Chicago inmate dies before Stateville prison closes

CHICAGO (CBS) – The family of an inmate at Stateville Prison said his death behind bars could have been prevented.

On Tuesday evening, they joined activists calling for the prison to be closed earlier than planned, arguing that this would save lives.

According to the Illinois Department of Corrections, 51-year-old Michael Broadway died on Wednesday, June 19.

Broadway earned his college degree while incarcerated last November as part of the Northwestern Prison Education Program (NPEP), that helps people incarcerated in Illinois complete college-level courses and earn a college degree.

Broadway was serving a 75-year prison sentence for first-degree murder, but family members said he had turned his life around – graduating and putting other inmates on the right path. Broadway studied sociology, according to his partner Shawn Hardy.

On his graduation day, Broadway said he felt alive for the first time.

“He was definitely a light to others,” Hardy said. “He spoke about injustice and helped the youth in his community.”

But seven months later he died.

The Northwestern Prison Education Program held a town hall meeting Tuesday night to address Broadway’s death and demand the immediate closure of the Stateville Correctional Center. Many of the attendees were the same people who celebrated with Broadway at his graduation.

Family members said Broadway died of asthma, which was made worse by the conditions, such as the intense heat, he endured while incarcerated. Jimmy Soto, a now-exonerated inmate, said he experienced those conditions firsthand.

“I served 42 years, as I said, and a large portion of that was spent in Stateville. So these conditions did not arise overnight,” Soto said. “This has been going on for decades.”

In March, Illinois Governor JB Pritzker announced a multimillion-dollar plan to demolish and rebuild the Stateville and Logan prisons over the next three to five years.

After several public hearings in which staff and local stakeholders testified, the Illinois Department of Corrections announced that Stateville will not close before September 13, 2024.

According to the Commission on Government Forecasting and Accountability memorandum, IDOC listed numerous reasons for closing Stateville, including “limited visibility, requiring additional security and surveillance personnel” and that “extensive repairs are needed, including cell renovations, shower upgrades, masonry and roof repairs, kitchen renovations, and electrical upgrades.”

According to a 2023 report, parts of the Stateville prison were deemed “unfit for a 21st century correctional facility.”

The report goes on to say that there are little to no opportunities for respite care in Stateville’s residential facilities and that the current design “impedes successful reintegration into society.”

Concerns were also raised about the water supply.

On Tuesday evening, lawyers said it was a matter of life and death.

“We call on the governor and the state legislature to close the prison immediately so that there is no second Michael Broadway – or anyone else loses their life simply because of the conditions,” Soto said.

When asked about Broadway’s death during a question and answer session, Governor Pritzker responded, in part, “I don’t know the details of the case you’re raising, but I will say that it is very important that we make careful but immediate changes to our corrections system. In particular, we need to close and replace Stateville.”

Governor Pritzker mentioned the 2023 report, saying it “shows the terrible conditions in some of our prisons and the need for significant investment – the entire system has been underinvested for many years, and we need to change that.”

In addition, Pritzker said that the prison system needs “immediate” changes and “investments to keep people safe” – and I’m not just talking about inmates, but also the correctional officers who work in these facilities.

The Will County Coroner’s Office also confirmed Broadway’s death, but did not release a cause of death due to an ongoing investigation.