BUILD COMMUNITIES NOT PRISONS
On June 19th, 51-year-old Michael Broadway died while in custody at Stateville prison after Illinois Department of Correction medical staff failed to treat him as he struggled to breathe in deadly heat. We will not stand by while our people are subjected to death through neglect and abuse. Governor Pritzker must STOP his recently announced plans to rebuild Stateville and Logan prisons. Instead of spending nearly $1 billion to build more prisons, we demand immediate pathways for release of our community members who continue to face dehumanizing and deplorable conditions at Stateville. #BuildCommunitiesNotPrisons.
WE DEMAND
No New Prisons for Illinois!
On March 15th, Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker announced plans to spend nearly $1 Billion in order to rebuild Stateville and Logan prisons. While the conditions of Stateville and Logan prisons are horrific, they are not unique. The same report commissioned by Pritzker’s administration to assess the conditions of all IDOC facilities found that, in addition to Stateville and Logan, the operational conditions at Pontiac, Dixon and Vandalia prisons do not meet the standards necessary for their intended use. As stated in the report, each of these facilities “do not reflect modern correctional practices or the goals of the agency … and are not conducive to a rehabilitative environment.”
Additionally, the Illinois Dept. of Correction’s latest Quarterly Report reveals that every single prison in the Illinois system is operating under capacity. If completed, Pritzker’s policies are on track to incarcerate children who have yet to be born.
Immediate Pathways to Release!
Michael Broadway was serving a long-term sentence, which means in spite of the prison conditions impacting his death, Michael would not have been released until year 2091 at 108 years old. Since Illinois has no parole or any other mechanism providing a pathway to freedom for incarcerated people, Pritzker’s refusal to exercise his executive authority to review and grant clemency petitions is effectively sentencing thousands of men and women to death by incarceration. Rather than spend our tax dollars to incarcerate more of our community, the Governor must use his executive powers for good, and provide discretionary release to the thousands of incarcerated men and women who are ready to come home.
“I don’t want to see another person lose their life inside there. People need to come home. There are hundreds if not close to 1000 clemencies awaiting review by the Governor’s office.
Beyond transferring individuals to other prisons with dire conditions, we need pathways for release.”
— James “Jimmy” Soto, friend of Michael Broadway
Contact
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Email
buildcommunitiesnotprisons@gmail.com