Uptown People's Law Center
@uplcchicago.bsky.social
UPLC advocates for prisoners, tenants, and disabled people denied public benefits.
Uptown, Chicago, USA
Uptown, Chicago, USA
THIS Wednesday!
Join UPLC for a free webinar about the Just Housing Amendment and how it protects your right to a home free from discrimination.
Register here: us02web.zoom.us/meeting/regi...
#FairHousing #KnowYourRights #UPLC
Join UPLC for a free webinar about the Just Housing Amendment and how it protects your right to a home free from discrimination.
Register here: us02web.zoom.us/meeting/regi...
#FairHousing #KnowYourRights #UPLC
Welcome! You are invited to join a meeting: Homes, Not Barriers: Protecting Rights Through the Just Housing Amendment. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email about joining the meetin...
Welcome! You are invited to join a meeting: Homes, Not Barriers: Protecting Rights Through the Just Housing Amendment. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email about joining the meetin...
us02web.zoom.us
November 10, 2025 at 8:48 PM
THIS Wednesday!
Join UPLC for a free webinar about the Just Housing Amendment and how it protects your right to a home free from discrimination.
Register here: us02web.zoom.us/meeting/regi...
#FairHousing #KnowYourRights #UPLC
Join UPLC for a free webinar about the Just Housing Amendment and how it protects your right to a home free from discrimination.
Register here: us02web.zoom.us/meeting/regi...
#FairHousing #KnowYourRights #UPLC
People with records deserve a fair chance at housing.
Join UPLC for a free webinar about the Just Housing Amendment and how it protects your right to a home free from discrimination.
Register here: us02web.zoom.us/meeting/regi...
#FairHousing #KnowYourRights #UPLC
Join UPLC for a free webinar about the Just Housing Amendment and how it protects your right to a home free from discrimination.
Register here: us02web.zoom.us/meeting/regi...
#FairHousing #KnowYourRights #UPLC
Welcome! You are invited to join a meeting: Homes, Not Barriers: Protecting Rights Through the Just Housing Amendment. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email about joining the meetin...
Welcome! You are invited to join a meeting: Homes, Not Barriers: Protecting Rights Through the Just Housing Amendment. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email about joining the meetin...
us02web.zoom.us
October 30, 2025 at 5:02 PM
People with records deserve a fair chance at housing.
Join UPLC for a free webinar about the Just Housing Amendment and how it protects your right to a home free from discrimination.
Register here: us02web.zoom.us/meeting/regi...
#FairHousing #KnowYourRights #UPLC
Join UPLC for a free webinar about the Just Housing Amendment and how it protects your right to a home free from discrimination.
Register here: us02web.zoom.us/meeting/regi...
#FairHousing #KnowYourRights #UPLC
Check out UPLC’s 2025 annual report– see the stories and wins donors help make possible: www.uplcchicago.org/2025-annual-...
2025 Annual Report : Uptown People's Law Center
www.uplcchicago.org
October 23, 2025 at 6:47 PM
Check out UPLC’s 2025 annual report– see the stories and wins donors help make possible: www.uplcchicago.org/2025-annual-...
IL DOC is now scanning, and destroying, mail to people inside. Gov. Pritzker just signed a new law collecting data on how contraband is entering prisons, so why is this being done now? Tell JCAR to stop this:
217/785-2254
jcar@ilga.gov
217/785-2254
jcar@ilga.gov
September 19, 2025 at 2:21 PM
IL DOC is now scanning, and destroying, mail to people inside. Gov. Pritzker just signed a new law collecting data on how contraband is entering prisons, so why is this being done now? Tell JCAR to stop this:
217/785-2254
jcar@ilga.gov
217/785-2254
jcar@ilga.gov
“There’s this culture — [Illinois] DOC officials, going all the way up to the director, have known about it for years and have done nothing to remedy it,” said Nicole Schult, legal director at UPLC. More coverage of our lawsuits about sexual assaults by prison staff on @wttw.bsky.social:
Incarcerated Women Allege Sexual Abuse, Retaliation at Logan Correctional Center
Seven current and formerly incarcerated women filed federal lawsuits over the last week alleging sexual assault, harassment and institutional retaliation at Illinois’ primary women’s prison, Logan Cor...
news.wttw.com
September 18, 2025 at 3:55 PM
“There’s this culture — [Illinois] DOC officials, going all the way up to the director, have known about it for years and have done nothing to remedy it,” said Nicole Schult, legal director at UPLC. More coverage of our lawsuits about sexual assaults by prison staff on @wttw.bsky.social:
Reposted by Uptown People's Law Center
Today, Illinois celebrates the second anniversary of the successful implementation of the Pretrial Fairness Act and the end of money bond!
