Before he was even 12, Lorenzo Louden had shot a man and slept with two prostitutes. Growing up so early, it’s no wonder he preferred gang life to school and eventually wound up in prison. Now 57, Louden runs the Springfield-based nonprofit Tower of Refuge with his wife, Bevey. Using his life experience and her […]
Illinois Department of Corrections
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Inside the House of the Rainbow
In a humble house by the railroad tracks, a recently released ex-con sits idly on a worn-out couch, smoking a cigarette and ashing in a tuna can. He’s explaining his views on society with an air of irreverence, as one who has seen just about everything. He gives a pseudonym – Tom Bennett – to […]
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Juvenile Justice shows progress
When the Illinois Department of Juvenile Justice was created in 2006, the state’s youth prisons held 1,500 juvenile offenders. Today, there are fewer than 900 kids behind bars in Illinois juvenile justice system. It’s one sign of progress for the relatively new department, which was previously part of the adult-oriented Illinois Department of Corrections. The […]
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Illinois starts giving prison inmates release credits
Certain Illinois inmates have started to receive early release credits under administrative rules adopted this month by the Illinois Department of Corrections. The move follows a state law passed last year in response to public outcry over a previous early release program. Well-behaved inmates who show potential for rehabilitation can receive up to 180 days […]
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Summit restores hope
A statewide effort to help restore offenders on probation back to society has come to Springfield through efforts by the Fifth Street Renaissance, Springfield Urban League and Tower of Refuge, Inc. The first “Summit of Hope” in Springfield invited more than 600 individuals on probation at the state and county level, and from Department of […]
