Welcome to the "Law and Order" issue of Illinois Heritage, a reflection on how Illinoisans have dealt with lawlessness in the state's 184-year history. Crime and punishment have always been byproducts of civilization, yet in frontier Illinois, the dispensation of justice was occasionally a crime in itself, sanctioned by the courts and hidden from prying eyes. Such is the case in our feature story, "The Regulators and the Prairie Bandits: Vigilante Justice in the Rock River Valley," by Herbert S. Channick. In this issue we also look at the 145-year-old Illinois State Penitentiary at Joliet, which once led the nation in prison innovation and reform. Today the site is on the Landmarks Preservation Council of Illinois "Top Ten Most Endangered Historic Places," a ghost prison hauntingly illustrated in a series of historic photos from the Illinois State Historical Library archives. Southern Illinois gangsters Charlie Birger and the Shelton Gang make their first appearance in the May-June Illinois Heritage, but probably not their last. And we will meet and congratulate the winners of the 2002 Generations High School Writing Competition, and showcase some of their creative work. It's all good reading in your Illinois Heritage. Share it with a friend.

—William Furry editor

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