Stateville Calling

Directed by Ben Kolak

Stateville Calling is a documentary exploring parole reform and the struggle of aging inmates in Illinois. Bill Ryan, 84-years-old and with a southern drawl from his Kentucky upbringing, has spent the last several decades befriending and advocating on behalf of a group of men and women incarcerated for life, helping to abolish the death penalty in Illinois, publishing a newspaper written by prisoners, and ceaselessly negotiating with victim's advocates, legislators and lobbyists from both sides of the aisle. The hour-long film illustrates the forces that created our system, and surveys the competing arguments and data points at play to equip viewers to decide for themselves what should be done about criminal justice in Illinois.