Read our full statement here: endmoneybond.org/2025/09/18/c...
Read our full statement here: endmoneybond.org/2025/09/18/c...
September 18, 2025 at 3:36 PM
Today, Illinois celebrates the second anniversary of the successful implementation of the Pretrial Fairness Act and the end of money bond!
Read our full statement here: endmoneybond.org/2025/09/18/c...
Read our full statement here: endmoneybond.org/2025/09/18/c...
Today, we joined other organizations in filing 7 lawsuits that reveal a pervasive culture of sexual assault by correctional officers at Logan prison in Illinois. Individual perpetrators must face accountability, and the DOC must address this ongoing cycle of abuse, cover-ups, and retaliation.
Female prisoners allege widespread abuse, retaliation at IDOC facility in multiple complaints
Seven current or former inmates at Logan Correctional Center have filed separate lawsuits against officers, prison staff and leadership, alleging a widespread pattern of sexual abuse.
www.chicagotribune.com
September 17, 2025 at 7:54 PM
Today, we joined other organizations in filing 7 lawsuits that reveal a pervasive culture of sexual assault by correctional officers at Logan prison in Illinois. Individual perpetrators must face accountability, and the DOC must address this ongoing cycle of abuse, cover-ups, and retaliation.
The federal gov't controls only a small portion of U.S. imprisonment. But the Trump WH is using funding & influence to pressure states & cities to expand & intensify criminal legal systems, by dismantling due process, increasing harsh sentences, & worsening prison conditions. From @prisonpolicy.org:
Tracking how the Trump administration is making the criminal legal system worse
A growing lists of the ways the Trump administration is making prisons worse and gutting programs that keep communities safe
www.prisonpolicy.org
September 16, 2025 at 6:59 PM
The federal gov't controls only a small portion of U.S. imprisonment. But the Trump WH is using funding & influence to pressure states & cities to expand & intensify criminal legal systems, by dismantling due process, increasing harsh sentences, & worsening prison conditions. From @prisonpolicy.org:
Today is National Voter Registration Day. You should know: (1/2)
September 15, 2025 at 11:09 PM
Today is National Voter Registration Day. You should know: (1/2)
IL DOC's "Emergency Rule" to scan prison mail is a self-made emergency to restrict and monetize communications between people in prison and their loved ones. Tell JCAR not to let these proceed!
217/785-2254
jcar@ilga.gov
217/785-2254
jcar@ilga.gov
September 14, 2025 at 4:17 PM
IL DOC's "Emergency Rule" to scan prison mail is a self-made emergency to restrict and monetize communications between people in prison and their loved ones. Tell JCAR not to let these proceed!
217/785-2254
jcar@ilga.gov
217/785-2254
jcar@ilga.gov
Read the open letter we wrote w/other orgs: IL DOC’s "emergency" mail policy risks exposing confidential legal mail, delaying urgent responses, & cutting off family contact for people in prison. We urge JCAR to oppose this harmful rule, which erodes privacy, justice, & connection for people inside!
Articles & Advocacy : In the News : Who We Are : Uptown People's Law Center
www.uplcchicago.org
September 12, 2025 at 7:31 PM
Read the open letter we wrote w/other orgs: IL DOC’s "emergency" mail policy risks exposing confidential legal mail, delaying urgent responses, & cutting off family contact for people in prison. We urge JCAR to oppose this harmful rule, which erodes privacy, justice, & connection for people inside!
Chicago spent $231.2M on police misconduct lawsuits in just 7 months. Chicago can’t afford endless payouts for cops to abuse people. Real accountability and reform are overdue.
