The Illinois Reentry Council is a statewide collaborative effort whose members develop strategy and advocate for comprehensive, meaningful support and resources so that people with arrest and conviction records can prosper in Illinois.

2023 Annual Report

Who We Are

The IRC includes more than 100 members throughout Illinois who convene regularly to research and advocate for improved reentry. Those who have been incarcerated are represented throughout the council, which includes housing experts, criminal legal system reform advocates, elected and appointed people with authority to change the operation of existing systems, service providers, researchers, and philanthropists.

What We Do

The IRC is committed to developing and supporting holistic and effective reentry processes and a network of reentry support and services for people all people with arrest and conviction records, especially those leaving incarceration.

Why We Do Our Work

The reentry process is complex and requires addressing major issues on multiple fronts. Individuals leaving incarceration should not be tasked with navigating bureaucratic systems with burdensome requirements that create barriers. The Council advocates for policy and structural changes that will address these obstacles and works to direct resources to community-based organizations that offer holistic reentry supports.

What is Reentry?

The traditional way of doing things is evolving. People who are system-impacted, who are formerly incarcerated, are being recognized as thought partners and architects of what this space is – setting up holistic and transformative visions of what reentry can be.

– Orlando Mayorga, co-chair of the IRC support services working group

Resources

Redefining the Narrative

A report by the Statewide Women’s Justice Task Force of Illinois with actionable strategies to address social, political and economic injustices and oppressions. Launched in 2018, the report was published in 2021.

How Can Counties Create Housing Stability for Justice-Involved People?

Urban Institute | Counties can promote better outcomes for justice-involved people. March 2021.

2022 Reentry Guidelines

From the Illinois Alliance for Reentry & Justice

Directory of services for people returning home from prison

Curated and managed by Education Justice Project

Our Methods

Promote Collaboration

By bringing together organizations, agencies and leaders working on reentry, the IRC facilitates and builds partnerships and increases communication and capacity-building at local, county and state levels to improve reentry outcomes and ensure the work is not done in silos.

Foster Education

Members of the IRC learn how different jurisdictions support people leaving incarceration, what reentry challenges and opportunities exist in the state, and about the reentry work that members and non-members are initiating and leading. This information-sharing helps reduce duplication of efforts, aligns initiatives, and fosters collaboration among members.

Cultivate Coordination

Statewide cross-sector coordination on reentry policy, programs, services and initiatives is guided by a strategic plan created by Council members with varied backgrounds and approaches.

 

There is a population of untapped potential … This is the beginning of interrupting systems of generational poverty, breaking cycles of incarceration. Jobs, not jails. Opportunity not oppression.

– City of Chicago Reentry Director Willette Benford speaking to the media in 2023 about creating new job opportunities for returning residents.

About the Illinois Reentry Council