There were eight inmates sentenced to jail in Coles County that will be released from the custody of the Illinois Department of Corrections during February.
The inmate being released that served the longest time was Macario P. Romero for attempted murder with intent to kill or injure. Macario P. Romero spent more than 12 years incarcerated.
According to The Institute for Illinois’ Fiscal Sustainability, Illinois spends about $37,000 a year per incarcerated person. In a study by Prison Policy Initiative, Illinois incarceration rate was at 564 per 100,000, higher than every industrialized country, except the United States. When compared with its surrounding states, Illinois was the lowest. Kentucky and Missouri have rates over 850 per 100,000.
One of the issues is how pretrial detainees are now handled. The Vera Institute of Justice noted that pretrial detainees made up 71% of the total jail population.
Most prison inmates are released on some condition of supervised monitoring upon reentering civilian life. This monitoring can last from 1 year to the rest of someone’s life.
| Name | Offense | Supervised Release Date | Holding Facility |
|---|---|---|---|
| Macario P. Romero | attempted murder with intent to kill or injure | 2021-02-01 | Western Illinois Correctional Center |
| Benjamin L. Austin | meth delivery of 15-100 grams | 2021-02-06 | Southwestern Illinois Correctional Center |
| Thomas A. Welch | unlawful restraint | 2021-02-07 | Graham Correctional Center |
| Sean A. Watson | residential burglary | 2021-02-08 | Lincoln Correctional Center |
| Caleb S. Hackler | manufacturing or delivery of 1-15 grams of cocaine | 2021-02-10 | Graham Correctional Center |
| Samantha J. Smith | possession of meth manufacturing material | 2021-02-13 | Logan Correctional Center |
| Brandon E. Riser | criminal sexual assault of a family member under 18 | 2021-02-25 | Graham Correctional Center |
| Christopher Hughes | aggravated fleeing police | 2021-02-28 | Jacksonville Correctional Center |