Chicago Spent $231.2M to Resolve Police Misconduct Lawsuits in 7 Months, Nearly Triple Year’s Budget: Records
Even as the financial toll of decades of police misconduct is likely to grow in the coming months, Chicago exhausted its annual budget of $82.2 million months ago and had spent nearly triple that amou...
news.wttw.com
September 11, 2025 at 5:07 PM
Chicago spent $231.2M on police misconduct lawsuits in just 7 months. Chicago can’t afford endless payouts for cops to abuse people. Real accountability and reform are overdue.
Lawmakers in Connecticut are considering a bill to make it illegal for businesses and individuals in the state to manufacture, sell, or supply drugs or devices for use in executions anywhere in the country. This is a great step against profiteering from capital punishment!
Connecticut Could Ban Its Businesses from Helping Carry Out Executions Elsewhere - Bolts
Connecticut lawmakers are considering legislation to make it illegal to participate in the death penalty, following news that a local company helped fuel a federal execution spree.
boltsmag.org
September 10, 2025 at 3:01 PM
Lawmakers in Connecticut are considering a bill to make it illegal for businesses and individuals in the state to manufacture, sell, or supply drugs or devices for use in executions anywhere in the country. This is a great step against profiteering from capital punishment!
Trump’s plan to deploy military to Chicago could cost $1.6M per day—4x what it would take to house the city's unhoused! Our unhoused neighbors in Uptown are vulnerable during this manufactured crisis. We stand ready to continue to protect them & fight for the real solution: more affordable housing.
September 8, 2025 at 9:15 PM
Trump’s plan to deploy military to Chicago could cost $1.6M per day—4x what it would take to house the city's unhoused! Our unhoused neighbors in Uptown are vulnerable during this manufactured crisis. We stand ready to continue to protect them & fight for the real solution: more affordable housing.
Mail from loved ones and friends provides a vital lifeline for people in prison. Illinois prisons banning physical mail is harmful and unnecessary. There is no evidence that prison mail scanning reduces contraband—to the contrary, there IS evidence it does NOT address it.
Under Emergency Rule, Illinois Prisons Plan to Withhold Physical Mail in Favor of Electronic Scanning
The change comes after debate over the safety of physical mail. IDOC states that these emergency rules are intended to prevent the smuggling of contraband and hazardous substances into correctional fa...
news.wttw.com
September 6, 2025 at 4:23 PM
Mail from loved ones and friends provides a vital lifeline for people in prison. Illinois prisons banning physical mail is harmful and unnecessary. There is no evidence that prison mail scanning reduces contraband—to the contrary, there IS evidence it does NOT address it.
Hands Off Chicago is a grassroots effort to oppose military intervention in Chicago. Chicago does NOT welcome Trump's illegal and unnecessary invasion!
HANDS OFF CHICAGO | Opposing Trump's Military Occupation
Hands Off Chicago is a grassroots effort to oppose military intervention in Chicago.
www.handsoffchicago.com
September 5, 2025 at 10:38 PM
Hands Off Chicago is a grassroots effort to oppose military intervention in Chicago. Chicago does NOT welcome Trump's illegal and unnecessary invasion!
President Trump's executive order threatening the funding of jurisdictions that have moved away from cash bail is one more tactic in his platform of anti-Black racism and oppression. Illinois' passage of the Pre-Trial Fairness Act that ended money bail was groundbreaking, and we will not go back.
September 3, 2025 at 10:34 PM
President Trump's executive order threatening the funding of jurisdictions that have moved away from cash bail is one more tactic in his platform of anti-Black racism and oppression. Illinois' passage of the Pre-Trial Fairness Act that ended money bail was groundbreaking, and we will not go back.
Neurodivergent youth of color in custody are more than twice as likely to experience physical assault by staff as their white, neurotypical peers. This is racism combined with ableism. Youth imprisonment puts the most vulnerable at greatest risk.
New study finds confined neurodivergent youth of color are particularly vulnerable to physical assault by staff
A new study analyzing a national survey of youth in custody reveals stark disparities in rates of staff physical assault among Black and neurodivergent youth.
www.prisonpolicy.org
September 2, 2025 at 8:45 PM
Neurodivergent youth of color in custody are more than twice as likely to experience physical assault by staff as their white, neurotypical peers. This is racism combined with ableism. Youth imprisonment puts the most vulnerable at greatest risk.
