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. Of the parolees sentenced for sex crimes, one was a veteran, and the median age was 49. The youngest parolee was a 39-year-old man sentenced in 2023, and the oldest was a 76-year-old man sentenced in 2019.
The offender who had been incarcerated the longest was Jay M. Michalak. He was convicted in 2014 when he was 29 years old. He is now 40.
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 | 81 | 1.2% | 98.8% | 42 |
| Sangamon County | 15 | 26.7% | 73.3% | 42 |
| Lake County | 11 | 0% | 100% | 36 |
| Winnebago County | 9 | 22.2% | 77.8% | 61 |
| St. Clair County | 5 | 0% | 100% | 50 |
| Peoria County | 5 | 0% | 100% | 46 |
| McLean County | 5 | 0% | 100% | 29 |
| Vermilion County | 4 | 0% | 100% | 59 |
| McHenry County | 4 | 0% | 100% | 41.5 |
| Kane County | 4 | 0% | 100% | 49 |
| Randolph County | 3 | 0% | 100% | 33 |
| Fulton County | 3 | 0% | 100% | 31 |
| Will County | 2 | 0% | 100% | 44 |
| Rock Island County | 2 | 0% | 100% | 71 |
| Mason County | 2 | 0% | 100% | 39 |
| Marion County | 2 | 0% | 100% | 54.5 |
| Macon County | 2 | 0% | 100% | 48 |
| Bureau County | 2 | 0% | 100% | 54.5 |
| Champaign County | 2 | 0% | 100% | 34.5 |
| Jo Daviess County | 2 | 0% | 100% | 55.5 |
| Jackson County | 2 | 0% | 100% | 34 |
| Franklin County | 2 | 0% | 100% | 33 |
| DeKalb County | 2 | 0% | 100% | 49.5 |
| DuPage County | 2 | 0% | 100% | 31 |
| Williamson County | 1 | 0% | 100% | 47 |
| Whiteside County | 1 | 0% | 100% | 48 |
| Washington County | 1 | 0% | 100% | 42 |
| Christian County | 1 | 0% | 100% | 38 |
| Tazewell County | 1 | 0% | 100% | 42 |
| Stephenson County | 1 | 0% | 100% | 35 |
| Crawford County | 1 | 0% | 100% | 82 |
| Schuyler County | 1 | 0% | 100% | 65 |
| Richland County | 1 | 0% | 100% | 47 |
| Edgar County | 1 | 0% | 100% | 67 |
| Piatt County | 1 | 0% | 100% | 30 |
| Montgomery County | 1 | 0% | 100% | 40 |
| Hamilton County | 1 | 0% | 100% | 38 |
| Jefferson County | 1 | 0% | 100% | 25 |
| Jersey County | 1 | 0% | 100% | 44 |
| Madison County | 1 | 0% | 100% | 25 |
| Logan County | 1 | 0% | 100% | 53 |
| Lee County | 1 | 0% | 100% | 41 |
| Lasalle County | 1 | 0% | 100% | 46 |
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