Illinois
A new Illinois re-entry guide includes resources for LGBTQ+ people after incarceration | Illinois Public Media
CHAMPAIGN — Stephanie Zarate is both transgender and formerly incarcerated. Zarate says being transgender makes it difficult to find resources after incarceration — especially housing.
“Unlike cisgender, straight people, it’s difficult for us because we don’t have the support that they have,” she said.
That’s why the latest re-entry guide from the Education Justice Project includes information on how to get involved in community organizations after incarceration and other resources for LGBTQ+ people.
Lee Ragsdale, the director of the re-entry guide, said EJP received input from Pushing Envelopes, a Chicago re-entry group for LGBTQ+ people returning from incarceration.
“They said, you know what, why don’t you have a chapter on this?” Ragsdale said. “And we said, that’s a great question. You know, that’s, frankly, been an oversight.”
The new LGBTQ+ chapter includes resources for housing, employment, healthcare and substance use — tailored to transgender, gender-nonconforming and queer people.
Lesbian, gay and bisexual people are incarcerated at a rate three times higher than the general population, according to the Prison Policy Initiative.
It’s often harder for transgender people to find housing because halfway houses are usually sorted by gender and LGBTQ+ people often can’t rely on family or religious charities because of their identities, Zarate said.
Zarate added that even when resources are specifically made for LGBTQ+ people, restrictions often exist that limit access for certain individuals, like those with a criminal record or who are HIV-positive.
Lydia Vision, a transgender woman, fought for years to receive gender-affirming care and hormone therapy while incarcerated in Illinois Department of Corrections facilities.
When Vision got out, Pushing Envelopes made sure she could continue her treatment — which is a challenge for many transgender people coming out of incarceration.
“Within three days, they helped me with getting medical insurance and making sure I was covered because I’m on hormone replacement therapy,” Vision said. “They don’t sell it over the counter. So I had to get it together.”
Connecting formerly incarcerated people to resources like housing is especially important, Vision said, because, without it, getting parole and leaving prison isn’t an option.
“If you don’t have a place to go from prison, you don’t get to leave,” Vision said. “They will hold you until your parole time’s up. So essentially, due to lack of a house and place to go, I may have had to stay in prison for almost three more years.”
The new re-entry guide is currently being distributed through prisons throughout the state.
Ragsdale said each year the guides get more inclusive and accessible to more formerly incarcerated people throughout Illinois.
“One of our alumni said, ‘This guide was our internet,’” Ragsdale said. “That just shows you how comprehensive, useful, and we hope, empowering, the guide is, that somebody can come to it and get information on any re-entry-related topics.”
Farrah Anderson is a journalist and student at the University of Illinois. Follow her on Twitter @farrahsoa.
Article Summary
- In an annual May ceremony, friends, family and supporters of law enforcement honored two Illinois police officers who died in the line of duty in 2025.
- The event included a squad car processional and interfaith church service, ending in a ceremony at the Illinois Police Officers Memorial outside the state capitol.
- Seven historic honorees and one K-9 historic honoree were also included.
This summary was written by the reporters and editors who worked on this story.
In a ceremony at the state Capitol, family, friends and supporters honored the lives of two law enforcement officers who died in the line of duty in 2025.
The ceremony honored Officer Krystal Rivera of the Chicago Police Department and Detective Tim Jones of the Park Forest Police Department. Held annually on the first Thursday in May, the event is a tradition to honor law enforcement officers who died in the line of duty the previous calendar year.
“Today, as we remember your brothers, sisters, mothers, fathers, coworkers and friends who lost their lives in the line of duty, let us not remember them as indestructible superheroes that we may envision as children,” state Attorney General Kwame Raoul said. “Let’s remember them as human beings, in all their vulnerabilities and susceptibilities, who chose to take on the risk of the ultimate sacrifice to make others’ lives safer.”
This year’s memorial also included seven historic honorees who died from 1852 to 1936 and one K-9 honoree, Bear, who died in 1987.
“These officers represent the very best of what it means to be a public servant,” said Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias. “They came from different communities, different departments and different backgrounds, but they were united by a common goal: to protect people they may never meet, to run toward danger while others run away and to always put service above themselves.”
In an emotional address, Giannoulias also spoke of “fellow Greek American” CPD Officer John Bartholomew, who was shot and killed while on duty in April. Bartholomew’s visitation and funeral services are set to take place this weekend.
State Treasurer Michael Frerichs also gave a short speech, speaking on his family history with law enforcement and loss: “I’m invited here today because it’s my title. I come here today because of family.”
Frerichs encouraged families of fallen officers to apply to the Fallen Heroes Scholarship Fund, which provides scholarships to children who lost a parent in the line of duty.
The event included a squad car procession at the state fairgrounds and an interfaith church service at the Cathedral of Immaculate Conception, ending in the ceremony at the Illinois Police Officers Memorial on the grounds of the state Capitol.
The mayor of Springfield, Misty Buscher, and the families of two 2025 honorees — Illinois State Police trooper Corey Thompsen and Chicago Police officer James Crowley — also spoke. Gov. JB Pritzker, Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton and Comptroller Susana Mendoza were unable to attend.
Crowley’s sister Beth Carter gave a critical address, calling for reforms to the beneficiary system that she said left her with legal issues when her brother, a former police officer who was permanently injured while on duty, and her mother died within a month of each other.
Thompsen’s parents and brother also called for legislative reform. Thompsen was hit and killed by a driver who was later issued two tickets for an expired license and failure to yield. His family asked lawmakers to enact stricter consequences for crashes resulting in death and to communicate with other states about such events.
“If someone causes a crash that kills another person, there needs to be more of a consequence than two paid tickets for $500 each. We feel that the state of Illinois should notify the other state where the original license was issued, reporting that a fatality is caused by this person with an expired driver’s license,” Thompsen’s brother Ryan said. “As the state’s attorney told us, you won’t find any satisfaction here in the courthouse. How true that was.”
The Illinois Police Officers Memorial Committee, formed in 1987, organizes and maintains the monument located on the grounds of the Capitol. The memorial is self-funded and underwent a renovation and re-dedication in 2021.
Capitol News Illinois is a nonprofit, nonpartisan news service that distributes state government coverage to hundreds of news outlets statewide. It is funded primarily by the Illinois Press Foundation and the Robert R. McCormick Foundation.
DELAVAN, Wis. — A Delavan police officer has resigned immediately following his arrest on stalking charges in Illinois.
Joshua Bittner faces charges stemming from contacting a woman against the orders of the Winnebago County, Illinois, Sheriff’s Office. The woman detailed a long pattern of harassment in court documents obtained by TMJ4.
Before being hired by the Delavan Police Department in 2023, Bittner was an officer in Beloit. He resigned from that position while the police department investigated his behavior.
Bittner’s resignation takes effect immediately.
Watch: Delavan police officer resigns after arrest on stalking charges in Illinois
Delavan police officer resigns following arrest
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