Question 1

I need legal and/or clemency support for my loved one.

Accepted Answer

Illinois Prison Project (IPP)
IPP hosts a drop-in legal clinic via Zoom every first Tuesday of the month from 4 PM-5 PM Central Time and every third Saturday of the month from 9 AM-10 AM CST.Clinics provide legal advice and consultation to people who have loved ones incarcerated in the Illinois Department of Corrections.Clinic hours focus on commutation and administrative remedies, and they are a great opportunity to ask questions directly to one of our attorneys.Uptown People's Law Center
Class Action Representation: UPLC actively participates in class action lawsuits to address systemic issues affecting the rights and well-being of people in prison.Individual Cases: In rare circumstances, they take on individual cases, focusing on specific challenges faced by people in prison to provide tailored legal assistance. Please note that UPLC does not regularly take on individual cases, and representation is highly selective.UPLC does not represent people in criminal, post-conviction, or clemency cases. UPLC's work relates solely to how people are treated in prison.For additional information about their services, visit their website or call 773-769-1411.Illinois Innocence Project
 Illinois Innocence Project ​evaluates cases for credible claims of an Illinois incarcerated person's innocence, and, when appropriate, provides legal representation and/or other assistance toward proving innocence.Learn more on their website or call ​217-206-6569.University of Illinois Chicago Legal Clinics
​The Pro Bono Litigation Clinic provides free legal representation to qualified individuals.To request legal representation, call (312) 427-2737 ext. 477When a call is received, a clinical student conducts an intake interview to gather all of the information about why the prospective client is seeking legal services. The prospective client will also be asked to provide financial information and supporting documents to determine their eligibility for pro bono services.

Question 2

I am looking for reentry support.

Accepted Answer

Reentry GuidesEducation Justice Project publishes reentry guides and manages an Illinois reentry website with a searchable directory of reentry services across the state. Mapping Your Future: A Guide to Successful Reentry in Illinois (English Edition) Mapping Your Future: National Edition (English Edition)(Spanish Edition)A New Path: A Guide to the Challenges & Opportunities After Deportation​ (English Edition) (Spanish Edition) ​Workforce Development Precious Blood Ministry and Reconciliation supports system-impacted individuals through the reentry process, offering reentry case management and more. To contact Precious Blood Ministry about their Workforce Development Program, call (773) 952-6643.​Expungement ResourcesThe Office of the State Appellate Defender has several resources and services, including expungement and sealing support. People with qualifying arrests and convictions may petition the court of their sentencing county to expunge or seal their records. The State Appellate Defender can answer your questions regarding eligibility for expungement and sealing.For questions/ consultations regarding RAP sheet assistance and/ or Expungement aid, call 866-787-1776 or email Expungement@osad.state.il.us.I.D., Housing, Social Security, and Birth Certificate SupportChicago Torture Justice Center provides support that is individualized, holistic, politicized, transformational, collaborative, and liberatory. ​Uptown People's Law Center represents people recently released from prison who are disabled and are applying for Social Security disability benefits. They also represent people living in Chicago with criminal records who have been denied housing because of their records.For additional information about their services, visit their website or call 773-769-1411.

Question 3

I want to learn more about how to take collective action to end mass incarceration.

Accepted Answer

Educational Resources
We believe that it’s possible to end the practice of locking people up and build an Illinois where everyone has what they need and prison is unimaginable. Many call this abolition. Want to learn more about this vision, and how to get there? Check out these great resources . . .
To access Abolitionist Toolkits by Critical Resistance, click here. Here is an Abolitionist Book Starter Kit from Haymarket Books. Listen to the For the Wild Podcast w/ Mariame Kaba -- Moving Past Punishment.​Community Organizing
One of the most important tools we have is people power. We don’t just have to let things happen to us. We can fight back, and we can do it together. Join the Coalition to Decarcerate IL to learn more about how to organize your community and win, so that we can reunite our families and set our loved ones free. 
Please sign up for our newsletter and watch for upcoming campaigns, direct action, and organizing opportunities. ​Advocacy
Taking action on behalf of our loved ones to ensure that they experience better treatment and to make sure that our state representatives know what’s going on in their prisons is also important. We recommend attending an Advocacy Training with Restore Justice to learn more about how to advocate for important legal reforms.

Question 4

I have a loved one who is currently incarcerated and want support and community.

Accepted Answer

Illinois is fortunate to have an online network of loved ones of the incarcerated via Facebook. If you are a loved one of someone who is currently incarcerated, you can request to join the Family Updates of Loved Ones in IL Prisons and Jails page.Restore Justice also has a loved ones support group called Communities & Relatives of Illinois Incarcerated Children (CRIIC). Most members have loved ones serving extreme sentences imposed on them as youth, but everyone is welcome.

Community Resources

I need legal and/or clemency support for my loved one.

I am looking for reentry support.

I want to learn more about how to take collective action to end mass incarceration.

I have a loved one who is currently incarcerated and want support and community.

Coalition to Decarcerate IL