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Shannon Heffernan

Prison healthcare cot
Criminal Justice
Civil rights lawyers call on Illinois to abandon for-profit prison health care
By Shannon Heffernan
 
Pritzker Safe-T Act Bail
Criminal Justice
What to expect now that cash bail in Illinois is ending
By Shannon Heffernan
 
illustration of prisoner lying in bed
Criminal Justice
Dying and disabled Illinois prisoners kept behind bars, despite new medical release law
By Carlos Ballesteros | Injustice Watch , Shannon Heffernan , and 1 more
 
Pontiac Correctional Center holes in ceilings and chipped paint
Criminal Justice
Illinois prisons need $2.5 billion in repairs, and that's just the beginning
By Shannon Heffernan
 
Pritzker SAFE-T Act
Criminal Justice
Illinois could be a national model for eliminating cash bail, but implementation is another test
By Shannon Heffernan  and Alex Degman
 
Big Muddy River Correctional Center
Criminal Justice
Despite horror stories and deaths, will Illinois keep expensive prison health care company?
By Shannon Heffernan
 
Cook County's George N Leighton Criminal Courthouse.
Criminal Justice
Cook County has been giving felony records to people who should not have them
By Shannon Heffernan
 
Dixon D wing
Criminal Justice
People in Illinois prisons are endangered by lack of medical staff
By Shannon Heffernan
 
Chicago Public Library’s Blackstone Branch Library, located at 4904 S. Lake Park Ave. in the Hyde Park neighborhood, Oct. 14, 2020.
Health
Chicago libraries now offer mental health help
Clinicians take walk-ins and appointments at some local libraries. The service is open to all Chicagoans, regardless of insurance or ability to pay. Host: Mary Dixon; Reporter: Shannon Heffernan
By Shannon Heffernan
 
Chicago police
Criminal Justice
Five of Chicago Mayor-elect Brandon Johnson’s public safety promises — and obstacles
By Chip Mitchell , Patrick Smith , and 1 more
 
set of dominos in box, photo of man in navy uniform and eyeglasses laid out on table
Criminal Justice
Illinois officials obtained do-not-resuscitate orders from prisoners who were not of sound mind
By Shannon Heffernan
 
Earvin on cell block
Criminal Justice
A former Illinois prison guard gets 20-year sentence for fatal beating
By Shannon Heffernan
 
Larry Earvin
Criminal Justice
Illinois prison guards face sentencing for fatal beating
By Shannon Heffernan
 
Gov. JB Pritzker signs the criminal justice reform bill into law at Chicago State University in February of 2021 as sponsors and supporters look on.
Criminal Justice
Five things to know as the Safe-T Act goes to the Illinois Supreme Court
By Shannon Heffernan
 
Big Muddy River Correctional Center
Criminal Justice
Director of Illinois Department of Corrections resigns
By Shannon Heffernan
 
an activist with the Empowering Communities for Public Safety coalition celebrating district council wins
Criminal Justice
Community activists are claiming a majority of wins in new police oversight council elections
By Shannon Heffernan
 
Chicago OEMC
Criminal Justice
Chicago is expanding the types of 911 calls that get a mental health response
By Shannon Heffernan  and Chip Mitchell
 
Registry office
Criminal Justice
Mayor Lightfoot offers few details on fixing registries for sex, drug and violence crimes
By Shannon Heffernan