South Central Reporter

There are three inmates sentenced in Montgomery County set to be released from prison during the week ending Sept. 6, according to the Illinois Department of Corrections.

In total, three men are set to be released over this period. Barry E. Spears, who served the longest sentence among them, spent four years incarcerated for an offense recorded as 'agg intimidation of fireman'.

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.

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 prison population growth in the state.

Name	Offense	Supervised Release Date	Holding Facility
Gary M. Samela	Sex offender regis violation	09/06/2025	Western Illinois Correctional Center
Barry E. Spears	Agg intimidation of fireman	09/06/2025	Illinois River Correctional Center
Tanner L. Wolff	Meth delivery/5<15 grams	09/06/2025	Centralia Correctional Center