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 sex crimes, one was a veteran, and the median age was 60. The youngest parolee was a 37-year-old man sentenced in 2022, and the oldest was a 65-year-old man sentenced in 2022.
The offender who had been incarcerated the longest was Vernon Bell. He was convicted in 2008 when he was 44 years old. He is now 60.
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 | 119 | 1.7% | 98.3% | 39 |
| Sangamon County | 16 | 0% | 100% | 44.5 |
| Winnebago County | 8 | 0% | 100% | 40.5 |
| Lake County | 8 | 0% | 100% | 44 |
| Macon County | 5 | 0% | 100% | 60 |
| Kane County | 4 | 0% | 100% | 43.5 |
| Adams County | 4 | 25% | 75% | 38.5 |
| Schuyler County | 3 | 0% | 100% | 57 |
| Will County | 2 | 0% | 100% | 63.5 |
| Kankakee County | 2 | 0% | 100% | 50.5 |
| Tazewell County | 2 | 0% | 100% | 45 |
| St. Clair County | 2 | 0% | 100% | 27.5 |
| Christian County | 2 | 0% | 100% | 28.5 |
| McDonough County | 2 | 0% | 100% | 63 |
| Whiteside County | 1 | 0% | 100% | 28 |
| Vermilion County | 1 | 0% | 100% | 40 |
| Union County | 1 | 0% | 100% | 24 |
| Stephenson County | 1 | 0% | 100% | 43 |
| Peoria County | 1 | 0% | 100% | 59 |
| Ogle County | 1 | 0% | 100% | 45 |
| McHenry County | 1 | 0% | 100% | 39 |
| Mason County | 1 | 0% | 100% | 58 |
| Madison County | 1 | 0% | 100% | 38 |
| Clark County | 1 | 0% | 100% | 40 |
| Logan County | 1 | 0% | 100% | 26 |
| Lee County | 1 | 0% | 100% | 60 |
| Clinton County | 1 | 0% | 100% | 63 |
| Kendall County | 1 | 0% | 100% | 62 |
| Edgar County | 1 | 0% | 100% | 48 |
| Franklin County | 1 | 0% | 100% | 41 |
| Fayette County | 1 | 0% | 100% | 23 |
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