Whether we are enacting systemic police reforms, advocating for alternatives to incarceration, promoting justice and accountability, removing housing barriers, or supporting early childhood development, in 2022, we are listening, learning, and forging ahead. |
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HIGHER EDUCATION IN PRISON
Despite the many benefits of higher education in prison, there are significant gaps in Illinois' system for providing this support to incarcerated individuals. HEP programming is available to less than 3% of individuals incarcerated in Illinois prisons. The gap is particularly acute in central and Southern Illinois.
Recent federal and state actions provide an opportunity to chart a course for expanding access to HEP in Illinois so that every interested person can receive HEP programming.
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BPI Explores the Current HEP Landscape in Illinois
On March 18, the Criminal Legal System team hosted a panel discussion about the need to expand HEP in Illinois.
Shareese Pryor, BPI's Senior Staff Counsel, Director of Criminal Legal System and Police Accountability, was joined by Representative Carol Ammons, Illinois State Representative of the 103rd District (Champaign-Urbana); Angel Pantoja, Project Coordinator for the Illinois Coalition for Higher Education in Prison; and Christina Rivers, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Political Science at DePaul and HEP instructor.
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BPI Supports HB 2775
BPI continues to support amending the Illinois Human Rights Act to protect against discrimination in housing based on the source of income.
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Job Opportunity
BPI's Housing program is hiring for Staff Counsel. As a Housing team member, the person in this role will develop laws, policies, and programs, create and implement advocacy strategies, engage in litigation, promote fair housing and housing choice in the Chicago region and on a statewide basis.
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BPI’s Police Accountability team continues the work of enacting systemic police reforms, promoting community safety, improving police practices, and reimagining the roles that police departments and other entities play in producing public safety.
Over the past few months, BPI has continued to advocate for the need for accountability, transparency, and justice in policing in Chicago in various media outlets.
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Meet a Member of BPI's Police Accountability Team |
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Loren Jones, Staff Counsel for Police Accountability
Loren Jones joined the Police Accountability team in October 2021. Before joining BPI, Loren worked at Dvorak Law Offices, LLC, where she represented victims of police misconduct in civil rights litigation.
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Join BPI for Power In Community: Forging Ahead, the 2022 annual event. Come out for our first in-person event in two years, and celebrate BPI's racial and social justice work meeting today's challenges while laying the groundwork for the future.
The cocktail reception will be held on Tuesday, June 7, 2022, from 6-9 pm at the Chicago History Museum. The Jazz Institute of Chicago will provide entertainment and a special guest performance.
For sponsorship opportunities, contact Tamara Reed Tran at ttran@bpichicago.org.
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Building Public Interest
In February, BPI launched a new event series, Building Public Interest. This series sets out to inform, educate, and activate a broad and diverse audience around issues of social justice, racial equity, and their inherent intersection with other areas of concern that impact us all.
The first virtual discussion in the series focused on health disparities and the pandemic. Check our event page for future Building Public Interest events and past event recordings.
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BPI Alumni
Have you ever worked at BPI as an intern, fellow, or staff member? If so, BPI is interested in learning more about your experiences and inviting you to join the Alumni Network. Please fill out the survey linked below to learn about future engagement opportunities.
Survey participants will enter a drawing to win 2 FREE TICKETS to the Annual Event on June 7th.
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