A former Indiana women’s prison officer was convicted of raping an imprisoned woman. While rape of prisoners by staff is not uncommon, convictions like this are rare. Justice and accountability are urgently needed!
Former correctional officer convicted of raping incarcerated woman at Indiana state prison
She said he would take her to a "blind spot" - a place out of view of surveillance cameras - for some encounters.
www.indystar.com
August 31, 2025 at 4:24 PM
A former Indiana women’s prison officer was convicted of raping an imprisoned woman. While rape of prisoners by staff is not uncommon, convictions like this are rare. Justice and accountability are urgently needed!
Illinois has taken a historic step for justice, & will no longer be one of three US states without state oversight of trial-level public defense services. This new statewide public defender system means better oversight and fairer trials, no matter the county. Every person deserves quality defense!
Illinois leaves “no state oversight” list with new legislation - Sixth Amendment Center
Pleading the Sixth: On August 15, 2025, Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker signed the State Public Defender Act into law, creating the first-ever state commission and state office for trial-level service...
6ac.org
August 30, 2025 at 11:08 PM
Illinois has taken a historic step for justice, & will no longer be one of three US states without state oversight of trial-level public defense services. This new statewide public defender system means better oversight and fairer trials, no matter the county. Every person deserves quality defense!
Illinois prisons are seeing record lockdowns, which strip people of visits, programs, and basic dignity. Overuse of lockdowns is a crisis that undermines justice and human rights. Hear from people in prison what a lockdown is like:
What Happens During a Prison Lockdown? With Illinois Seeing Historic Highs, We Asked Incarcerated People
Lockdowns can be indistinguishable from solitary confinement-like conditions, with those incarcerated given little yard time and limited access to educational programming and commissary.
news.wttw.com
August 29, 2025 at 5:11 PM
Illinois prisons are seeing record lockdowns, which strip people of visits, programs, and basic dignity. Overuse of lockdowns is a crisis that undermines justice and human rights. Hear from people in prison what a lockdown is like:
Just how much can the president and federal government shape the criminal legal system in the US? Read @prisonpolicy.org's primer:
Can they do that? A primer on the powers — and limits — of the president and federal government to shape the criminal legal system
The Trump Administration has made a lot of claims about how it will change the criminal legal system. We explain where the president and federal ...
www.prisonpolicy.org
August 28, 2025 at 9:01 PM
Just how much can the president and federal government shape the criminal legal system in the US? Read @prisonpolicy.org's primer:
Mail-in voting is essential to ensuring votes from people in jail are counted. Trump is trying to do away with this system.
Trump vows to end use of mail-in ballots ahead of 2026 midterm election
U.S. President Donald Trump pledged on Monday to issue an executive order to end the use of mail-in ballots and voting machines ahead of the 2026 midterm elections, a move likely to disproportionately favor his Republican Party.
www.reuters.com
August 25, 2025 at 5:00 PM
Mail-in voting is essential to ensuring votes from people in jail are counted. Trump is trying to do away with this system.
Approximately 90% of immigrants detained by ICE are now in private prisons. These companies make record profits from abuse, neglect, and human rights violations. End for-profit detention now!
Immigration Detention Has Become a Booming Business for Private Prison Giants
Private prison giants now hold 90 percent of detained immigrants and aim to triple capacity for $1.5 billion in revenue.
truthout.org
August 24, 2025 at 9:29 PM
Approximately 90% of immigrants detained by ICE are now in private prisons. These companies make record profits from abuse, neglect, and human rights violations. End for-profit detention now!
Illinois’ UIC forensics lab used junk science for cannabis DUIs, causing wrongful convictions for years. Lax oversight enabled this injustice. People deserve transparency and protection from bad forensic evidence!
Fake science, faulty methods, misleading testimony
How a rogue forensics lab in Chicago got people wrongfully convicted for driving high.
www.injusticewatch.org
August 22, 2025 at 5:20 PM
Illinois’ UIC forensics lab used junk science for cannabis DUIs, causing wrongful convictions for years. Lax oversight enabled this injustice. People deserve transparency and protection from bad forensic evidence!