Prison

Contents: PFA coverage, PFA impact on jail populations, a new Illinois Prison Dashboard

Dashboard with data on Illinois prison populations, admissions, releases, and MSR populations from 2018 to the present.

This new analyses of Illinois arrest and prison admission data by age documents a steep statewide decline since 2010 in arrests and prison sentences for individuals 18-24.

The 40% decline in Illinois' prison population from 2010 to 2023 was due to a broad statewide shift in felony sentencing practices.

In cooperation with the John Howard Association (JHA), we created an interactive dashboard that allows users to explore responses to the Measuring the Quality of Prison Life (MQPL) survey, which was administered to people held in 28 Illinois Department of Corrections facilities in 2022-23.

This report examines recent trends and patterns in post-prison recidivism in Illinois, and includes an analysis of recidivism among those released during the COVID-19 pandemic.

This research brief updates and expands the Center’s prior research to examine trends and patterns in prison sentencing and time served for illegal gun possession in Illinois.

A Power BI vizualization looking at felony sentences in IL

In collaboration with the John Howard Association (JHA) of Illinois, we analyzed results from a large-scale survey on the quality of life in Illinois prisons.

An updated analysis of prison population data traces recent declines in the incarceration of women in Illinois.

The Center collaborated with the Illinois Department of Corrections’ Planning and Research Unit to examine the number, characteristics, and circumstances of individuals on Mandatory Supervised Release (MSR, or “parole”) who violated conditions of their release and were returned to prison (i.e., “technical violators”).

An examination of state and county data on felony sentencing in Illinois, and factors that are associated with various types of sentences.

Research brief exploring Cook County's contribution to the Illinois prison population over the years from the early 1980s to 2018.