal by Republican state Sen. Mary Elizabeth Coleman would outlaw the use of restraints on pregnant women in the third trimester, during labor and for the first 48 hours postpartum “except in extraordinary circumstances.” Missouri banned the practice in state prisons in 2018.

The Department of Corrections is giving few details, but advocates say the removal of the South Central Correctional Center warden occurred after an investigation into how contraband is entering the prison.

Drug-soaked paper is making its way into Illinois prisons, causing overdoses and staff safety concerns. But banning it could pose legal issues.

An analysis of formerly incarcerated voters controverts some assumptions about whom they might back in the presidential election.

Washington University sophomore Julian Trejo was 15 years old when his mother helped him change his surname. He was ashamed to be the son of a felon but now feels free.

Lawmakers are devising the measure after WBEZ obtained footage of a northern Illinois cop leading a 15-year-old to falsely confess to a shooting.

Corrections officials say the move is necessary to stem the flow of drugs into Missouri prisons. But criminal justice reform advocates warn it could violate inmates’ privacy and further isolate them from their families.

About half of all people released from prison in Missouri return within five years. But decades of research has shown prison education programs can help break the cycle.