As temperatures have risen across the globe, extreme summertime heat and humidity have become a growing problem throughout the United States. Exposure to extreme heat is particularly harmful in prisons, where both corrections professionals and incarcerated people are exposed to life-threatening conditions that exacerbate the ongoing understaffing and overcrowding crisis.

The headlines are clear: across the country, our nation’s prisons are dangerously understaffed and overcrowded. This crisis is playing out in real time with dire consequences for correctional officers and incarcerated people, as well as their families and our communities.

We are in the midst of a profound crisis in our nation’s correctional system. Prisons across the country are dangerously understaffed, overcrowded, and plagued by rapidly deteriorating conditions. As a result, our prisons are not conducive to rehabilitation and produce increasingly poor outcomes for corrections staff and incarcerated people, as well as our families and communities.

The Marshall Project's toolkit helps you report on how the widespread, long-term trend of declining prison staff affects both safety behind bars and state budgets.

The purpose of this report is to document the nature and scope of staffing shortages in Illinois’ prisons, detail the harms to incarcerated people and staff, and make recommendations for urgent and vital action to address the identified challenges.