East Central Reporter

There are eight inmates sentenced in Effingham County set to be released from jail during the third quarter of 2025, according to the Illinois Department of Corrections.

The inmate being released that served the longest time was Lucas A. Shields for unlawful use of a firearm, prior felon. Lucas A. Shields spent more than three years incarcerated.

According to the Illinois Department of Corrections, Illinois spends about $45,828 a year per incarcerated person. In a 2023 study by the Prison Policy Initiative, the state's incarceration rate was at 433 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 700 per 100,000.

Another study by the Prison Policy Initiative highlighted that the number of unconvicted individuals was more than two times higher than that of convicted individuals, possibly one of the leading causes of jail growth in the state.

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
Tucker J. O'Hara	possession of meth, under five grams	07/15/2025	Graham Correctional Center
Lucas A. Shields	unlawful use of a firearm, prior felon	08/03/2025	Menard Correctional Center
Dalton R. Ard	aggravated domestic battery involving strangulation	08/09/2025	Pinckneyville Correctional Center
Mark D. Smothers	theft	08/12/2025	Pinckneyville Correctional Center
Michael E. Miller	aggravated criminal sexual abuse, victim under 13	08/14/2025	Taylorville Correctional Center
Frank T. Woodall III	unlawful use of a firearm, prior felon	09/07/2025	Menard Correctional Center
Jesse S. Tucker	forgery	09/16/2025	Lincoln Correctional Center
Clarence R. Rodarmel	indecent solicitation	09/25/2025	Graham Correctional Center