As officials look for ways to stem the opioid epidemic, a lot of effort has been put into limiting narcotic prescriptions. But new research suggests underlying social issues -- like incarceration and poverty -- are linked to overdose deaths.

A new report published by a national non-profit finds that Illinois prisons are holding about 17,000 more people than they were designed to house.

Susan Burton, an advocate for those who have been imprisoned, will be speaking in Champaign Tuesday night about her recent memoir, “Becoming Ms. Burton.”

The task force would investigate racial disparity in jails and the criminal justice system, trying to figure out why African-Americans are over-represented in jails. It would then go to the board with proposed solutions.