SPRINGFIELD, Ill. - A recent Rasmussen poll shows that 54 percent of Illinois voters do not support abolishing the death penalty. Jeremy Schroeder, executive director of the Illinois Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty, begs to differ with the poll's findings. He says the time to abolish the death penalty is now.

"For the last decade, we've been studying the death penalty. All we've really found is that we cannot reform it in a way that will prevent an innocent person from being sent to death row."

The death penalty is the most expensive sentencing option in Illinois, Schroeder says, costing taxpayers more than it would to house a prisoner for life without parole.

"It's also important to remember why we've made this system so expensive: We found 20 innocent people on death row, so the way we tried to fix this very broken system was to throw money at it. The truth is, as we're learning from people around the world and in other states, there's no way to fix the death penalty."

Illinois' 10-year-long moratorium on the death penalty is still in effect, which has been a hot-button issue in the governor's race.

According to the poll, one in three Illinoisans are in favor of abolishing the death penalty. Another 15 percent are undecided.


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The U.S. Justice Department is launching an investigation into reports of physical and sexual abuse at Kentucky's eight youth detention centers - along with inappropriate use of isolation, and lack of access to adequate mental health care, and services for children with disabilities.

U.S. Department of Justice Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Kristen Clarke said the investigation will be independent and thorough.

"We're committed," said Clarke, "to ensuring that children in juvenile detention facilities are not subjected to abuse, or mistreatment, or deprived of their constitutional rights."

A federal lawsuit filed earlier this year alleged two teenage girls were kept isolated without access to a toilet, in unsanitary conditions.

Terry Brooks, Ph.D., executive director of Kentucky Youth Advocates, said a decade ago, the General Assembly passed sweeping juvenile justice reforms. But since then, the situation in detention centers has steadily worsened into a full-blown crisis that state leaders have largely ignored.

"If the Beshear administration and if the General Assembly and stepped up on this issue," said Brooks, "we would not have Washington D.C. coming into the Commonwealth to fix this."

Brooks added he is hopeful the DOJ investigation will lead to safe, positive, accountable rehabilitation for Kentucky kids that help them get back on the right track in life.

"They have obviously done deep dives and inquiries into the state of detention centers in Kentucky," said Brooks. "And my optimistic view of this is they are going to give Kentucky a roadmap to move ahead."

Nationally, according to the Justice Department, detention centers admit nearly 200,000 children every year - holding around 16,000 youth on any given night.



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Mother's Day has a special place in the heart of a Michigan woman whose mother's incarceration kept them separated for decades.

Jen Szénay of Michigan said in 1990, her mother was sentenced to life in prison for the death of her husband, in a murder-for-hire case.

Szénay explained that her mom is a domestic-abuse survivor who didn't feel protected by the law.

She said two men carried out the murder of her father - and her mom, who maintains her innocence, was accused of conspiring with them.

Szénay's mother was given a commutation from the governor and released from prison last March. Szénay shared what that first Mother's Day with her mom was like after three decades apart.

"Overjoyed to be together, but it was just like so much shock still surrounding it," said Szénay. "I mean, we had been apart since May 24, 1990. So just to be able to, like, sit with her, hold her hand. It's weird to talk about because there's so many little things that you don't realize that you miss in a person until you don't have it."

Szénay is the communications coordinator for the Michigan Collaborative to End Mass Incarceration, an organization advocating for second-chance legislation.

It would pave the way for those serving a long prison sentence to re-enter society if they're deemed to no longer pose a risk to the community.

Incarcerated individuals would need to petition their sentencing judge for a reduction of their sentence.

With statistics showing average annual prison costs of between $34,000 and $48,000 per person - not including health care - policy researchers estimate savings of approximately $200 million a year through second-chance legislation.

"A lot of these women are victims themselves of domestic violence, of sex trafficking," said Szénay. "To have the ability to go back and say, 'Look, this happened when I was 18, 19, 25, you know, any age, 30, whatever. This is who I am today.'"

Szénay said that money saved by reducing excessive prison sentences could be reinvested in violence prevention, victim services and mental health.

"Why these cases are so deserving of a second look," said Szénay, "is because when you hear the stories, you're like, how did this person get so much time for this situation?"

Michigan has roughly 44,000 people confined or detained, and the state spends nearly 20% of its General Fund on prisons - adding up to more than $2 billion per year.

A North Carolina group hopes to help people stay out of prison by connecting them to critical resources.

Recidivism Reduction Educational Programs Services is launching a new hotline to help formerly incarcerated people with re-entry services.

Kerwin Pittman, the organization's founder, said he found it tough getting connected to the right people as a returning citizen nearly seven years ago and in 2024, he said the issue still exists.

"What we realized that across North Carolina, the connectivity wasn't happening at all," Pittman pointed out. "You would have people returning, citizens, family members, those who wanted to get help for these individuals trying to reach out for services and needed services but just couldn't find them."

The hotline connects callers to real people who essentially create a bridge directly to services in the community. Pittman noted since its launch last Monday, more than 100 people have used the call center to get connected to housing and jobs. To contact the center, call 1-888-852-0004.

In North Carolina, 44% of people are re-arrested within two years of being released from state prisons. Pittman acknowledged it can be challenging to have a successful transition when you don't know where to start and emphasized one small resource can be the key to getting on track.

"You'd be surprised how many individuals come home and don't just have simple identification," Pittman emphasized. "And we know without identification, you can't receive benefits that you may be eligible for, you can't receive a job, you can't receive housing. And so everything kind of plays into each other."

In addition to closing gaps and getting people to services, Pittman said he hopes it inspires others to find innovative ways to make connection easier for people affected by the justice system. Earlier this year at the state level, Gov. Roy Cooper signed Executive Order 303 to improve re-entry.