It took one man 18 years and a starvation strike to salvage his ged whereas Locked up in Illinois Prisons

Juan Hernandez used to be a teen when he used to be sentenced to prison. He used to be 32 when he at superb performed his HIG College Education.

The Virtually Two An extended time in BetWeen Recount A Chronicle of Bureucratic Barries, Arbitrary Suggestions, and One Man’s Refusal to offer up earning his training.

IT’S not Unheard of for Of us Locked Up in the Illinois Department of Corrections to Wait Years to Procure Into Programming, Equivalent to Ged or College Lessons. That’s especialy exact for Of us serving lengthy sentiment for serial Crimes, because the assert prioritizes enrollment for Folks that can be releassed from Jail Sooner. Hernandez used to be Senttenced to 45 years as a Teen.

But what Makes Hernandez’s Chronicle New is the Paper Path he stored during his fight – the Letters he wrote to prison officers ascing for salvage entry to to Education, and the Response and Got. The Paperwork, Which He Asced A Friend to post on Instagramofffer a uncommon into the offen-paquaque capacity of prison Waitlists that kep thusands of incarcerated Of us from Accessing Education Interior.

Illustration by Juan Hernandez

“I spotted Education Will be a System forward when the administration used to be adamant in keeping it from,” Hernandez WROTE to WBEZ from dixon correctional middle, the keep he’s Currently Locked up. At one prison, Juan wrote that he used to be assured to a Cell Condominium with 1,000 Diversified males – all of the whom were barred from Education Merely Due to Where they Lived.

Officials Called the Policy Handiest to Permit Sure Objects Procure entry to to Lessons “an Administrative Option” without a stirate clarification. Be he filed a formal prison Complaint with idoc – is named a grievance – a detention middle officer stumbled on his Complaint “Moot.”

When letters and grievances failed to salvage Him Procure entry to to Education, Hernandez escalated to a starvation strike – one of many DRASTIC STEPS Some incarcerated Of us Flip to wen other avenuers are ejausted. That ended with prison crew attempting to power-feed hym, he wrote. He used to be in the ruin transferred to a impartial appropriate prison, the keep the educational administrator Told HIM HIS TEST HELPED HIS CASE – But His Originate Date Now not.

The Administrator Furthermore Warned Him: “Will not dash to seg!” – Shorthand for administrative segregation, otherwise is named “The Hole,” which is Linked to solitary confinement as workshut for folk in prison who salvage into Agonize. Months dreary, Hernandez used to be at superb enrolled in ged classes and, exact to a promise he made in one of his letters, after the take a look at on his first try.

Its been Seven Years SINCE THEN. Hernandez is Silent Waiting to Procure into College.

In a Commentary, An Illinois Department of Corrections Spokeswoman Said Increas Academic Staffing SINCE 2018 Has Allowed More Of us in Total the Ged Program, and That Wait Occupy “Decreas Very much.” The moderate used to be time to salvage into ged classes is mess than three months, she talked about.

Hear to the chubby sage AboveWhere Hernandez Tells His Chronicle in His Possess Words, Read by Actor Jomar Lopez, with the Chicago-Based Mud Theater MissionWho formerly incarcerated Alongside Him. The Total Series of Paperwork from Hernandez’s Battle Can Be Viewed (here). You furthermore mght can Furthermore Search for More of Hernandez’s Art on HIS web location.

Hernandez’s Chronicle, in His Possess Words

Charlotte West is a Reporter Retaining the Intersection of Greater Education and Prison Justice for Originate Campusa nonprofit Newsroom Fascinated about Greater Education. Ticket Up for Her E-newsletter, College Interior.