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Shielded From Public View, Misconduct by Corrections Staff in Illinois Prisons Received Scant Discipline
By Shannon Heffernan, WBEZ
At least 18 corrections employees abused or used excessive force against incarcerated people in Illinois, according to internal corrections investigations. They all remained on the job.
Correctional officer James Fike already had been suspended twice when the Illinois Department of Corrections began investigating …
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More from this issue:
- L.A. County Jails: Leading in All the Wrong Ways, by Benjamin Tschirhart
- Predatory Probation Still Alive in Georgia, Other States, by David Reutter
- From the Editor, by Paul Wright
- Prisoner Health Update: K2, by Eike Blohm, MD
- Warden Ousted from Troubled Alabama Prison After DUI Arrest, by Edward Lyon
- Fifth Circuit Reinstates Lawsuit Over Texas Detainee’s Asphyxiation by Jail Guards, by Matthew Clarke
- Detainee Allegedly “Eaten Alive” by Vermin in Overcrowded Atlanta Jail, by Jacob Barrett
- Fifth Circuit Reinstates Claim That LaSalle Guards Fatally Beat Louisiana Pre-Trial Detainee, by Matthew Clarke
- Ninth Circuit: Grievance Policy May Excuse Oregon Prisoner’s Failure to Exhaust Administrative Remedies, by Jacob Barrett
- “Slap On the Wrist” for California Bail Agents Who Hired Bounty Hunter Who Killed Their Client, by Jayson Hawkins
- Dogged by Racist Comments, North Carolina Sheriff Resigns – Again, by Jo Ellen Nott
- MTC Accused of Parole Programming Scam at Texas Prisons, by Kevin Bliss
- Fourth Circuit Rejects Appeal of $700,000 Award to Maryland Prisoner Assaulted by Guards, by David Reutter
- Fifth Circuit Again Revives Muslim Texas Prisoner’s Suit Over Halal Meals Denied During Hurricane Evacuation, by Matthew Clarke
- Nevada Pays Over $568,000 for Denying Prisoner Cataract Surgery, Ends “One Good Eye” Policy, by Jacob Barrett
- Prisoner’s Experience in Solitary Wins PEN America Writing Award, by Jacob Barrett
- Condemned Tennessee Prisoner Wins Fight Against Autopsy, by Harold Hempstead
- Maine’s Jails and Prisons Record 39 Deaths in 34 Months, by Jo Ellen Nott
- Fifth Circuit Upholds Qualified Immunity for Texas Prison Guard Who Beat Prisoner’s Arm With Baton Until It Broke, by Matthew Clarke
- $1.3 Million Paid to Transgender Woman Held Five Months in Atlanta Jail on Bogus Charges, by Chuck Sharman
- Nebraska Pays $479,000 for Restrictive Housing Prisoner’s Murder While Double-Celled, by Mark Wilson
- Shielded From Public View, Misconduct by Corrections Staff in Illinois Prisons Received Scant Discipline, by Shannon Heffernan
- $20,000 Settlement for Ohio Prisoner’s Slip-and-Fall Injury, by Edward Lyon
- $2.4 Million Judgment Against Michigan Jail Doctor Convicted of Sexually Abusing Three Prisoners, by Mark Wilson
- ACLU Report Details Exploitation of Prisoners for Forced Labor, by Matthew Clarke
- MTV Documentary Shines Light on Art Behind Bars, by Jayson Hawkins
- Fifth Circuit Finds “Opaque” Mississippi Prison Grievance System “Incapable of Use”, by Matthew Clarke
- Overdose Rate in New York Jails and State Prisons Double U.S. Average, by Jacob Barrett
- College Education Disrupted for Washington Prisoners, by Kevin Bliss
- $32,500 Medical Malpractice Award to Ohio Prisoner for Ripped-Out Catheter, by Edward Lyon
- Oklahoma County Pays $1.1 Million After Jail Guards Fatally Beat Detainee, by Jacob Barrett
- Louisiana High Court Abandons Ab Initio Precedent in Favor of “Victim’s Rights”, by David Reutter
