SPRINGFIELD, IL – The Illinois Department of Corrections (IDOC) has announced the launch of Journey to Success, a new customized educational content portal available on tablets statewide. The new portal is part of the Edovo application, the largest learning platform for incarcerated people in the US. The application contains thousands of free courses and resources that individuals in custody can access from their living units during their free time. Since Edovo was enabled on tablets in July 2025, individuals in IDOC facilities have completed more than 2.4 million learning items, totaling over 2.3 million hours of engagement. More than 31,000 unique learners have completed 352,000 courses. The most frequently accessed courses include Parenting While Incarcerated, Preparing for Success After Prison, and Beginning Algebra.
The Journey to Success portal within the Edovo app is unique to IDOC and features programs and resources curated by the Department’s Programs teams to support the personal, educational, and professional development of individuals in custody. Currently, re-entry resources, law library resources, and health education videos are available on the portal. IDOC will continually expand and update offerings. Journey to Success is intended to enhance in-person learning opportunities by providing individuals with access to supportive resources at any time of the day. The portal reflects IDOC’s broader commitment to expanding access to learning opportunities through technology.
“Journey to Success represents the best of what we can accomplish when we pair innovation with our commitment to rehabilitation,” said Illinois Department of Corrections Director Latoya Hughes. “This portal broadens access to trusted information and learning resources while reinforcing the critical work of our educators, program staff, and community partners. Each new tool we introduce helps individuals build skills, strengthen stability, and move closer to success after release.”
To support the launch of the custom content, all IDOC staff and individuals in custody were invited to propose names for the new portal that would reflect the goal of empowering learners. More than 5,000 submissions were received and then reviewed by a panel of leaders from IDOC, partner government agencies, and community organizations, including the Illinois Alliance for Reentry and Justice, the John Howard Association, and the City of Chicago’s Office for Re-Entry. Panelists ranked their top 11 submissions, and the names were then shared with staff and individuals in custody for a final vote in December 2025. More than 5,000 votes were cast, with nearly 1,000 selecting Journey to Success as the official name of IDOC’s custom Edovo portal. The winning name, which received the most votes from both individuals in custody and staff, was submitted by an individual in custody.
“I have a lifelong love of learning. Edovo has strengthened and encouraged that habit,” said Jason Hoots, an IDOC Edovo user and contest participant at Hill Correctional Center. “Edovo has helped me become a better person. It has impacted my relationships with others and made me a better peer mentor by helping me understand that my own journey is similar to those of others. Overall, I believe it is a wonderful program, and I fervently hope it may continue and expand in the future.”
“I am excited that IDOC is searching for and implementing new technology to supplement classroom instruction. The entire Office of Adult Education and Vocational Services team works diligently to provide the best possible education for incarcerated learners,” said Amanda Gates, Educator at Big Muddy Correctional Center. “Edovo offers the possibility of additional review outside the classroom. I hope that we continue to search to advance Corrections Education.”
Current custom content on the platform includes a wide range of re-entry, educational, and informational materials designed specifically for individuals in IDOC custody, including the annually updated Mapping Your Future re-entry guides created by the Education Justice Project. Individuals also have access to flyers for community based resources across the state, covering workforce development, substance use treatment, mental health services, veterans programs, and more. Additional materials include the Illinois Blue Book; guidance on the Illinois Secretary of State’s driver’s license reinstatement processes; information on submitting FOIA requests; a series of health education videos developed by the Office of Correctional Medicine at Southern Illinois University School of Medicine; and the Illinois CDL Study Guide. While Edovo provides valuable supplemental content, it is designed to complement existing services and the work of IDOC program staff and partners, not replace in-person programming or out-of-cell time.
IDOC began rolling out the ICSolutions tablets to facilities in February 2025. The tablets offer streamlined communication services, such as the phone dialer application that allows individuals to connect with loved ones directly from their own tablet when connected to Wi-Fi, and free educational resources, such as Edovo, Fast Case Digital Law Library, Khan Academy, and Gutenberg Books. In October 2025, IDOC announced the Voices of Connection: No-Cost Communication Pilot Program that provides no-cost phone calls to individuals in custody at correctional facilities statewide. These features are part of IDOC’s efforts to enhance family connections and increase access to technology that supports rehabilitation.