Illinois Valley Times

There were 10 offenders convicted of property crimes released on parole in Ottawa during 2019, according to Illinois Department of Corrections data obtained by the Illinois Valley Times.

The data shows that eight men and two women were among the parolees. The median age of the parolees sentenced for property crimes was 31. The youngest parolee was a 21-year-old man sentenced in 2018, and the oldest was a 39-year-old man sentenced in 2018.

The offender who was incarcerated the longest was Jerome G. Shorkey. He was convicted of a property crime in 2015 when he was 34 years old. He is now 38.

Under state law, paroled offenders are still in legal custody of the IDOC, meaning they can be taken back to a correctional center at any time if the state has probable cause or a warrant.

The table below shows the 50 cities in Illinois with the most paroled offenders in 2019 who were convicted of property crimes.

Prisoners convicted of property crimes paroled in 2019

City	Total # of Parolees	% Women	% Men	Median Age
Chicago	1,236	7.4%	92.6%	39
Rockford	119	15.1%	84.9%	37
Peoria	89	19.1%	80.9%	36
Decatur	79	17.7%	82.3%	36
Springfield	74	6.8%	93.2%	38
Joliet	63	11.1%	88.9%	35
East Saint Louis	48	10.4%	89.6%	38
Waukegan	41	4.9%	95.1%	37
Kankakee	36	0%	100%	34
Aurora	35	20%	80%	37
Harvey	32	3.1%	96.9%	40
Blue Island	30	6.7%	93.3%	45
Champaign	28	17.9%	82.1%	39
Elgin	27	11.1%	88.9%	35
Danville	26	15.4%	84.6%	34
Bloomington	26	15.4%	84.6%	32
Belleville	26	3.8%	96.2%	36
Granite City	25	16%	84%	36
Chicago Heights	25	8%	92%	40
Collinsville	21	9.5%	90.5%	33
Cicero	21	4.8%	95.2%	37
Dolton	21	0%	100%	35
Galesburg	20	10%	90%	34
Wheaton	19	5.3%	94.7%	32
Marion	19	5.3%	94.7%	38
Urbana	18	38.9%	61.1%	36
Calumet City	18	11.1%	88.9%	40
Mount Vernon	17	23.5%	76.5%	31
Riverdale	17	0%	100%	36
Freeport	15	0%	100%	38
Alton	15	13.3%	86.7%	35
Maywood	15	6.7%	93.3%	36
Rock Island	14	7.1%	92.9%	40
East Moline	14	7.1%	92.9%	38
Pekin	13	15.4%	84.6%	34
Zion	12	16.7%	83.3%	33
Melrose Park	12	0%	100%	32
Quincy	12	25%	75%	34
Rantoul	12	8.3%	91.7%	35
Sterling	12	25%	75%	39
Broadview	11	9.1%	90.9%	36
Berwyn	11	27.3%	72.7%	37
Murphysboro	11	27.3%	72.7%	38
Charleston	11	27.3%	72.7%	34
Centralia	11	18.2%	81.8%	36
Wood River	11	27.3%	72.7%	37
Mattoon	11	0%	100%	34
Moline	11	36.4%	63.6%	39
North Chicago	10	10%	90%	39
Harrisburg	10	20%	80%	39