South Central Reporter

There was one offender convicted of a crime against a person living in Montgomery County released on parole during the third quarter of 2023, according to Illinois Department of Corrections data obtained by the South Central Reporter.

The data shows that the released offender was a man. He was convicted in 2023 when he was 31 years old. He is now 32.

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	175	6.9%	93.1%	35
Macon County	25	0%	100%	46
St. Clair County	20	5%	95%	37.5
Winnebago County	17	5.9%	94.1%	38
Peoria County	15	13.3%	86.7%	35
Will County	14	0%	100%	35
Lake County	13	0%	100%	33
Kankakee County	12	8.3%	91.7%	30
Kane County	12	16.7%	83.3%	32.5
Madison County	11	0%	100%	36
Adams County	10	0%	100%	35.5
Champaign County	8	0%	100%	42
Sangamon County	7	0%	100%	39
Vermilion County	6	33.3%	66.7%	41
DeKalb County	6	16.7%	83.3%	45
McLean County	5	20%	80%	29
DuPage County	5	20%	80%	37
McHenry County	4	0%	100%	44
Jefferson County	4	0%	100%	34
Kendall County	4	0%	100%	41
Rock Island County	4	0%	100%	40
Logan County	3	0%	100%	38
Franklin County	3	0%	100%	39
Grundy County	3	0%	100%	36
Jackson County	3	0%	100%	54
Massac County	3	33.3%	66.7%	36
Knox County	3	0%	100%	40
Livingston County	2	50%	50%	35
Woodford County	2	0%	100%	34.5
Whiteside County	2	0%	100%	43.5
Saline County	2	0%	100%	27
Randolph County	2	0%	100%	37
Marion County	2	50%	50%	45.5
McDonough County	2	0%	100%	38.5
Pike County	2	0%	100%	30
Perry County	2	0%	100%	38
DeWitt County	2	0%	100%	36.5
Coles County	2	0%	100%	47
Christian County	2	0%	100%	32.5
Greene County	2	50%	50%	47
Jersey County	2	0%	100%	46.5
Jo Daviess County	2	0%	100%	47
Bond County	2	0%	100%	37
Lasalle County	2	0%	100%	45
Alexander County	2	0%	100%	50
Williamson County	1	0%	100%	34
Bureau County	1	100%	0%	32
Calhoun County	1	0%	100%	28
White County	1	0%	100%	57
Tazewell County	1	0%	100%	29
Stephenson County	1	0%	100%	41
Clark County	1	0%	100%	41
Shelby County	1	0%	100%	29
Clinton County	1	0%	100%	24
Crawford County	1	0%	100%	37
Richland County	1	0%	100%	28
Putnam County	1	0%	100%	46
Douglas County	1	0%	100%	29
Piatt County	1	0%	100%	37
Edgar County	1	0%	100%	39
Effingham County	1	0%	100%	48
Ogle County	1	0%	100%	43
Morgan County	1	0%	100%	35
Montgomery County	1	0%	100%	32
Monroe County	1	0%	100%	25
Fayette County	1	0%	100%	51
Hamilton County	1	100%	0%	41
Jasper County	1	0%	100%	50
Mason County	1	0%	100%	37
Johnson County	1	0%	100%	36
Lawrence County	1	100%	0%	43