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It’s Tuesday. WTTW News has stories on criminal justice, immigration and more issues affecting Chicago. |
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Pontiac Correctional Center (WTTW News) |
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The Illinois Department of Corrections has provided a glimpse into its use of restrictive housing in response to a new state law.
In May, there were 2,483 placements into restrictive housing, or what’s commonly known as solitary confinement or segregation. The longest time spent in restrictive housing were two men who had each spent over 600 days in assignment, despite IDOC directives capping extended restrictive housing to a year. The median time in restrictive housing in May was seven days.
Many who’ve been through restrictive housing attest to extreme isolation and confinement in small, dark, windowless cells. Phone and tablet use can be restricted. Yard or outside time is limited.
“They’re just there for nothing to do, nothing to occupy them, except for their own minds,” said Nicole Schult, legal director of Uptown People’s Law Center. The law center is currently litigating over IDOC’s use of restrictive housing.
Why now?
The release of this data is the result of a law passed earlier this year known as the Nelson Mandela Data Collection Act. It requires the Illinois Department of Corrections to post quarterly reports on its use of restrictive housing.
Proponents of the law say it's intended to bring transparency into the practice in hopes of enacting restrictions on its use. But some say there’s still work to do to get the full scope of confinement in Illinois prisons.
“It’s not capturing everything that is actually going on behind those prison walls,” Schult said.
According to IDOC directives, restrictive housing is used for disciplinary reasons and for the “safe and secure operation of a facility.” But there are other ways those incarcerated are held in confinement that’s not captured in this data, Schult said. Those going through a mental health crisis could be placed in crisis cells. There’s also “C Grade” housing, which can restrict a person’s access to telephones and other resources, she said.
There are no laws in Illinois curtailing the use of restrictive housing. IDOC does have internal directives on the practice.
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FILE - Farm workers gather produce on Thursday, June 12, 2025, in Moorpark, Calif. (AP Photo / Damian Dovarganes) |
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President Donald Trump has made conflicting statements about whether Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE, agents will target undocumented laborers in the farm labor workforce. The unclear circumstances have caused turmoil within both industries, and farmers have seen a shortage of workers during some of their peak seasons.
“They are angry, they are scared, they are feeling that their business is being attacked,” said Maggie Rivera, CEO and president of the Illinois Migrant Council.
Nationally, construction and agriculture workforces had the highest shares of undocumented workers as of 2022, according to the American Immigration Council. Nearly 14% of people employed in the construction industry are undocumented, compared to 15.1% in the agriculture sector and 7.6% in the hospitality sector.
“If they don’t show up, the production of that industry will drop significantly, and we’ll see real damage done to these industrial sectors,” said Robert Bruno, professor and director of the labor education program at University of Illinois’ School of Labor and Employment Relations. “There’s a lot of lost revenue, a lot of lost GDP, and there’s downstream effects of those workers not being on the job.”
“Undocumented workers do pay taxes and contribute to things like Social Security and Medicare, so we lose that tax base,” said Steve Hubbard, senior data scientist at the American Immigration Coalition. “There’s some serious questions about, how do these industries adapt and make it economical for our country?”
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Inspector General Deborah Witzburg appears on “Chicago Tonight” on June 4, 2024. (WTTW News) |
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Chicago’s ethics ordinance would be amended to stop the city’s top lawyer from intervening in ongoing probes that risk “embarrassment or political consequences” for city leaders, under a measure that cleared a key city panel Monday.
The measure unanimously endorsed by the Ethics and Government Oversight Committee had the support of both Inspector General Deborah Witzburg and Corporation Counsel Mary Richardson-Lowry after negotiations stretched into the weekend.
Chicago’s Law Department and the Office of the Inspector General had been at odds for months over the proposed amendment to the Governmental Ethics Ordinance authored by Ald. Matt Martin (47th Ward), the chair of the Ethics and Government Oversight Committee.
The amendment now set for a final vote on Wednesday by the full City Council was born out of a 17-page letter Witzburg sent to Martin in February that blasted the Law Department and Richardson-Lowry for slowing Witzburg’s office’s work to root out waste, fraud and abuse at City Hall.
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A key City Council committee on Tuesday will consider weakening the decades-old tradition that gives alderpeople the final authority over housing developments in their own wards as Mayor Brandon Johnson renews his push to reduce Chicago’s massive affordable housing shortfall.
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John Hooker, one of the four former Commonwealth Edison officials convicted of conspiring to bribe ex-Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan, has been sentenced to 18 months in prison.
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Back in the Day: July 15, 2024 - Derecho Produces 32 Tornadoes in Chicago Area, Including 4 in City Limits
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A year ago today, what the National Weather Service called “a well-organized and long-lived complex of thunderstorms (officially classified as a derecho)” hit parts of Iowa, Illinois and Indiana. The storm produced 32 total tornadoes, including four that entered Chicago’s city limits. All four tornadoes entered Chicago’s West Side, including an EF-0 in West Town, an EF-0 that affected O’Hare and a pair of EF-1s in West Englewood and the Near West Side. The severe weather event broke the previous daily record for tornadoes in the NWS Chicago forecast area, which was 22 and set during the summer of 2014.
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This Week’s Staff Recommendations: Chicago Rock Clubs Where You Can Sit Down
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Every Thursday, WTTW News staffers highlight their favorite things about Chicago. This week, it’s newsletter producer Josh Terry on his favorite independent music venues with ample seating.
Josh Terry: There’s nothing more fun than attending a concert, but sometimes you want to sit down. With the city’s wealth of independent venues, multiple places are standing room only (SRO), but these spots have multiple places where you can grab a seat and enjoy the music (without losing your view of the stage).
Constellation
This club near Roscoe Village has the most comfortable chairs surrounding the floor of the venue. Catch a jazz, experimental or folk show here and be sure to grab a cocktail from its cozy lobby bar. 3111 N. Western Ave.
Garcia's Chicago
The newest addition to Chicago’s live music scene comes from the Jerry Garcia estate and Brooklyn Bowl-owner Peter Shapiro. The dinner-theatre style setup might be shocking to those used to a traditional rock show, it might be the best sounding small room in the city. While general admission tickets are SRO, you can secure a reserved table. 1001 W. Washington Blvd.
Lincoln Hall
Lincoln Park’s best venue has an upstairs balcony where, if you get there early enough, you can snag a seat so you can casually watch whatever they’ve got booked. 2424 North Lincoln Ave.
Salt Shed
In just three years, the indoor and outdoor venue Salt Shed has become one of the city’s best places to see a show. Inside, you can buy seated premium tickets or seated grandstand tickets. Outside? There’s an elevated seated grandstand in the GA area and you can buy premium balcony tickets with seats. 1357 N. Elston Ave.
Thalia Hall
This gorgeous Pilsen theater has my favorite balcony of any venue in the city. Just remember to purchase tickets that'll allow you to enter the top floor. 1807 S. Allport St.
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What's the best place to get Italian ice in the Chicago area? Tell us where and why. |
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Email DailyChicagoan@wttw.com with your responses and your answers might be published. |
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Want more WTTW News content? Follow WTTW on Instagram to check in with us daily, go behind-the-scenes, and more. |
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Newsletter Producer: Josh Terry |
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