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South Cook News

Sunday, December 22, 2024

Q1 Recap: 117 parolees from Cook County convicted of drug crimes set for supervised release

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Justin Hammers, Chief of Operations at IDOC | Illinois Department of Corrections oficial website

Justin Hammers, Chief of Operations at IDOC | Illinois Department of Corrections oficial website

There were 117 offenders convicted of drug crimes living in Cook County released on parole during the first quarter of 2024, according to Illinois Department of Corrections data obtained by the South Cook News.

The data shows that 106 men and 11 women were among the parolees. Of the parolees sentenced for drug crimes, two were veterans, and the median age was 37. The youngest parolee was a 20-year-old man sentenced in 2024, and the oldest was a 62-year-old man sentenced in 2022.

The offender who had been incarcerated the longest was Daniel Vasquez. He was convicted in 2009 when he was 38 years old. He is now 53.

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.

Prisoners convicted of drug crimes paroled in Q1 2024
CountyTotal Number of Parolees% Women% MenMedian age
Cook County1179.4%90.6%37
Macon County234.3%95.7%41
Sangamon County175.9%94.1%38
Peoria County175.9%94.1%42
Madison County1618.8%81.3%41
Will County1520%80%41
St. Clair County1513.3%86.7%40
Champaign County1414.3%85.7%43.5
Jefferson County137.7%92.3%48
Lasalle County1127.3%72.7%33
McLean County1118.2%81.8%32
Winnebago County119.1%90.9%39
Lake County1010%90%32.5
Kane County100%100%40
Marion County911.1%88.9%44
Morgan County922.2%77.8%41
Franklin County850%50%37.5
McHenry County80%100%36
Vermilion County812.5%87.5%36
Adams County850%50%42.5
DeWitt County633.3%66.7%42
Livingston County560%40%33
Fayette County520%80%45
Union County520%80%43
Crawford County540%60%43
Pike County560%40%31
Henry County520%80%29
Tazewell County50%100%42
DuPage County50%100%29
Lee County40%100%34
Macoupin County40%100%42.5
Jackson County40%100%27.5
Randolph County450%50%47
Rock Island County40%100%36.5
Effingham County425%75%42
Montgomery County30%100%42
Clinton County30%100%33
Fulton County366.7%33.3%34
Knox County366.7%33.3%31
Edgar County333.3%66.7%36
White County30%100%41
Brown County20%100%39
Clark County20%100%56
Moultrie County20%100%35
Perry County2100%0%37
Piatt County20%100%37
Richland County250%50%40.5
Saline County2100%0%31
Shelby County250%50%45.5
Coles County20%100%39.5
Logan County250%50%35.5
Kendall County250%50%35.5
Kankakee County250%50%50
Douglas County250%50%47.5
Johnson County20%100%44
Whiteside County20%100%38
Iroquois County20%100%57
Greene County250%50%46
Williamson County20%100%41
Bureau County10%100%28
Woodford County10%100%32
Stark County10%100%36
Bond County10%100%59
Stephenson County10%100%32
Washington County10%100%61
Wabash County10%100%69
Cass County10%100%39
Putnam County10%100%42
Pope County10%100%31
Christian County10%100%35
Menard County10%100%25
Clay County10%100%31
Cumberland County10%100%29
DeKalb County10%100%41
Jersey County10%100%41
Henderson County10%100%55
Hamilton County10%100%69
Gallatin County10%100%34
Ford County1100%0%52

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