Illinois First Lady Joins Forces With Ex-Convict to Improve Lives of Women Leaving Prison

A pair of lives that diverged down different paths have now become unlikely partners, merged within a common cause.

60-year-old Willette Benford spent 24 years—nearly half her life—in an Illinois prison until a change in state laws expedited her release.

While behind bars though, Ms. Benford earned her GED and an associate’s degree, became an ordained minister, and provided much-needed counsel to support her fellow inmates…

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