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 both of the released offenders among the parolees were men. The median age of the parolees sentenced for crimes involving alcohol was 51. The younger parolee was a 47-year-old man sentenced in 2023, and the oldest was a 55-year-old man sentenced in 2024.
The offender who had been incarcerated the longest was Timothy A. Behrens. He was convicted in 2023 when he was 46 years old. He is now 47.
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 | 48 | 12.5% | 87.5% | 43.5 |
| Winnebago County | 8 | 12.5% | 87.5% | 45 |
| Kane County | 6 | 16.7% | 83.3% | 42 |
| Will County | 5 | 0% | 100% | 49 |
| McHenry County | 5 | 60% | 40% | 50 |
| Lake County | 4 | 25% | 75% | 45 |
| Peoria County | 3 | 33.3% | 66.7% | 37 |
| Macon County | 3 | 0% | 100% | 54 |
| Lasalle County | 2 | 0% | 100% | 51 |
| Knox County | 2 | 0% | 100% | 50.5 |
| St. Clair County | 2 | 0% | 100% | 46.5 |
| Kankakee County | 2 | 50% | 50% | 44.5 |
| Jefferson County | 2 | 0% | 100% | 40 |
| DuPage County | 2 | 0% | 100% | 53.5 |
| Champaign County | 2 | 50% | 50% | 34 |
| Bureau County | 2 | 0% | 100% | 60 |
| Stark County | 1 | 0% | 100% | 47 |
| Tazewell County | 1 | 0% | 100% | 47 |
| Vermilion County | 1 | 0% | 100% | 35 |
| Schuyler County | 1 | 0% | 100% | 34 |
| Whiteside County | 1 | 0% | 100% | 67 |
| Rock Island County | 1 | 0% | 100% | 35 |
| Perry County | 1 | 0% | 100% | 37 |
| Monroe County | 1 | 0% | 100% | 47 |
| McLean County | 1 | 0% | 100% | 49 |
| McDonough County | 1 | 0% | 100% | 56 |
| Madison County | 1 | 0% | 100% | 46 |
| Livingston County | 1 | 0% | 100% | 43 |
| Kendall County | 1 | 0% | 100% | 50 |
| Jo Daviess County | 1 | 0% | 100% | 38 |
| Fulton County | 1 | 0% | 100% | 35 |
| Ford County | 1 | 0% | 100% | 58 |
| Douglas County | 1 | 0% | 100% | 46 |
| Carroll County | 1 | 100% | 0% | 46 |
| Boone County | 1 | 0% | 100% | 51 |
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