Originally named the End IL Prison Lockdown Coalition, we formed in direct response to the Illinois Department of Corrections' (IDOC) failed policies to stop the spread COVID-19 in its prisons. Throughout the first year of COVID-19, incarcerated individuals in IDOC were not only suffering from alarmingly high rates of the virus, but extreme and unending lockdowns. We came together as a group of activists, loved ones of the incarcerated, and incarcerated individuals working to end the lockdowns, safely restore in-person visits, and advocate for mass release. ​