Nancy RIsh is pictured here in a visit her grandsons made to Dwight prison in 2012.
While in Dwight prison, Nancy Rish earned her GED high school (equivalency) diploma and a two-year AA (Associate) college degree. She earned a degree in cosmetology, and a license in sanitation which qualifies her as an assistant manager in culinary arts. She also has been a certified dog groomer for more than 10 years. Nancy has worked in the prison's Helping Paws program. The program trains dogs to be service dogs for the blind and for other people with handicaps. Dwight was the only facility with this program. The program was moved to Logan Correctional Center after Governor Pat Quinn closed Dwight prison in March 2013. Nancy continues working in the Helping Paws program at Logan, grooming and assisting in training the dogs.
And she still has hope. "I want nothing for myself, if I got out," she said in 2013. "I just want to take care of my mother in her last years and my boys (grandsons). And I would like people to know that I did not do this crime."