South Central Reporter

There are eight inmates sentenced in Montgomery County set to be released from jail in February, according to the Illinois Department of Corrections.

Shane D. Cole, who served the longest sentence among them, spent more than two years incarcerated for residential burglary.

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.

One of the reasons behind jail growth is how pretrial detainees are handled. Another study by the Prison Policy Initiative noted that the number of unconvicted individuals was more than two times higher than convicted individuals.

Most prison inmates are released on some condition of supervised monitoring upon reentering civilian life. This monitoring can last from one year to the rest of someone’s life.

Name	Offense	Supervised Release Date	Holding Facility
Brandy K. Murray	Possession of a controlled substance	02/07/2025	Decatur Correctional Center
William P. Brooks	Theft	02/09/2025	Vandalia Correctional Center
Scott W. Arkebauer	Driving with a revoked or suspended license	02/11/2025	Graham Correctional Center
Matthew A. Peters	Aggravated battery against an officer of the peace	02/16/2025	Lincoln Correctional Center
Kyle L. Denney	Driving with a revoked or suspended license	02/20/2025	Graham Correctional Center
Donald K. Beck	Aggravated dui with a revoked or suspended license	02/23/2025	Graham Correctional Center
Deundra D. Harold	Driving with a revoked or suspended license	02/23/2025	Graham Correctional Center
Shane D. Cole	Residential burglary	02/28/2025	Graham Correctional Center