Chicago man incarcerated at Stateville dies before prison set to close
CHICAGO (CBS) – The family of an inmate at Stateville Prison said his death behind bars could have been prevented.
On Tuesday night, they joined activists calling for the prison to close sooner than slated—saying it 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), which helps incarcerated people in Illinois complete college-level courses and earn college degrees.
Broadway was serving a 75-year sentence for first-degree murder. But loved ones said he had turned his life around inside—getting that degree and putting other inmates on the right path. Broadway had studied sociology, according to his partner, Shawn Hardy.
Upon his graduation day, Broadway said it was the first time he had felt alive.
"He was definitely a light to others," Hardy said. "He talked about injustice, and helping the youth in his community."
But seven months later, he would die.
The Northwestern Prison Education Program hosted a town hall meeting Tuesday night to address Broadway's death, as well as demand the immediate closure of Stateville Correctional Center. Many who attended were the same people who celebrated with Broadway during his graduation ceremony.
Loved ones said Broadway died from asthma that was made worse by the conditions, such as excessive heat, they said he endured while incarcerated. Jimmy Soto, an inmate who has since been exonerated, said he lived those conditions firsthand.
"I served 42 years, as I indicated. A large portion of my time was at Stateville. So these conditions didn't happen overnight," Soto said. "This has been going on for decades."
In March, Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker announced a multimillion-dollar plan to knock down and rebuild Stateville and Logan prisons in the next three to five years.
After several public hearings, during which employees and local stakeholders testified, the Illinois Department of Corrections said that Stateville would not close before Sept. 13, 2024.
According to the Commission on Government Forecasting and Accountability memorandum, IDOC listed numerous reasons as to why Stateville should close, including "limited lines of sight necessitate additional staff for safety and monitoring" and that it is in need of "extensive repairs, including cell renovations, shower upgrades, masonry and roofing fixes, kitchen refurbishments, and electrical upgrades."
According to a 2023 report, parts of Stateville prison were deemed "not suitable for any 21st-century correctional center."
The report goes on to say that Stateville housing has little to no space for out-of-cell time and that the current design "stands in the way of successfully making" a transition back into society.
Concerns have also been raised with the water supply.
Advocates speaking Tuesday night said it is a matter of life and death.
"We are demanding that the governor and that Legislature close the prison immediately, so there will not be another Michael Broadway—or anyone to lose their life simply based on the conditions," Soto said.
When asked about Broadway's death during a Q&A, Gov. Pritzker answered, in part: "I don't know any details of the case you're raising, but I will say that it's very important that we carefully but imminently make changes in our corrections system. In particular, we are going to need to close and replace Stateville."
Gov. Pritzker mentioned the 2023 report, saying that it "showed the terrible conditions of some of our prisons, and the need for significant investment—it had been disinvested from the entire system for many years, and we need to rectify that."
Further, Pritzker said changes are needed "imminently" in then correction system, and "investments that will keep people safe—and I'm not just talking about the inmates, but also talking about the correctional officers that work at those facilities."
The Will County Coroner's Office also confirmed Broadway's death but did not share a cause of death due to an ongoing investigation.