About Us
The Illinois Reentry Council was launched in March 2021 to develop effective models and collaborative partnerships to support reentry.
In March 2021, the Illinois Reentry Council was launched with a charge to bring together those who intend to create an equitable and effective process for people leaving prisons and jails to support them in their journey.
Since the inception stage, the charge has evolved to include a commitment to a transformative, holistic, and asset-based approach to reentry by addressing structural barriers that impede reintegration and fostering collaboration, following the leadership of system-impacted individuals and ensuring that self-determination for those leaving incarceration is infused within reentry policies, programming, and practices. In leaving carceral settings, the burden is often left on the individual or their loved ones to secure housing, navigate any conditions of release, obtain legal employment, restore relationships, access healthcare, and more. The transition is especially difficult for those with marginalized identities, compounded by other factors like mental health or chronic health issues.
Members include housing experts, criminal legal system reform advocates, those elected and appointed people with authority to change the operation of existing systems, service providers, researchers, and philanthropists. Working across these sectors are people who were formerly incarcerated. They also lend their leadership and expertise in co-chairing workgroups and the Council.
2023 Annual Report
The 2023 IRC Annual Report celebrates and lifts up the progress achieved throughout 2023 by members of the Illinois Reentry Council.
Council Co-Chairs
The Council benefits from the leadership of a diverse group of co-chairs. Three co-chairs provided leadership in the predecessor to the Council, the RHTF, as well.
Ahmadou Dramé
Director Illinois Justice Project he/him/his
Yaacov Delaney
Director Justice, Equity, and Opportunity Initiative, Lieutenant Governor’s Office he/him/his
King Harris
Board Chair Illinois Housing Development Authority he/him/his
Latoya Hughes
Acting Director Illinois Department of Corrections she/her/hers
Dulce Quintero
Secretary Illinois Department of Human Services they/them/theirsCouncil Materials
Strategic Plan
The IRC is guided by a strategic plan that was developed collaboratively and includes key issue areas members determined were necessary to create equitable and effective processes that support each person’s agency for reentry with accessible supports and resources.
2022 Annual Report
The IRC’s annual reports document the Council’s learnings, collaborations, strategic progress, and positive developments in the state’s reentry supports, policies, and practices.
Support for the Council
The IRC is convened and staffed by the Illinois Justice Project with support from the Chicago Community Trust, Dr. Scholl Foundation, MacArthur Foundation, and McCormick Foundation.
In July 2019, the Illinois Justice Project and Metropolitan Planning Council published a report, Re-Entry Housing Issues in Illinois, which was the culmination of multi-year research and interviews of criminal legal system reform and housing advocates, and government actors. From the Fall 2019 to the Fall 2020, the Illinois Justice Project convened the Re-Entry Housing Task Force (RHTF) to implement the report’s recommendations, which emphasized a need for the creation of appropriate supports and stable housing for successful reentry. The RHTF also worked to make critical changes to policies and practices. The global pandemic brought on by COVID-19 also required quickly reducing prison and jail populations to slow the spread of the coronavirus which magnified the need for a comprehensive and cohesive reentry infrastructure for those impacted by the criminal legal system.
Get In Touch
If you would like to connect about an opportunity to work together or have questions, contact us.