African-American Navy veteran Robert Maury noted, "This was the first time in the history of Stateville... that incarcerated veterans were allowed to organize a Memorial Day ceremony in a maximum-security prison." His statement reflects on both the significance of the event and the challenges faced by veterans in the prison system.
In 'Prisoners After War', Jason Higgins addresses the plight of veterans entangled in the criminal justice system, questioning how 180,000 former service members became part of a prison population exceeding 1.2 million.
The Illinois Department of Corrections closed Stateville, causing the Veterans Group to disband, highlighting the fragility of veteran support systems in a national landscape of mass incarceration.
Higgins' work comes at a crucial time, coinciding with President Biden's pardon of veterans convicted of non-violent crimes, aiming to draw attention to the broader issues affecting veterans post-service.
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