East Central Reporter

There was one offender convicted of a crime involving drugs living in Shelby County released on parole during the second quarter of 2024, according to Illinois Department of Corrections data obtained by the East Central Reporter.

The data shows that the released offender was a woman. She was convicted in 2023 when she was 33 years old. She is now 35.

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	126	7.9%	92.1%	39
Madison County	26	3.8%	96.2%	40
Macon County	24	16.7%	83.3%	42
Peoria County	22	22.7%	77.3%	42
McLean County	15	6.7%	93.3%	39
Sangamon County	15	6.7%	93.3%	39
Lake County	13	0%	100%	37
Winnebago County	13	7.7%	92.3%	33
Lasalle County	12	25%	75%	30
Kane County	12	8.3%	91.7%	36
Will County	11	9.1%	90.9%	35
Rock Island County	10	10%	90%	42.5
St. Clair County	10	20%	80%	38
Adams County	9	55.6%	44.4%	36
McHenry County	8	0%	100%	38
Tazewell County	8	12.5%	87.5%	43
Coles County	8	12.5%	87.5%	46
Crawford County	8	62.5%	37.5%	39.5
Jefferson County	7	0%	100%	43
Jackson County	6	0%	100%	49
DuPage County	5	20%	80%	38
Randolph County	5	20%	80%	43
Henry County	5	20%	80%	41
Vermilion County	5	20%	80%	43
Williamson County	4	0%	100%	46.5
Union County	4	50%	50%	37.5
Ogle County	4	0%	100%	50
Franklin County	4	25%	75%	38.5
Champaign County	4	25%	75%	44.5
Saline County	4	25%	75%	44
Marion County	3	33.3%	66.7%	35
Macoupin County	3	66.7%	33.3%	27
White County	3	33.3%	66.7%	37
Pike County	3	33.3%	66.7%	43
Pope County	3	33.3%	66.7%	38
Woodford County	3	66.7%	33.3%	40
Bond County	3	0%	100%	40
Kankakee County	3	0%	100%	46
Carroll County	3	33.3%	66.7%	39
Cass County	3	33.3%	66.7%	38
Effingham County	3	0%	100%	47
Fayette County	3	0%	100%	37
Fulton County	3	33.3%	66.7%	45
Alexander County	2	50%	50%	45.5
Boone County	2	0%	100%	29.5
Whiteside County	2	0%	100%	27
Bureau County	2	0%	100%	34
DeKalb County	2	0%	100%	45
Douglas County	2	0%	100%	49
Piatt County	2	0%	100%	33
Perry County	2	100%	0%	40
Morgan County	2	0%	100%	45
Kendall County	2	0%	100%	31.5
Monroe County	2	0%	100%	36
Greene County	2	50%	50%	37.5
McDonough County	2	50%	50%	49
Livingston County	2	50%	50%	32.5
Knox County	1	0%	100%	34
Lawrence County	1	0%	100%	45
Brown County	1	0%	100%	34
Lee County	1	0%	100%	25
Wayne County	1	100%	0%	59
Wabash County	1	100%	0%	29
Logan County	1	100%	0%	49
Jasper County	1	0%	100%	34
Christian County	1	0%	100%	31
Clark County	1	0%	100%	36
Shelby County	1	100%	0%	35
Clinton County	1	0%	100%	58
Iroquois County	1	100%	0%	31
Hardin County	1	0%	100%	21
Richland County	1	0%	100%	43
Edwards County	1	0%	100%	33
Pulaski County	1	0%	100%	36
Hancock County	1	0%	100%	46
Hamilton County	1	0%	100%	39
Ford County	1	0%	100%	26
Moultrie County	1	0%	100%	33
Montgomery County	1	100%	0%	41