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Illinois Inmate Search

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The following is for informational purposes only

How Are Inmate Records in Illinois Created and Stored?

Illinois inmate records are first created when someone is arrested and held in custody. The initial paperwork, called a RAP sheet, contains the person's name, address, physical description, and information about the crime they committed. After that, whenever the person is moved to another facility, has a hearing or trial, it is noted in the file. The Illinois Department of Corrections is the government agency that collects, manages, and stores all inmate records in a centralized database. This repository is helpful so that anyone can find an Illinois prison inmate quickly and easily.

How to Locate an Inmate in Illinois?

The Department of Corrections has a handy Illinois inmate locator feature on their website, and they allow any non-law enforcement individuals to perform an Illinois inmate search online to find someone locked up in prison. When searching, it's helpful to know the offender's IDOC (inmate ID), but if not, searchers can use the person's last name or birthdate instead. The results show a relatively simple list with only the IDOC number, birthdate, and name. By clicking to highlight an entry and hitting the "Query a Highlighted Inmate" button, the visitor can see additional details. When performing an official Illinois inmate search, always contact the state DOC to find an inmate. Infotracer’s search tool provides a good alternative for finding inmate records for private searches.

What Does Illinois’s Prison System Look Like?

The Illinois prison system is pretty straightforward, combining a few types of facilities and programs aimed at the punishment of offenders and rehabilitation. The entire system is overseen by the Illinois Department of Corrections and the Director, Rob Jeffreys. The major facilities that make up the prison system are:

  • 28 State Prisons
  • 6 Federal Prisons
  • 5 Juvenile Detention centers
  • 102 County Jails

Illinois keeps all inmate records online so anyone can conduct an Illinois prison inmate search, 24/7.

Did you Know?

  • 0.34% of people in Illinois are under correctional control, from which 113,989 are on probation, and 29,428 are on parole.
  • Every year, about 23,142 people walk out of prison gates in Illinois, but people go to jail 1.0 times more each year
  • 94% of prison inmates in Illinois are male, 6% female.
  • From 1979–80 to 2012–13, state and local government expenditures on corrections in Illinois increased by 193 percent (from $681,817,875 to $1,995,482,000).
  • Illinois has 44 facilities under state or federal authority that provided educational programs to inmates, from which only 20 provided College courses.

Types of Jails and Prisons in Illinois

The state of Illinois has twenty-eight state prisons along with four transitional centers to help inmates re-enter society successfully. The state also has six federal prisons for inmates who have violated federal felony laws. Illinois also has five juvenile detention centers housing the state’s youth offenders under the age of 18. Each one of the 102 counties has a Sheriff's Office which operates its own jail to house criminals who are awaiting trial, sentencing or hearings. In some cases, judges will order short jail sentences rather than prison.The state of Illinois has twenty-eight state prisons along with four transitional centers to help inmates re-enter society successfully. The state also has six federal prisons for inmates who have violated federal felony laws. Illinois also has five juvenile detention centers housing the state’s youth offenders under the age of 18. Each one of the 102 counties has a Sheriff's Office which operates its own jail to house criminals who are awaiting trial, sentencing or hearings. In some cases, judges will order short jail sentences rather than prison.

The state also has programs to help inmates with substance abuse, mental illness, and physical ailments. They also offer counseling for sexual offenders and allow inmates to continue their education while incarcerated.

How Many People are Locked up in Illinois?

Illinois’s prison system holds 43,657 residents in various kinds of correctional facilities, from which 43,650 residents are held in state prisons, 4 in federal prisons, 3 in juvenile correctional facilities.

