prison

How's that for a teaser? Who is Illinois' 2nd most famous resident? And, for that matter, who is the 1st most famous? And really, being Illinois, "went to prison" could mean a lot of different famous people.

Well, this is an interesting turn of events. Almost three years ago, the Obama administration purchased the nearly-vacant Thomson prison from the state of Illinois for $165 million dollars. At the time, there was much concern over the possibility that detainees being held in the Guantanamo Bay prison would be transferred to Illinois...

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) — New state data show that the number of people incarcerated in Illinois prisons has fallen in recent years but facilities still remain overcrowded. The Springfield bureau of Lee Enterprises newspapers reports that the most recent report on Illinois Department of Corrections facilities shows the agency held 47,483 inmates in May 2015...

John Gregory -- Illinois Radio Network Newly signed legislation will eliminate mandatory life sentences for minors in Illinois. Someone under the age of 18 can still be sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole, but the new law will leave that to the judge's discretion, rather than imposing a mandatory sentence...

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) — A former Illinois Department of Public Health aide has been sentenced to eight years in prison for her part in a kickback scheme that defrauded the state of millions of dollars. Quinshaunta Golden pleaded guilty in April 2014 to bribery, theft and obstruction of justice in the kickback scheme...

THOMSON, Ill. (AP) — Thomson Correctional Center in northwest Illinois could see inmates move in next month as hiring ramps up for the federal prison. The (Dixon) Telegraph reports hiring is being done in phases, with 300 employees coming in during the first round...

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) — Illinois Department of Corrections officials say there's no need to review rules about prison administrators' contact with ex-convicts after a sex offender was found living with a prison warden. Twenty-nine-year Corrections veteran Nedra Chandler resigned Tuesday from her Dixon Correctional Center post...

KANKAKEE, Ill. (AP) — Former Illinois Gov. George Ryan has finished a year of supervision following his release from home confinement last summer after a prison sentence for corruption convictions. Ryan was released from prison in January 2013 and was confined at home until last July...

Jim Anderson -- Illinois Radio Network The state has kept kids out of prison by keeping them out of prison. An analysis by the Illinois Department of Human Services finds that the Redeploy Illinois program, under which juveniles who commit low-level crimes receive counseling in their communities, plus services such as substance abuse recovery or remedial education, has resulted in a 54 percent red