There are four inmates sentenced in Hamilton County set to be released from prison during the third quarter of 2025, according to the Illinois Department of Corrections.
The inmate being released that served the longest time was Justin L. Heimer for residential burglary. Justin L. Heimer spent more than three years incarcerated.
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 1 year to the rest of someone’s life.
| Name | Offense | Supervised Release Date | Holding Facility |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tad L. Ziehm | Child porn/Poss/Moving dptn | 08/27/2025 | Taylorville Correctional Center |
| Justin L. Heimer | Residential burglary | 08/29/2025 | Menard Correctional Center |
| Harland R. Hammond | Use veh/Structure/Prop/Meth | 09/02/2025 | Southwestern Illinois Correctional Center |
| Jamie M. Kunkel | Forgery /Make or alter document | 09/27/2025 | Decatur Correctional Center |
