When the state of Illinois shut down the century-old, maximum-security prison last year, nearly four of every five inmates ended up being sent to less-secure sites, The Associated Press found.

"These residential treatment centers have been environments of violence, fear, and sexual abuse for decades," the lawsuit says.

We thought the best way to get into the conversation was to bypass all of the stereotypical conversations that people imagine having with people serving long-term sentences and really dive into ...