From The Chicago Tribune:
The number of women locked up in Illinois prisons would be cut by as much as half under an ambitious proposal by reform advocates who argue that the corrections system has largely ignored the needs of female inmates, many of whom suffered years of trauma, abuse or poverty before winding up behind bars.
Though their numbers overall are dwarfed by the size of the male prison population, nearly 2,300 women are now serving time in Illinois.
On Wednesday, a 100-member all-female task force of experts, current and former prison officials and formerly incarcerated women will announce a seven-year effort to bring down by 50 percent the number of women in the Illinois Department of Corrections. The task force, which includes Illinois Supreme Court Justice Anne Burke and Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx, plans to consider a wide range of options — everything from changing laws to designing more social service programs. Continue reading >>>
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