Sophia Manuel, Policy Advisor for Reform Initiatives at IDOC | Illinois Department of Corrections oficial website
Sophia Manuel, Policy Advisor for Reform Initiatives at IDOC | Illinois Department of Corrections oficial website
The data shows that 544 men and four women were among the parolees. Of the parolees sentenced for crimes involving weapons, three were veterans, and the median age was 31. The youngest parolee was a 19-year-old man sentenced in 2023, and the oldest was a 74-year-old man sentenced in 2006.
The offender who had been incarcerated the longest was Michael Needham. He was convicted in 2006 when he was 55 years old. He is now 74.
Commonly referred to as parole in Illinois, Mandatory Supervised Release (MSR) is a post-prison supervision period, in which individuals must follow specific rules like check-ins with parole officers; violations can lead to re-incarceration. Unlike parole, MSR is automatically required for all individuals released after serving a prison sentence.
In 2023, Gov. JB Pritzker signed a bill to reform Illinois’ Mandatory Supervised Release program. The law aims to reduce recidivism and reportedly create a more effective and equitable supervision system by incentivizing education, streamlining the review process, and expanding virtual check-ins.
“Our current supervision system too often operates unfairly, with rules that make it simply a revolving door back to jail,” Pritzker said at a bill signing ceremony in Chicago. “In fact, more than 25% of people who are released from prison in Illinois end up back behind bars, not because they’re recidivists, but instead for a noncriminal technical violation.”
A 2018 report from the Illinois Sentencing Policy Advisory Council indicated that 43% of released prisoners in Illinois return to prison within three years, costing taxpayers an estimated $152,000 per recidivism event.
| County | Total Number of Parolees | % Women | % Men | Median age |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cook County | 548 | 0.7% | 99.3% | 31 |
| Lake County | 25 | 0% | 100% | 29 |
| Will County | 24 | 0% | 100% | 29.5 |
| St. Clair County | 22 | 0% | 100% | 39.5 |
| Macon County | 21 | 4.8% | 95.2% | 35 |
| Champaign County | 15 | 6.7% | 93.3% | 33 |
| Sangamon County | 15 | 0% | 100% | 28 |
| Madison County | 14 | 7.1% | 92.9% | 38 |
| Kane County | 14 | 7.1% | 92.9% | 35 |
| Winnebago County | 14 | 0% | 100% | 30.5 |
| Dupage County | 10 | 10% | 90% | 38.5 |
| Peoria County | 10 | 0% | 100% | 36.5 |
| Kankakee County | 9 | 0% | 100% | 33 |
| Kendall County | 5 | 0% | 100% | 29 |
| Vermilion County | 4 | 0% | 100% | 30 |
| Marion County | 4 | 0% | 100% | 30 |
| Jefferson County | 4 | 0% | 100% | 28.5 |
| McLean County | 4 | 0% | 100% | 31 |
| DeKalb County | 4 | 0% | 100% | 29 |
| Jackson County | 3 | 0% | 100% | 37 |
| McHenry County | 3 | 0% | 100% | 36 |
| Rock Island County | 3 | 0% | 100% | 25 |
| Edgar County | 3 | 0% | 100% | 37 |
| Tazewell County | 2 | 0% | 100% | 40.5 |
| Stephenson County | 2 | 0% | 100% | 32.5 |
| Whiteside County | 2 | 0% | 100% | 34 |
| Lasalle County | 2 | 50% | 50% | 35 |
| Knox County | 2 | 0% | 100% | 42.5 |
| Henry County | 2 | 0% | 100% | 48 |
| Fulton County | 2 | 0% | 100% | 35 |
| Franklin County | 2 | 0% | 100% | 38.5 |
| Christian County | 2 | 0% | 100% | 47 |
| Clark County | 2 | 0% | 100% | 39.5 |
| Adams County | 1 | 0% | 100% | 31 |
| Williamson County | 1 | 0% | 100% | 45 |
| Carroll County | 1 | 0% | 100% | 26 |
| Cass County | 1 | 0% | 100% | 61 |
| Washington County | 1 | 0% | 100% | 50 |
| Warren County | 1 | 0% | 100% | 20 |
| Coles County | 1 | 0% | 100% | 48 |
| Douglas County | 1 | 0% | 100% | 41 |
| Ford County | 1 | 0% | 100% | 29 |
| Saline County | 1 | 0% | 100% | 30 |
| Randolph County | 1 | 0% | 100% | 35 |
| Jersey County | 1 | 0% | 100% | 61 |
| Massac County | 1 | 0% | 100% | 28 |
| Macoupin County | 1 | 0% | 100% | 33 |
| Lee County | 1 | 0% | 100% | 56 |
| Livingston County | 1 | 0% | 100% | 37 |
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