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 117 men and two women were among the parolees. Of the parolees sentenced for sex crimes, five were veterans, and the median age was 39. The youngest parolee was a 21-year-old man sentenced in 2023, and the oldest was a 81-year-old man sentenced in 2019.
The offender who had been incarcerated the longest was Marcel Jacobs. He was convicted in 1997 when he was 38 years old. He is now 65.
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 | 119 | 1.7% | 98.3% | 39 |
| Sangamon County | 16 | 0% | 100% | 44.5 |
| Winnebago County | 8 | 0% | 100% | 40.5 |
| Lake County | 8 | 0% | 100% | 44 |
| Macon County | 5 | 0% | 100% | 60 |
| Kane County | 4 | 0% | 100% | 43.5 |
| Adams County | 4 | 25% | 75% | 38.5 |
| Schuyler County | 3 | 0% | 100% | 57 |
| Will County | 2 | 0% | 100% | 63.5 |
| Kankakee County | 2 | 0% | 100% | 50.5 |
| Tazewell County | 2 | 0% | 100% | 45 |
| St. Clair County | 2 | 0% | 100% | 27.5 |
| Christian County | 2 | 0% | 100% | 28.5 |
| McDonough County | 2 | 0% | 100% | 63 |
| Whiteside County | 1 | 0% | 100% | 28 |
| Vermilion County | 1 | 0% | 100% | 40 |
| Union County | 1 | 0% | 100% | 24 |
| Stephenson County | 1 | 0% | 100% | 43 |
| Peoria County | 1 | 0% | 100% | 59 |
| Ogle County | 1 | 0% | 100% | 45 |
| McHenry County | 1 | 0% | 100% | 39 |
| Mason County | 1 | 0% | 100% | 58 |
| Madison County | 1 | 0% | 100% | 38 |
| Clark County | 1 | 0% | 100% | 40 |
| Logan County | 1 | 0% | 100% | 26 |
| Lee County | 1 | 0% | 100% | 60 |
| Clinton County | 1 | 0% | 100% | 63 |
| Kendall County | 1 | 0% | 100% | 62 |
| Edgar County | 1 | 0% | 100% | 48 |
| Franklin County | 1 | 0% | 100% | 41 |
| Fayette County | 1 | 0% | 100% | 23 |
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