Illinois Newsroom: “Lack of Access”

Seven men completed an entrepreneurship program at Hill Correctional Center last April. But waitlists to take classes like this are long and preference is given to those who have the shortest sentences. Photo: Lee Gaines

According to an article by Lee Gaines, from 2017-2018, there were only 723 people who got their GED while incarcerated in an Illinois prison, while over 15,000 were still without their high school diplomas.

Without instructors, facilities, and materials, there are not nearly enough classes to serve the demand. This is especially true downstate where it is particularly difficult to recruit instructors.

Because of a 2013 policy, in Illinois prisons, once a class is full, people who are incarcerated are put on the waitlist according to their outdated, not in the order they requested to be in the class. In addition to already not having enough classes for the number of people this state incarcerates, this policy deprioritizes people with long term sentences. At the Freedom to Learn Campaign, we believe that education is a human right. This means for everyone. This includes people living downstate, this includes people with long term sentences. Learn more about the lack of access to education in Illinois prisons by reading the full article.