Possibilities and obstacles for those seeking an education in Illinois jails

Michael

Apr 11, 2026 - 08:00

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Possibilities and obstacles for those seeking an education in Illinois jails

Prisoncast! from WBEZ Chicago 91.5 FM airs Sunday, April 12, from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. The statewide special broadcast uses the power of radio to connect people inside prisons and jails with their loved ones on the outside.

The program explores Illinois’ prison system through questions, requests and ideas from people currently and formerly incarcerated in Illinois. It also includes song requests and voicemails from loved ones. Submit yours at prisoncast@wbez.org or call 312-893-2931.

In a recent visit to Sheridan Correctional Center, 90 minutes southwest of Chicago, Mayor Brandon Johnson spoke with incarcerated students in an hour-long conversation covering a wide range of topics from public education to affordable housing and even peewee football in the suburbs.

“Take that same energy and help me build an economy that works for everyone so we don’t need prisons,” Johnson said to the students and families of the Northwestern Prison Education Program. Some were dressed in their “visiting gear” — meticulously cleaned, bright white sneakers and crisp prison blues that some had pressed under the mattress in their cells.

Darvin Henderson, who’s working toward his degree, said he wasn’t raised in an environment where meeting influential politicians felt possible.

“Those opportunities never even was available,” he said, “and look: I’m in the prison, people would think I’m at the bottom, and yet I’m rubbing elbows with people at the top.”

The mayor’s visit was organized by Northwestern University. Henderson is one of less than 2% of Illinois’ more than 30,000 incarcerated people enrolled in college-level programs. Years of research show education leads to better outcomes for people getting out of prison. But with only 12 programs in 10 of the 30 Illinois Department of Corrections facilities, getting into a prison college program is impossible for most.

Education behind bars — its possibilities and obstacles — is the theme of an upcoming special broadcast of Prisoncast! from WBEZ Chicago, a radio program exploring the prison system through questions and requests from people incarcerated in Illinois and loved ones. In the two-hour program on Sunday, April 12, from 2 pm. to 4 p.m., listeners will hear from inmates, advocates and loved ones on getting an education behind bars and the barriers to continuing college courses once back in the community.

Also in the broadcast:

Female inmates finding creative ways to preserve their dignity through beauty routines
Why Illinois prisons are still providing abysmal health care, despite years of court oversight
Thoughts on the power of song from inmates enrolled in the Northwestern Prison Education Program
One incarcerated man’s life-changing experience with prison education — and why he says Illinois needs more of it

Why we make Prisoncast!

The United States has the highest incarceration rate in the world. Nearly half of all Americans have had an immediate family member in prison or jail. Yet prison systems, including Illinois’, are designed to be opaque.

More than 40% of people locked up there were convicted in Cook County, and the vast majority will one day be released. Prisoncast! utilizes a uniquely uncensorable medium — the statewide public radio network — to get practical news and information to people incarcerated here, and to share their untold stories with the outside world.

Everything on the show comes directly from audience requests, which provides a point of connection for those behind bars and people on the outside. It also provides transparency into a taxpayer-funded system through reporting and investigations on prison conditions, healthcare and state policies.

We know many people in prison have caused profound hurt. Prisoncast! doesn’t shy away from that. Neither do many of the people we’ve interviewed.

Our approach in producing the show is to understand the people and systems at play. Through this exploration, the public — and incarcerated listeners — may find solutions and inspiration to contribute to a safer community for all.

How can I listen?

In the Chicago area, you can hear the next show live on WBEZ 91.5 FM on Sunday, April 12, at 2 p.m. The show also airs on every Illinois Public Radio station in the state. If you have a loved one who’s incarcerated, they can listen on an old-school radio or on their tablet’s FM radio app.

What if I missed the radio broadcast?

All previous Prisoncast! episodes, newsletters, investigations and stories are at wbez.org/prisoncast. People in Illinois prisons and jails can access our content for free on the Edovo app on their ICS tablets, though it can take a couple weeks for content to upload there. We’re also launching the new Prisoncast! podcast on April 20.