Sangamon Sun

There are eight inmates sentenced in Sangamon County set to be released from prison in August, according to the Illinois Department of Corrections.

James C. Harris, who served the longest sentence among them, spent more than 27 years incarcerated for an offense recorded as 'murder with the intent to kill or injure'.

According to the Illinois Department of Corrections, Illinois spends about $45,828 a year per incarcerated person. In a 2023 study by the Prison Policy Initiative, the state's incarceration rate was at 433 per 100,000, higher than every industrialized country, except the United States. When compared with its surrounding states, Illinois was the lowest. Kentucky and Missouri have rates over 700 per 100,000.

Another study by the Prison Policy Initiative highlighted that the number of unconvicted individuals was more than two times higher than that of convicted individuals, possibly one of the leading causes of prison population growth in the state.

Most prison inmates are released on some condition of supervised monitoring upon reentering civilian life. This monitoring can last from one year to the rest of someone’s life.

Name	Offense	Supervised Release Date	Holding Facility
Marcus Gibbs	Felony possession or use of a firearm (with a firearm prior)	08/05/2025	Centralia Correctional Center
Lindell Sturdivant	Aggravated robbery	08/06/2025	Shawnee Correctional Center
James C. Harris	Murder with the intent to kill or injure	08/07/2025	Illinois River Correctional Center
Michael A. Francis	Felony possession or use of a firearm (with a firearm prior)	08/12/2025	Graham Correctional Center
Martin Brown	Armed habitual criminal	08/14/2025	Pinckneyville Correctional Center
Lenard C. McClain	Aggravated battery causing great bodily harm	08/18/2025	Pinckneyville Correctional Center
Brian R. Sheppard	Aggravated robbery	08/19/2025	Sheridan Correctional Center
Dontee D. Jackson	Domestic battery causing bodily harm or 4 plus prior convictions	08/27/2025	Western Illinois Correctional Center