CHICAGO (AP) – A proposal by reform advocates would cut the number of women locked up in Illinois prisons by as much as half.
The Chicago Tribune reports that nearly 2,300 women are currently serving prison time in Illinois. Reform advocates 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.
A plan was recently announced by a 100-member all-female task force made up of experts, current and former prison officials, and formerly incarcerated women. The group’s ambitious, seven-year effort strives to bring down the number of women in the Illinois Department of Corrections by 50 percent.
The task force is planning to take a wide range of options under consideration, including changing laws and designing more social service programs.