- California Appellate Court: State Prisoners Held in Jail and Those Held in Prisons Not Alike for Sentence Credits, by Jacob Barrett
- Telecoms Exploiting Legal Loopholes to Price Gouge Prisoners and Their Families, by Jacob Barrett
- Fifth Circuit Revives Suit by Nation of Gods and Earth Prisoner Demanding Religious Recognition by Texas Prison Officials, by Matthew Clarke
- Iowa Teen Who Killed Her Alleged Rapist Recaptured After Halfway House Escape, by Kevin Bliss
- Former Missouri Prisoners Awarded $20 Million for Sexual Abuse by “Resident Pervert” Guard, by Ashleigh Dye
- $4.25 Million Paid by King County for Two Jail Beatings By Improperly Housed Mentally Ill Detainees, by Mark Wilson
- Arizona Prisoner Condemned Again for Cellmate’s Murder, by Jayson Hawkins
- Ninth Circuit Upholds Order Vacating Conviction in Oregon Prison Director’s 1989 Murder; SCOTUS Declines Review, by Mark Wilson
- Fourth Circuit: No Civil Commitment at Release for Federal Prisoner in North Carolina Without Considering Conditions, by Casey Bastian
- Montana Becomes 13th State to End Prison Gerrymandering, by Chuck Sharman
- Eighth Circuit Affirms Over $278,000 Awarded to Minnesota Jail Detainee Held on Bad ICE Referral Policy, by David Reutter
- Montana Pays $2,500 to Settle Prisoner’s Failure-to-Protect Claim, by Mark Wilson
- News in Brief
- Alaska Supreme Court Says Parole Challenge Must Be Sought via Post-Conviction Relief, Not Lawsuit, by Mark Wilson
More from Shannon Heffernan:
More from these topics:
- California Appeals Court Holds Defendant Cannot Be Penalized for Failing to Appear at Sentencing When He Was Being Held in Another County’s Jail on Preexisting Charges, July 1, 2026. Disciplinary Hearings, Due Process, Procedural Default/Error, Evidence - Admissibility, Plea Agreements/Guilty Pleas.
- BOP Supervisor in Colorado Indicted for Smuggling Over 400 Vapes, July 1, 2026. Guard Misconduct, DOC/BOP misconduct, Bureau of Prisons (BOP), Bribery/Extortion/Theft.
- Colorado Prison Wardens Participated in Longstanding Racist, Homophobic Group Chat, July 1, 2026. Guard Misconduct, DOC/BOP misconduct, Racial Discrimination, Gay/Lesbian, Employee Litigation.
- New Jersey Lawmakers Pass “Female Incarcerated Person’s Rights Protection Act”, July 1, 2026. Staff-Prisoner Assault, Guard Misconduct, Prison Rape Elimination Act, Staff Training, Mothers in Prison.
- Rikers Island Captain Nicknamed “Terror of the Tombs” Indicted for Extortion, Wage Theft, July 1, 2026. Guard Misconduct, Threats by Staff, DOC/BOP misconduct, Bribery/Extortion/Theft, Fraud and Deceit.
- Multiple Detainees Escape from Dilapidated North Carolina Jail, July 1, 2026. Guard Misconduct, Failure to Protect (General), Overcrowding, Staffing, Jail Specific, Security Systems, Criminal Justice, Prison Conditions.
- Video Shows Guards Watched as Oklahoma Detainee Died in Cell, July 1, 2026. Corrections Corporation of America/CoreCivic, Contractor Misconduct, Guard Misconduct, Failure to Protect (General), Failure to Protect (Wrongful Death).
- Alabama Prison Warden Reportedly Arrested and Walked Off Job, June 1, 2026. Corrections Corporation of America/CoreCivic, Guard Misconduct, DOC/BOP misconduct, Government Misconduct.
- Warden, Four Other Louisiana Jailers Indicted for Brutalizing Compliant Detainees with Riot Shield, June 1, 2026. Guard Misconduct, Guard Brutality/Beatings, Stun Guns/Tasers, Pepper Spray/Tear Gas, Wrongful Use of Force.
- Federal Jury Awards $2,500 to Male Wisconsin Prisoner Sexually Assaulted by Female Guard, June 1, 2026. Staff-Prisoner Assault, Guard Misconduct, Evidence, Prison Rape Elimination Act, Cruel and Unusual Punishment.

