On March 21, 2018, the Stateville prison Debate Team hosted a public debate about parole in Illinois.  The debate was premised on the state’s urgent need for a fair parole system.  Illinois has the most overcrowded prisons in the nation–operating at 151% capacity, and prisons cost the state $2 billion and counting each year.  If nothing is done, over 5.000 Illinoisans will die in prison.  Agreed on the need for a fair parole system, the team addressed an historic debate about how to evaluate candidates for release: statistical evaluation of an individual’s likeliness to recidivate or clinical evaluation of an individual achievements during incarceration.  The debate was attended by Illinois educators, activists, and over 10% of Illinois state legislators.