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 all of the released offenders among the parolees were men. Of the parolees sentenced for property crimes, one was a veteran, and the median age was 42. The youngest parolee was a 23-year-old man sentenced in 2022, and the oldest was a 55-year-old man sentenced in 2022.
The offender who had been incarcerated the longest was John K. Williamson. He was convicted in 2013 when he was 29 years old. He is now 40.
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 | 309 | 5.5% | 94.5% | 35 |
| St. Clair County | 44 | 9.1% | 90.9% | 34 |
| Peoria County | 33 | 3% | 97% | 37 |
| Winnebago County | 25 | 24% | 76% | 42 |
| Macon County | 25 | 0% | 100% | 38 |
| Madison County | 18 | 0% | 100% | 39 |
| Kane County | 16 | 0% | 100% | 39 |
| Champaign County | 13 | 7.7% | 92.3% | 35 |
| Adams County | 12 | 25% | 75% | 40 |
| Will County | 11 | 9.1% | 90.9% | 38 |
| Lake County | 11 | 9.1% | 90.9% | 36 |
| McLean County | 11 | 9.1% | 90.9% | 40 |
| DuPage County | 10 | 20% | 80% | 33 |
| Tazewell County | 10 | 20% | 80% | 39.5 |
| Sangamon County | 10 | 0% | 100% | 42 |
| Rock Island County | 10 | 0% | 100% | 38.5 |
| Saline County | 8 | 12.5% | 87.5% | 30 |
| Vermilion County | 8 | 0% | 100% | 38 |
| Williamson County | 6 | 16.7% | 83.3% | 42 |
| Jersey County | 6 | 0% | 100% | 37 |
| McHenry County | 5 | 0% | 100% | 41 |
| Kankakee County | 5 | 0% | 100% | 24 |
| Jefferson County | 4 | 0% | 100% | 28 |
| Marion County | 4 | 0% | 100% | 39.5 |
| Stephenson County | 4 | 0% | 100% | 52.5 |
| Livingston County | 3 | 33.3% | 66.7% | 47 |
| Lawrence County | 3 | 0% | 100% | 35 |
| Jackson County | 3 | 66.7% | 33.3% | 25 |
| Iroquois County | 3 | 0% | 100% | 28 |
| Henry County | 3 | 0% | 100% | 41 |
| Shelby County | 3 | 0% | 100% | 39 |
| Gallatin County | 3 | 33.3% | 66.7% | 37 |
| Franklin County | 3 | 0% | 100% | 44 |
| Boone County | 3 | 0% | 100% | 44 |
| Bureau County | 2 | 50% | 50% | 39.5 |
| Macoupin County | 2 | 0% | 100% | 26.5 |
| Ogle County | 2 | 0% | 100% | 41.5 |
| Mercer County | 2 | 0% | 100% | 33.5 |
| Montgomery County | 2 | 0% | 100% | 35 |
| Morgan County | 2 | 0% | 100% | 25 |
| Logan County | 2 | 0% | 100% | 45.5 |
| Knox County | 2 | 0% | 100% | 32.5 |
| Perry County | 2 | 0% | 100% | 31.5 |
| Pike County | 2 | 50% | 50% | 35 |
| Greene County | 2 | 0% | 100% | 42 |
| Fulton County | 2 | 0% | 100% | 33 |
| Randolph County | 2 | 0% | 100% | 38.5 |
| Effingham County | 2 | 0% | 100% | 40.5 |
| Coles County | 2 | 0% | 100% | 39 |
| Clay County | 1 | 0% | 100% | 31 |
| Bond County | 1 | 0% | 100% | 60 |
| Stark County | 1 | 0% | 100% | 38 |
| Union County | 1 | 0% | 100% | 36 |
| Warren County | 1 | 0% | 100% | 62 |
| Wayne County | 1 | 100% | 0% | 33 |
| White County | 1 | 0% | 100% | 32 |
| Whiteside County | 1 | 0% | 100% | 41 |
| Woodford County | 1 | 100% | 0% | 41 |
| Clark County | 1 | 0% | 100% | 26 |
| DeWitt County | 1 | 0% | 100% | 42 |
| Douglas County | 1 | 0% | 100% | 50 |
| Fayette County | 1 | 0% | 100% | 30 |
| Grundy County | 1 | 0% | 100% | 39 |
| Hamilton County | 1 | 0% | 100% | 45 |
| Jasper County | 1 | 0% | 100% | 43 |
| Jo Daviess County | 1 | 0% | 100% | 31 |
| Christian County | 1 | 0% | 100% | 39 |
| Kendall County | 1 | 0% | 100% | 32 |
| Lee County | 1 | 0% | 100% | 55 |
| Calhoun County | 1 | 0% | 100% | 46 |
| Marshall County | 1 | 0% | 100% | 41 |
| Massac County | 1 | 0% | 100% | 44 |
| McDonough County | 1 | 100% | 0% | 42 |
| Piatt County | 1 | 0% | 100% | 44 |
| Pope County | 1 | 100% | 0% | 39 |
| Richland County | 1 | 0% | 100% | 41 |
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