Correctional Facilities:Totals:
Juvenile Correctional Facilities3
Federal Prisons4
State Prisons43,650

Illinois State Prisons

The state of Illinois has a high number (28) of state prisons. Each facility is designed for a particular custody level and population. The list of Illinois state prisons includes:

  • Big Muddy River Correctional Center
  • Centralia Correctional Center
  • Danville Correctional Center
  • Decatur Correctional Center
  • Dixon Correctional Center
  • East Moline Correctional Center
  • Graham Correctional Center
  • Hill Correctional Center
  • Illinois River Correctional Center
  • Jacksonville Correctional Center
  • Joliet Treatment Center
  • Lawrence Correctional Center
  • Lincoln Correctional Center
  • Logan Correctional Center
  • Menard Correctional Center
  • Menard Medium Security Unit
  • Pinckneyville Correctional Center
  • Pontiac Correctional Center
  • Pontiac Medium Security Unit
  • Robinson Correctional Center
  • Shawnee Correctional Center
  • Sheridan Correctional Center
  • Southwestern Illinois Correctional Center
  • Stateville Correctional Center
  • Taylorville Correctional Center
  • Vandalia Correctional Center
  • Vienna Correctional Center
  • Western Illinois Correctional Center

 

Of the 76,000 inmates in Illinois, 41,000 are locked up in state prison.

How to Locate State Prison Offender Information

The state of Illinois makes it very easy for anyone to lookup an Illinois inmate with their inmate search feature on the Department of Corrections website. Follow the instructions below to search for an inmate in Illinois:

  1. Visit the Illinois Department of Corrections website
  2. On the main menu, choose "Offender Search" and then "Inmate Search
  3. Choose your method of searching; your choices are Last Name, Birthdate, and IDOC Number
  4. Type your search criteria in the search box (e.g., If you chose last name, type in the last name of the inmate you are trying to locate)
  5. Hit the Find button
  6. From the simple list, select one of the inmates and hit the "Query a Highlighted Inmate" button
  7. Review the details of that inmate

 

Illinois Federal Prisons

Along with the state prisons and transitional centers, Illinois also has 9,000 prisoners in federal prisons. The state has six federal facilities that hold these prisoners, and they are:

  • Chicago MCC - 680 male and female offenders
  • Chicago RRM - residential reentry field office
  • Greenville FCI - medium-security facility with 1,383 male and female offenders
  • Marion USP - medium-security facility with 1,367 male offenders
  • Pekin FCI - medium-security facility with 1,205 male and female prisoners
  • Thomson AUSP - 577 male-only offenders

 

Illinois's Federal Prison Population During 2011-2016 years

201120122013201420152016
Total504574
Male504574
Female000000

How to Search for Federal Prison Inmates

When conducting an Illinois inmate search for someone in federal prison, the process will be different than for someone in state prison. All federal prisons are under the jurisdiction and management of the Federal Bureau of Prisons (FOB). Therefore, anyone wanting to look up a federal Illinois inmate must contact the FOB directly, call the facility where they are being held or use the offender search feature on the FOB website.

Illinois County Jails

Illinois has 102 counties throughout the state. Each county has a local Sheriff's Office, and they operate and maintain their own county jail. Inmates held in the county jail are those who were just arrested and are awaiting either a hearing or trial or those who were sentenced and are waiting to be moved or will serve their entire short sentence in county jail. Each county Sheriff's Office has jurisdiction and control over the county jails.

How to Perform an Illinois Jail Inmate Search

Since the local Sheriff's Office manages each county jail, the inmate data is not integrated with the Illinois Department of Corrections. Therefore, when someone wants to locate an inmate in an Illinois jail, they must contact the Sheriff's Office directly. Many of the county Sheriff's Offices have websites with an inmate locator feature on them. If they do not, visitors can call to find out if someone is being held there.

Illinois Juvenile Detention Centers

Illinois also keeps five juvenile detention centers active to help and house youth offenders younger than 18 years old. All five are operated and supervised by the Illinois Department of Juvenile Justice (IDJJ). The Illinois detention centers are:

  • IYC Chicago
  • IYC Harrisburg
  • IYC Pere Marquette
  • IYC St. Charles
  • IYC Warrenville

 

Illinois also has some county juvenile detention centers, but they fall outside of the responsibility of the IDJJ.

Juvenile Population in Custody During 2011-2016 years

201120122013201420152016
Total7206818203
Male7106717203
Female101100

How to Search for Juvenile Detention Center Inmates

Juvenile criminal records are typically sealed until a person is 18 years old, and then they are often expunged. Generally, only family, friends, and trusted agents are able to get information about someone incarcerated in an Illinois juvenile detention center. However, interested parties can contact the Illinois Department of Juvenile Justice (IDJJ) or the juvenile detention center directly to find out how to visit, how to send gifts or mail, or get more information.

