Advocacy

Unitarian Universalist communities are inclusive, you can bring your whole self: your full identity, your questioning mind, your expansive heart. Together, we create a force more powerful than one person or one belief system. As Unitarian Universalists, we do not have to check our personal background and beliefs at the door: we join together on a journey that honors everywhere we’ve been before.

We are organizing Illinois Unitarian Universalist congregations to advocate for policy changes in Illinois related to prisons. This includes; setting strict limits on the use of solitary confinement, reforming bail/bond system, and allowing recently released to access to more job and housing opportunities.

​UUPMI is joined at times by UUANI – Unitarian Universalist Advocacy of Illinois a much broader advocacy group than UUPMI. UUANI brings together Unitarian Universalists across Illinois to work for justice, beloved community, and a healthy planet. 

Click here to visit UUANI

Wisdom from our members who are incarcerated inside and those recently released informs us of many needs of those who are recently released or still inside.  Though there are immediate needs that must be addressed, our organization still holds onto to a long-term religious vision where the humanity of all is recognized and liberation/reconciliation is possible for all people. No One is Outside the Circle of Love!

What You Can Do Now

tGet Involved! Protect Pretrial Fairness! 
Every year, Illinois incarcerates over 250,000 people who are awaiting trial. None of these people have been convicted of a crime, and most are jailed simply because they can’t afford to pay a money bond. Pretrial incarceration is hurting communities across our state.
As of January 2021 partners across the state have ended money bond in IL. But the work is not over. Implementation began September 18, 2023, and we need to stay vigilant and joyful about the ongoing opportunities for political education, court watching, and joining many partners from the Illinois Network for Pretrial Justice.

• Many legislators who voted for the PFA have faced heavy opposition from law enforcement, prosecutors, and conservatives. Take a moment to thank legislators who voted for the PFA and scold those who voted against it. We have been told that these messages make a real difference in Springfield as they will continue to need to advocate for pretrial fairness as well as fight against any bills that seek to undermine these gains. 
• ​Make sure that you sign up for the Coalition to End Money Bond's newsletter at endmoneybond.org and follow them on social media for regular campaign updates. We’ll be around to talk after the presentation if you’d like more information or resources related to any of these ideas. 
• We are always sharing content related to the Pretrial Fairness Act and pretrial justice reform. Please dig in, learn more, and share this information with your networks! We will need an even more robust community of support to hold our ground as it goes into effect over the next couple of years.

Join us and we will keep you updated about how you can join in advocacy efforts so we will not see this work be sabotaged by push-back legislation.​

Bills for action

HB 2045
ELDER PAROLE: A PROCESS FOR PERMITTING A SELECT FEW PERSONS IN PRISON WHO ARE THE OLDEST, AND HAVE SERVED THE LONGEST TIME, TO PROVE TO THE PAROLE BOARD THAT THEY ARE READY TO REJOIN SOCIETY
Sponsored by Representative Justin Slaughter
THE PROBLEM: Illinois’ prison population has an increasing percentage of persons who are growing old in prison and have no opportunity for early release, no matter how rehabilitated they are. These persons have aged out of crime, are unlikely to re-offend, and are the most expensive for the State to continue to imprison due to medical expenses for old age and end of life care.

•   The percentage of IDOC inmates 55 and older has increased from 3.4% in 2005 to 14% in 2022. Due to the stresses of prison life and the disadvantaged backgrounds of these people, they have generally aged more than their years indicate.
•   Experience shows that persons who commit violent crimes when they are young age out of crime: in Maryland, 199 people with life sentences, ages 51-85, were released as a result of a court decision, and had a recidivism rate of 3% versus 40% for the general prison population.
•   The average per-person cost of a prisoner in Illinois for fiscal 2020 was $34,362. The John Howard Assn estimates that an average older person in prison can cost more than twice as much, or over $68,000.
•   Illinois abolished parole on Feb. 1, 1978 for all persons sentenced before that date, leaving executive clemency as the only remaining way to obtain early release.
  THE SOLUTION: The Elder Parole Bill

•   To apply for early release under the Elder Parole Bill, an individual would have to be 55 years of age or older, and incarcerated for at least 25 consecutive years. This would extend the right to parole to only 997 persons, which is only 3.5% of the population.
•   Illinois has recently instituted a medical release process for those who are terminally ill or medically incapacitated. Elder Parole would build on this by allowing a select few, who are approaching old age, to seek early release before they are terminally ill or incapacitated, and before requiring the medical expenses of old age and end of life care, when they can still contribute to society.
•   Victims’ families would have to be notified and given an opportunity to participate in the parole hearing.
•   A parole hearing would be conducted by a panel of 8 members of the Prisoner Review Board, with the decision to be made by a majority of the panel.
•   To address the aging of the prison population that already exists, the Elder Parole law would apply retroactively to include time served before enactment of the law.
•   Eligibility to apply would include those with natural life sentences, and sentences of life without possibility of parole. 

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Grateful for the signing the Children's Best Interest Act, and to Lt. Governor Juliana Stratton for her support. IF this is fully implemented, with resources for family-based treatment and training for all stakeholders, it could be one a huge factor in reducing incarceration in Illinois.
Read More​​