The uptown people's law centre is in chicago, and the store front of an old two story building. Almost all the major class action lawsuits in illinois prisons lead back to here,. He is the executive director and has been working there since 19 79. The building is a maze inside, like the offices were shaken up and rolled like dice. At one spot, you have to go outside on a sidewalk to get between them. After two hours of talk edward's interview ends. Art welttes case, we conclude the interview timeas 12 55 mBesides waiting through this interview tape, i also read hundreds of emales, complaints from people in prison, incident reports written by guards
Pontiac Correctional Center is a maximum security prison in the small town of Pontiac, Illinois. It’s the oldest in the state - founded in 1871 - and has a reputation for being one of the most violent. There is a guard at Pontiac who some staff praise for being tough and having their backs. But other staff and people in the prison say she is known for abuse. In 2019, she was investigated by the Department of Corrections and State Police. Investigators had obtained 427 of the guard’s emails, revealing the conversations she’d had with other staff when it seemed like no one was looking.
This episode is in collaboration with the podcast Motive, from WBEZ Chicago, hosted by Shannon Heffernan. Season 4 of Motive investigates the hidden world of big prisons in small towns.
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