CREST HILL – Shortly after taking office, State Senator Rachel Ventura visited Stateville Correctional Center to learn more about their educational programs and how she could address recidivism. Under a pilot program, Ventura worked with DePaul University and the Illinois Department of Corrections to onboard an intern at Stateville who would work closely with her office to advance legislative initiatives.

“We still don’t know how these individuals’ lives will be transformed once they are out of prison, but we know for sure they have the capacity to learn and succeed academically,” said Ventura (D-Joliet). “Every time I step foot into Stateville, I can see and feel the transformative change that is happening through this program. We need to expand these programs to ensure these individuals can live honest, successful lives.”

Ventura’s intern, Lynn Green, is one of the first students to graduate from Northwestern’s Prison Education Program (NPEP) with his bachelor’s degree while at Stateville, as well as the first student to serve as an intern for a state senator. As part of his internship, he analyzed several Department of Juvenile Justice reports from state agencies and the ACLU regarding Illinois’ county-run juvenile detention facilities. He shared his findings and recommendations with Ventura and her staff to be used in future legislative initiatives. Green also wrote case studies on some of his peers who are participating in the NPEP program to document the progress of an incarcerated individual.

Green aspires to be a teacher, therapist or psychologist and plans to pursue a master’s degree while behind bars and staying engaged with Ventura’s office on legislative matters.

“My perceptions of self were low, false and without real ambition. It was difficult for me to see myself as anything but a failure,” Green said about the program. “But that slowly began to change as my educational opportunities grew … as if I were given a new set of eyes.”

“I will continue to work with the Department of Corrections and higher educational programs to recruit a new group of interns who will be able to assist me in working on issues for the 2024 spring legislative session,” said Ventura. “I hope more lawmakers will onboard interns from the NPEP to assist their offices and help open doors for these individuals once they return to society.”