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 the released offender was a man. He was convicted in 2021 when he was 45 years old. He is now 49.
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 | 67 | 9% | 91% | 42 |
| Kane County | 8 | 12.5% | 87.5% | 41.5 |
| Winnebago County | 6 | 16.7% | 83.3% | 39.5 |
| Macon County | 5 | 0% | 100% | 57 |
| Will County | 3 | 33.3% | 66.7% | 41 |
| Sangamon County | 3 | 33.3% | 66.7% | 41 |
| Peoria County | 3 | 33.3% | 66.7% | 43 |
| McLean County | 3 | 0% | 100% | 38 |
| McHenry County | 3 | 0% | 100% | 53 |
| Lasalle County | 3 | 0% | 100% | 42 |
| Boone County | 3 | 0% | 100% | 46 |
| Champaign County | 3 | 0% | 100% | 38 |
| DuPage County | 3 | 33.3% | 66.7% | 47 |
| Stephenson County | 2 | 50% | 50% | 61 |
| Lake County | 2 | 0% | 100% | 42 |
| Lee County | 1 | 100% | 0% | 53 |
| Macoupin County | 1 | 0% | 100% | 49 |
| Marion County | 1 | 0% | 100% | 41 |
| DeWitt County | 1 | 0% | 100% | 31 |
| Crawford County | 1 | 100% | 0% | 52 |
| Montgomery County | 1 | 0% | 100% | 49 |
| Kankakee County | 1 | 0% | 100% | 44 |
| Pike County | 1 | 100% | 0% | 34 |
| Cass County | 1 | 0% | 100% | 44 |
| St. Clair County | 1 | 0% | 100% | 35 |
| Tazewell County | 1 | 0% | 100% | 33 |
| White County | 1 | 0% | 100% | 49 |
| Bureau County | 1 | 0% | 100% | 50 |
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