Areas of work
  • OVER 6,000 CHECK-INS AT HOTEL CALIFORNIA

    OVER 6,000 CHECK-INS AT HOTEL CALIFORNIA

    Cook County State’s Attorney Eileen O’Neill Burke’s sadist mission to expedite detention at Cook County Jail and swell the mass incarceration machine On August 4th, the Illinois Network for Pretrial Justice released a report stating that the number of incarcerated persons at Cook County…

  • “They called J-Unit the Jungle”: What Women Endure at a Pennsylvania State Prison

    “They called J-Unit the Jungle”: What Women Endure at a Pennsylvania State Prison

    The following contains descriptions of sexual assault of women in prisons. In 2015, a woman incarcerated at SCI-Muncy, a women’s state prison in central Pennsylvania, spoke out about multiple instances of a prison doctor raping her. In the first instance, Donald James Stone, who…

  • Cracks at Hotel California Issue #7 – Black August

    Cracks at Hotel California Issue #7 – Black August

    Commemorate Black August 2025 at Cook County Jail! Black August (BA) is a commemorative month which recognizes the sacrifices and struggles of Black people in the ongoing fight for freedom and real liberation from the American nightmare. It’s a month-long observance for reflection, study,…

  • FREE VINCENT HILL!

    FREE VINCENT HILL!

    A letter from Vincent from inside Cook County Jail Hello My Name is Vincent Hill. I recently received a newsletter from Dare to Struggle. Thank you for taking time out your day to reach out to me, as I’m eager to tell my story…

  • A Letter to the Outside

    A Letter to the Outside

    Inmates write about conditions at CCJ The following is a letter sent to Dare to Struggle – Chicago from a group of inmates inside Cook County Jail’s Division 11. Inmates have requested the letter be published in full to further expose conditions inside the…

  • Cracks at Hotel California:  What happened to Attica?

    Cracks at Hotel California: What happened to Attica?

    A call to action from Dare to Struggle – Chicago For more than 6 months now, Dare to Struggle – Chicago has been going out to Cook County Jail, talking with inmates and their loved ones about the horrors behind its walls. The conditions…

  • January 3rd Memorial for Alteriq Pleasant

    January 3rd Memorial for Alteriq Pleasant

    Alteriq would be celebrating his 30th birthday this day, but he died in the custody of Cook County Jail after experiencing a medical emergency. Alteriq should still be here along with so many more. Learn more from an interview with his mother, Vicki Willis,…

  • “A Compromise from the Start”

    “A Compromise from the Start”

    An interview with a Chicago Police district council member Every time we go out to talk to people on the streets about their experiences with the Chicago Police Department, Dare to Struggle hears stories about the routine harassment and abuse that young Black and…

  • Cracks at Hotel California:  Incarcerated for Over a Decade without Being Found Guilty

    Cracks at Hotel California: Incarcerated for Over a Decade without Being Found Guilty

    Fredrick, a Cook County Jail inmate for 13 years, discusses the conditions of the jail, the violation of rights of inmates, and how the system is stacked against them. Shortly after this interview, Fred was found guilty on the charges of attempted murder My…

  • Cracks at Hotel California:  An Interview with a Recently Released Inmate

    Cracks at Hotel California: An Interview with a Recently Released Inmate

    Antwand, a recently released inmate, discusses how collective punishment is weaponized in Cook County Jail If there’s a fight on the deck and they apprehend the two people on the deck, they still punish th entire deck. They’ll put the entire deck on lockdown…