Illinois Prison Project

Through its Education Department led and staffed by formerly incarcerated staff members many of whom were IPP clients-IPP is actively shifting the narrative around incarcerated people especially those serving long sentences. Led by Director of Education Renaldo Hudson who survived death row and 37 years of a life without parole sentence IPP takes a person-first approach that centers the voices of formerly incarcerated people and supports their testimonies with data. IPP educates communities about the harm caused by excessive sentences and the need for back-end reform through training and events designed specifically to meet people where they are-including schools religious institutions workplaces and public spaces. IPP education events center first-hand accounts calls to action and reading lists all tailored specifically for these audiences. Through this approach we seek to undo pervasive myths about who is in Illinois prisons the reality of prison life and the desperate need for pathways out of incarceration. In FY25 IPP has delivered over 40 educational events reaching almost 9,000 people. Our work was featured in Research Symposiums at University Chicago Northwestern and Heartland Community College. We have also trained two cohorts of new hires for the Public Defenders Office a partnership that allows us to bring our reformative approach directly to system stakeholders. Through the Ambassador Program IPP offers robust training public speaking opportunities and compensation to formerly incarcerated people; to date IPP has trained and supported 28 system-impacted people who have spent a combined 440 years in prison. Previous Ambassadors had on average served 15.7 years in prison before being released. Ninety-six percent were people of color and 46% were women. Ambassadors share their stories to galvanize state-level systems change and this program is one of the ways that IPP acts in solidarity with and takes leadership from formerly incarcerated people of color. Ambassadors share their experiences of incarceration aging in prison rehabilitation and hope directly with the community through settings ranging from large webinars to intimate conversations. Through the program each 6-person cohort receives 8 months of training creating a team of compelling advocates able to effectively educate community members and policymakers about the deep need for back-end reform.