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 41 men and six women were among the parolees. Of the parolees sentenced for crimes involving alcohol, one was a veteran, and the median age was 40. The youngest parolee was a 25-year-old man sentenced in 2024, and the oldest was a 66-year-old man sentenced in 2024.
The offender who had been incarcerated the longest was Ruben Zendejas. He was convicted in 2016 when he was 25 years old. He is now 34.
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 | 47 | 12.8% | 87.2% | 40 |
| Winnebago County | 7 | 14.3% | 85.7% | 46 |
| Macon County | 5 | 20% | 80% | 54 |
| Lake County | 5 | 0% | 100% | 40 |
| DuPage County | 5 | 20% | 80% | 42 |
| Will County | 4 | 25% | 75% | 42.5 |
| Champaign County | 4 | 25% | 75% | 30 |
| St. Clair County | 4 | 0% | 100% | 49 |
| Kane County | 4 | 0% | 100% | 58 |
| McLean County | 3 | 0% | 100% | 43 |
| Peoria County | 3 | 0% | 100% | 48 |
| Madison County | 2 | 0% | 100% | 38.5 |
| McHenry County | 2 | 0% | 100% | 42 |
| Tazewell County | 2 | 0% | 100% | 44 |
| Livingston County | 2 | 0% | 100% | 47 |
| Jackson County | 2 | 50% | 50% | 42 |
| Bureau County | 2 | 0% | 100% | 47.5 |
| Randolph County | 1 | 0% | 100% | 66 |
| Sangamon County | 1 | 0% | 100% | 50 |
| Wabash County | 1 | 0% | 100% | 47 |
| Williamson County | 1 | 0% | 100% | 45 |
| Alexander County | 1 | 0% | 100% | 37 |
| Boone County | 1 | 0% | 100% | 56 |
| Logan County | 1 | 0% | 100% | 40 |
| Lasalle County | 1 | 0% | 100% | 42 |
| Henry County | 1 | 0% | 100% | 35 |
| Hamilton County | 1 | 0% | 100% | 36 |
| Grundy County | 1 | 100% | 0% | 43 |
| Fulton County | 1 | 0% | 100% | 59 |
| Fayette County | 1 | 0% | 100% | 45 |
| DeKalb County | 1 | 0% | 100% | 36 |
| Clinton County | 1 | 0% | 100% | 43 |
| Coles County | 1 | 0% | 100% | 42 |
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