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
The data shows that 316 men and 14 women were among the parolees. Of the parolees sentenced for property crimes, three were veterans, and the median age was 37. The youngest parolee was a 21-year-old man sentenced in 2023, and the oldest was a 78-year-old man sentenced in 2022.
The offender who had been incarcerated the longest was James Henderson. He was convicted in 2000 when he was 32 years old. He is now 56.
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 | 330 | 4.2% | 95.8% | 37 |
| Will County | 22 | 0% | 100% | 33.5 |
| Winnebago County | 22 | 4.5% | 95.5% | 35 |
| St. Clair County | 21 | 19% | 81% | 37 |
| Madison County | 19 | 10.5% | 89.5% | 30 |
| Peoria County | 19 | 10.5% | 89.5% | 35 |
| Kane County | 17 | 5.9% | 94.1% | 31 |
| DuPage County | 17 | 17.6% | 82.4% | 41 |
| Lake County | 15 | 6.7% | 93.3% | 33 |
| Macon County | 13 | 7.7% | 92.3% | 43 |
| Sangamon County | 13 | 15.4% | 84.6% | 36 |
| Vermilion County | 12 | 16.7% | 83.3% | 39 |
| Jackson County | 9 | 22.2% | 77.8% | 43 |
| McHenry County | 8 | 37.5% | 62.5% | 31 |
| Champaign County | 8 | 0% | 100% | 31.5 |
| Kankakee County | 6 | 0% | 100% | 34 |
| Franklin County | 6 | 33.3% | 66.7% | 33 |
| Tazewell County | 6 | 16.7% | 83.3% | 36.5 |
| Rock Island County | 5 | 60% | 40% | 33 |
| Marion County | 5 | 20% | 80% | 34 |
| McLean County | 5 | 0% | 100% | 28 |
| Lasalle County | 5 | 40% | 60% | 41 |
| Henry County | 5 | 0% | 100% | 37 |
| Adams County | 5 | 0% | 100% | 40 |
| Whiteside County | 5 | 20% | 80% | 29 |
| Morgan County | 4 | 0% | 100% | 46.5 |
| Christian County | 4 | 25% | 75% | 38 |
| Macoupin County | 4 | 25% | 75% | 39 |
| Montgomery County | 3 | 0% | 100% | 40 |
| Saline County | 3 | 33.3% | 66.7% | 48 |
| Boone County | 3 | 0% | 100% | 61 |
| Williamson County | 3 | 0% | 100% | 46 |
| DeKalb County | 3 | 0% | 100% | 36 |
| Edgar County | 3 | 0% | 100% | 31 |
| Livingston County | 3 | 0% | 100% | 34 |
| Knox County | 3 | 0% | 100% | 37 |
| Kendall County | 3 | 0% | 100% | 37 |
| Fayette County | 3 | 0% | 100% | 43 |
| Grundy County | 3 | 0% | 100% | 29 |
| Lawrence County | 2 | 0% | 100% | 43.5 |
| Bond County | 2 | 0% | 100% | 38 |
| Monroe County | 2 | 0% | 100% | 40.5 |
| Moultrie County | 2 | 50% | 50% | 45.5 |
| Alexander County | 2 | 0% | 100% | 45.5 |
| Jefferson County | 2 | 0% | 100% | 31.5 |
| Stephenson County | 1 | 0% | 100% | 29 |
| Warren County | 1 | 0% | 100% | 46 |
| Woodford County | 1 | 0% | 100% | 46 |
| Wabash County | 1 | 0% | 100% | 53 |
| Perry County | 1 | 0% | 100% | 48 |
| Ogle County | 1 | 0% | 100% | 39 |
| Menard County | 1 | 0% | 100% | 38 |
| McDonough County | 1 | 0% | 100% | 42 |
| Marshall County | 1 | 0% | 100% | 36 |
| Lee County | 1 | 0% | 100% | 36 |
| Jersey County | 1 | 0% | 100% | 36 |
| Iroquois County | 1 | 0% | 100% | 40 |
| Hancock County | 1 | 0% | 100% | 36 |
| Effingham County | 1 | 0% | 100% | 55 |
| Edwards County | 1 | 0% | 100% | 33 |
| Douglas County | 1 | 0% | 100% | 42 |
| Crawford County | 1 | 0% | 100% | 41 |
| Coles County | 1 | 0% | 100% | 32 |
| Clinton County | 1 | 0% | 100% | 41 |
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