Northern Illinois prison unit to close following deaths, allegations of mistreatment
Jenna Dooley/WNIJ
Last year, an investigative report from NPR and The Marshall Project shed light on deadly conditions within the Special Management Unit of the United State Penitentiary in northwest Illinois. There have been more than half a dozen deaths since the unit opened in 2019, and there were hundreds more assaults in the space of about three years.
The Department of Justice's Inspector General launched an investigation into the deaths and mistreatment, and finally, last week, the announcement came that the unit would close. It’s not clear at this point where the hundreds of men housed in the unit will be transferred or whether the unit will reopen elsewhere. The 21st was joined by one of the reporters who's been following the story.
GUEST:
Christie Thompson
Staff Writer, The Marshall Project
Prepared for web by Owen Henderson
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