in the news

IPP client and Ambassador Ronnie Carrasquillo was sentenced to die in prison. Then, after 47 years of incarceration, his life was in the hands of a parole board whose decisions are swayed by shifting political sands and the police union. The new documentary "In Their Hands" tells the story of Ronnie's fight for freedom.

IPP Ambassador Stanley John Howard shares a letter he wrote to his younger self the day before he was freed from incarceration. Stanley John survived police torture, and conviction for a crime he did not commit. He spent 39 years in prison, including many years of solitary confinement.

IPP's Policy and Communications Director Marshan Allen explains why allowing those incarcerated in prisons to vote aids in a successful return to their communities.

IPP's executive director Jenny Soble talks to WTTW about Beto Zavala, whose clemency petition is one of hundreds awaiting response from Gov. Pritzker. Despite the backlog, Pritzker has only granted six clemencies this year.

Philip Merritt was diagnosed with dementia while incarcerated, and was unable to get the care and support he needed. With help from IPP attorney Maria Burnett, Philip was released under the Joe Coleman Medical Release Act and now receives full-time care from his brother Michael.

IPP's Founder and Executive Director Jennifer Soble explains how once a person is imprisoned, indigent defense stops. But the gravity of mass incarceration demands legal representation to the very end.