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 a man and a woman were among the parolees. Of the parolees sentenced for drug crimes, one was a veteran. The younger parolee was a 28-year-old man sentenced in 2021, and the oldest was a 37-year-old woman sentenced in 2023.
The offender who had been incarcerated the longest was Zachary Harcar. He was convicted in 2021 when he was 25 years old. He is now 28.
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 |
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