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 22 men and one woman were among the parolees. Of the parolees sentenced for crimes against persons, one was a veteran, and the median age was 36. The youngest parolee was a 24-year-old man sentenced in 2021, and the oldest was a 61-year-old man sentenced in 2022.
The offender who had been incarcerated the longest was Cody Ramirez. He was convicted in 2014 when he was 25 years old. He is now 36.
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 | 190 | 10% | 90% | 34 |
| Macon County | 37 | 0% | 100% | 42 |
| St. Clair County | 32 | 12.5% | 87.5% | 39 |
| Winnebago County | 23 | 4.3% | 95.7% | 36 |
| Peoria County | 17 | 11.8% | 88.2% | 34 |
| Madison County | 13 | 15.4% | 84.6% | 39 |
| Kane County | 12 | 0% | 100% | 33 |
| McLean County | 11 | 9.1% | 90.9% | 36 |
| Lake County | 11 | 0% | 100% | 38 |
| Champaign County | 10 | 10% | 90% | 49 |
| Sangamon County | 9 | 0% | 100% | 38 |
| Will County | 8 | 25% | 75% | 34 |
| Adams County | 6 | 0% | 100% | 38.5 |
| DuPage County | 5 | 0% | 100% | 45 |
| Jefferson County | 5 | 20% | 80% | 38 |
| McHenry County | 4 | 25% | 75% | 39.5 |
| Logan County | 4 | 0% | 100% | 36.5 |
| Vermilion County | 4 | 0% | 100% | 29.5 |
| Knox County | 4 | 25% | 75% | 32 |
| Tazewell County | 4 | 0% | 100% | 40.5 |
| Pike County | 3 | 33.3% | 66.7% | 36 |
| Coles County | 3 | 33.3% | 66.7% | 35 |
| Williamson County | 3 | 0% | 100% | 41 |
| Kankakee County | 3 | 0% | 100% | 34 |
| Jackson County | 3 | 33.3% | 66.7% | 36 |
| Morgan County | 2 | 0% | 100% | 43.5 |
| Kendall County | 2 | 0% | 100% | 47.5 |
| Marion County | 2 | 0% | 100% | 43.5 |
| Clinton County | 2 | 0% | 100% | 30 |
| Schuyler County | 2 | 0% | 100% | 50 |
| Christian County | 2 | 0% | 100% | 30.5 |
| Lasalle County | 2 | 0% | 100% | 40.5 |
| Warren County | 1 | 0% | 100% | 40 |
| Crawford County | 1 | 0% | 100% | 48 |
| Stark County | 1 | 0% | 100% | 29 |
| Cumberland County | 1 | 0% | 100% | 23 |
| Saline County | 1 | 100% | 0% | 28 |
| Rock Island County | 1 | 0% | 100% | 36 |
| Richland County | 1 | 0% | 100% | 44 |
| Randolph County | 1 | 0% | 100% | 28 |
| Pulaski County | 1 | 0% | 100% | 31 |
| Stephenson County | 1 | 0% | 100% | 25 |
| Perry County | 1 | 100% | 0% | 50 |
| DeKalb County | 1 | 0% | 100% | 44 |
| Ogle County | 1 | 0% | 100% | 25 |
| Moultrie County | 1 | 0% | 100% | 41 |
| Monroe County | 1 | 0% | 100% | 46 |
| Douglas County | 1 | 0% | 100% | 28 |
| Macoupin County | 1 | 0% | 100% | 23 |
| Livingston County | 1 | 0% | 100% | 39 |
| Lee County | 1 | 0% | 100% | 28 |
| Effingham County | 1 | 0% | 100% | 47 |
| Franklin County | 1 | 0% | 100% | 54 |
| Henry County | 1 | 0% | 100% | 46 |
| Hancock County | 1 | 0% | 100% | 41 |
| Hamilton County | 1 | 0% | 100% | 47 |
| Grundy County | 1 | 0% | 100% | 45 |
| Fulton County | 1 | 0% | 100% | 40 |
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