In 1978, Illinois ended the possibility of parole, preventing anyone who was convicted after 1978 from having their case reviewed for release from prison. Despite any signs of reform and good behavior, people who have been incarcerated for the past 46 years have not had an opportunity to bring their case to the parole board.
Through project Parole Illinois, Shari Stone-Mediatore, education director of the program and a Philosophy Professor at Ohio Wesleyan University, has been involved in advocacy for a fair parole system since 2018.
“I came across a very powerful essay about abolishing long term solitary confinement. It was written by somebody who had life in prison and I was astounded that somebody who was such a sensitive and talented writer could have life in prison. So I started supporting Joe with his various projects, including starting Parole Illinois,” Stone-Mediatore said.
When Joseph “Joe” Dole decided to apply for an Illinois Humanities Envisioning Justice grant for his art project, Stone-Mediatore helped him to submit his application from prison. Dole is co-founder of Parole Illinois, and an artist and writer, who has been incarcerated since 1998 without the possibility of parole. As of September 10th, Dole was transferred to Pinckneyville Correctional Center.
The goal of Joe’s project is for artists incarcerated in Stateville Correctional Center to use their art as a means to be heard and make an impact.
“[Joe] is very concerned to explain some of these issues in a way that is accessible to a broad public and also to make apparent the irrationality of a lot of our laws through using art and humor and creativity,” said Stone-Mediatore.
The project also promotes the passing of the Earned Reentry Bill (HB3373 and SB2129), which would allow those who have been incarcerated for twenty years to be reviewed for parole and return home to their families; there are nearly five-thousand people in Illinois serving life sentences without eligibility of parole or de-facto life sentences.
“It is so important that people who are directly impacted by our social policies … have a voice in the discussion of these policies, but it’s very hard for people in prison to get their voice heard.” Professor Stone-Mediatore said, “Art is a really valuable way for them to be able to engage with people. These are people that we really need in our community to contribute their creativity and their insights.”
The Independent partnered with Parole Illinois to spotlight the 30 pieces of artwork created in this project. Visit https://neiuindependent.org/ for a new highlight each day.
To learn more about the Earned Reentry Bill and the artwork, visit ParoleIllinois.org. To contact any of the artists, go to https://web.connectnetwork.com/, create an account and follow the prompts to begin messaging (note that there is a fee of 20 cents per email).