CHICAGO (AP) _ Advocates for a transgender inmate who received rare approval from Illinois prison authorities to move from a men’s to a women’s prison have asked Gov. J.B. Pritzker to grant her clemency so she can be released immediately.
The Chicago Sun-Times reported on May 9 that Strawberry Hampton’s lawyers say authorities are penalizing the 28-year-old and delaying her release for reporting she was abused in prison and being vocal about it.
Hampton has been serving a 10-year sentence for burglary. Her release date was in February. It’s now Nov. 27.
Her lawyer, Shelia Bedi, says Hampton has been unable to participate in programs to earn cuts in prison time. Bedi also accuses Illinois Department of Corrections officials of filing false disciplinary reports against Hampton.
A message seeking comment from the department wasn’t immediately returned.
