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 all of the released offenders among the parolees were men. The median age of the parolees sentenced for homicide was 50. The youngest parolee was a 36-year-old man sentenced in 2018, and the oldest was a 77-year-old man sentenced in 1982.
The offender who had been incarcerated the longest was Willie J. Bell. He was convicted in 1982 when he was 34 years old. He is now 77.
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 | 1.9% | 98.1% | 46 |
| Peoria County | 6 | 0% | 100% | 44 |
| St. Clair County | 4 | 0% | 100% | 50 |
| Tazewell County | 3 | 0% | 100% | 30 |
| Sangamon County | 2 | 0% | 100% | 31.5 |
| Kane County | 2 | 0% | 100% | 36.5 |
| McHenry County | 2 | 50% | 50% | 50 |
| Winnebago County | 1 | 0% | 100% | 22 |
| Will County | 1 | 100% | 0% | 49 |
| Stephenson County | 1 | 0% | 100% | 41 |
| Rock Island County | 1 | 0% | 100% | 46 |
| Madison County | 1 | 0% | 100% | 49 |
| Macon County | 1 | 0% | 100% | 63 |
| Livingston County | 1 | 0% | 100% | 49 |
| Lake County | 1 | 0% | 100% | 55 |
| Knox County | 1 | 0% | 100% | 39 |
| Henry County | 1 | 0% | 100% | 49 |
| Ford County | 1 | 100% | 0% | 38 |
| DuPage County | 1 | 0% | 100% | 33 |
| DeKalb County | 1 | 100% | 0% | 37 |
| Coles County | 1 | 0% | 100% | 52 |
| Champaign County | 1 | 0% | 100% | 46 |
| Alexander County | 1 | 0% | 100% | 59 |
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