Illinois Transitional Facilities

The state of Illinois is committed to reducing recidivism through its transitional center program. Once an inmate nears their release date, they are moved to a low-security facility to transition back into life by getting a job, secure housing, and other "normal" life activities. The four transitional centers in Illinois are:

  • Crossroads Adult Transition Center.
  • Fox Valley Adult Transition Center.
  • North Lawndale Adult Transition Center.
  • Peoria Adult Transition Center.

Each center holds fewer than 500 inmates.

How to Search for an Inmate in an Illinois Transitional Center

All the facilities in the Illinois prison system fall under the same umbrella of the Department of Corrections. Therefore, all inmates are in the same centralized database. The process for finding an Illinois inmate is identical to finding a state prison inmate. Follow the steps below:

  1. Visit theIllinois Department of Corrections website.
  2. On the main menu, choose "Offender Search" and then "Inmate Search."
  3. Choose your method of searching; your choices are Last Name, Birthdate, and IDOC Number.
  4. Type your search criteria in the search box (e.g., If you chose last name, type in the last name of the inmate you are trying to locate).
  5. Hit the Find button.
  6. From the simple list, select one of the inmates and hit the "Query a Highlighted Inmate" button.
  7. Review the details of that inmate.

Why are People Incarcerated in Illinois?

More than 76,000 prisoners are incarcerated in Illinois. Although this figure stands out internationally, it pales in comparison with the national average in the U.S. Most of the inmates are in state prison or local jail because of murder, rape, and drug charges. By far, those are the most common reasons for imprisonment in Illinois. Assault and battery is another top reason that people are incarcerated in Illinois.

Illinois’s Incarceration Rate and Statistics

Illinois’s incarceration rate for year-end 2016 under state prison or local jail jurisdiction per 100,000 population was 341, which is lower than an average incarceration rate by 24%. The number of Illinois prisoners at the year-end of 2016 was 43,657, from which 6% were female prisoners, whereas the number of male prisoners was 41,044 in 2016.

2011201220132014201520162017
Total3760377375361341324
Male7210723718691653623
Female4404444414035

Where Do Illinois Inmates Go When They are Released?

Many Illinois inmates will return home to family and friends after being released from prison. However, for some that qualify, Illinois has a program where they are moved to a transitional center which works much like a halfway-house. Inmates are supervised and stay in a low-security facility where they are assisted in getting jobs, securing housing, and getting reacquainted with family so that their re-entry back into society will be successful.

How Does Parole Work in Illinois?

Parole is when an inmate is released early from prison but must follow strict guidelines, or they will lose this privilege and go back to prison. Part of this supervisory program includes the inmate checking in with a parole officer regularly. Illinois makes this easy with their seven Day Reporting Centers that are open 365 days per year. Only inmates who behave well and are committed to rehabilitation get offered parole in Illinois.

Parole Population

Type of Parole Entry:Number of Parolees:
State Parole Population:29,428
Entries:23,889
Exits:25,083
Change in 2016:0%

How Does Someone Get Probation in Illinois?

During the sentencing phase of a trial in Illinois, the judge has the option of ordering probation instead of jail or prison. This is usually only offered to first-time or low-risk offenders. The probation program comes with strict rules, including checking in with a probation officer and other court-ordered stipulations. If an offender violates even one of the rules, their probation will be revoked, and they will immediately go to prison.

Probation Statistics

Type of Parole Entry:Number of Parolees:
State Probation Population:113,989
Entries:42,970
Exits:51,106
Change in 2016:-6%

5 Most Unsafe Counties in the Area

A list of 5 counties in Illinois that have the highest arrest rate

CountyCrime Rate
Saint Clair County3,071.23
Hardin County1,242.54
White County986.57
Stark County952.22
Dekalb County930.43

Illinois Department of Corrections

Illinois Inmate Search

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