Sophia Manuel, Policy Advisor for Reform Initiatives at IDOC | Illinois Department of Corrections oficial website
Sophia Manuel, Policy Advisor for Reform Initiatives at IDOC | Illinois Department of Corrections oficial website
The data shows that both of the released offenders among the parolees were men. Of the parolees sentenced for crimes involving alcohol, one was a veteran, and the median age was 46. The younger parolee was a 31-year-old man sentenced in 2021, and the oldest was a 60-year-old man sentenced in 2022.
The offender who had been incarcerated the longest was John R. Orr. He was convicted in 2021 when he was 28 years old. He is now 31.
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 | 53 | 5.7% | 94.3% | 43 |
| Winnebago County | 12 | 16.7% | 83.3% | 40 |
| Will County | 11 | 9.1% | 90.9% | 43 |
| DuPage County | 8 | 0% | 100% | 45.5 |
| Lake County | 6 | 16.7% | 83.3% | 39 |
| Kane County | 5 | 60% | 40% | 49 |
| Rock Island County | 3 | 0% | 100% | 45 |
| McHenry County | 3 | 0% | 100% | 42 |
| Macon County | 3 | 66.7% | 33.3% | 34 |
| Adams County | 2 | 0% | 100% | 38.5 |
| Boone County | 2 | 0% | 100% | 61 |
| St. Clair County | 2 | 0% | 100% | 52.5 |
| Christian County | 2 | 0% | 100% | 54 |
| Lee County | 2 | 0% | 100% | 36.5 |
| Champaign County | 2 | 0% | 100% | 59.5 |
| Madison County | 2 | 0% | 100% | 48.5 |
| Bureau County | 2 | 50% | 50% | 58 |
| Pike County | 2 | 0% | 100% | 45.5 |
| McLean County | 2 | 0% | 100% | 47 |
| Peoria County | 2 | 0% | 100% | 43.5 |
| Vermilion County | 1 | 0% | 100% | 27 |
| Sangamon County | 1 | 0% | 100% | 59 |
| Randolph County | 1 | 0% | 100% | 34 |
| Ogle County | 1 | 0% | 100% | 48 |
| Calhoun County | 1 | 0% | 100% | 56 |
| Massac County | 1 | 100% | 0% | 34 |
| Marshall County | 1 | 0% | 100% | 53 |
| Logan County | 1 | 0% | 100% | 23 |
| Kendall County | 1 | 100% | 0% | 54 |
| Grundy County | 1 | 0% | 100% | 40 |
| Hancock County | 1 | 100% | 0% | 36 |
| Hamilton County | 1 | 0% | 100% | 61 |
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