Illinois prison sentencing data
As of June 30, 2026, according to Illinois Department of Corrections records, 30,540 people were held in Illinois state prisons. Their median sentence is 10 years (the longest sentence from each person's most recent sentencing, not counting life or death sentences). 33% are serving 20 years or more, and 1,438 are serving life.
Race: prison population vs. state population
| Group | People | Share of prison | Share of state (U.S. Census) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Black | 16,419 | 54% | 14% |
| White | 9,703 | 32% | 58% |
| Hispanic | 4,092 | 13% | 18% |
Most common offenses
By the longest sentence from each person's most recent sentencing. Life and death sentences are not included in the median.
| Offense | People | Median sentence (years) |
|---|---|---|
| Murder/Intent To Kill/Injure | 3,684 | 40 |
| Uuw-Felon Poss/Use Firearm Prior | 1,599 | 6 |
| Pred Crim Sex Asslaut/Victim <13 | 1,489 | 14 |
| Attempt Murder/Intent To Kill/Injure | 1,136 | 25 |
| Agg Battery/Discharge Firearm | 923 | 12 |
| Murder/Strong Prob Kill/Injure | 741 | 40 |
| Armed Habitual Criminal | 616 | 8 |
| Predatory Criminal Sexual Assault | 594 | 18 |
| Armed Robbery/No Firearm | 550 | 12 |
| Burglary | 480 | 5 |
| Agg Domestic Battery/Strangle | 473 | 4.5 |
| Possession Of Meth< 5 Grams | 450 | 3.5 |
| Uuw-Felon Poss/Use Weapon/Firearm | 442 | 4 |
| Murder/Other Forcible Felony | 395 | 35 |
| Agg Discharge Firearm/Occ Veh | 371 | 7 |
Sentencing by county
County where the person's longest sentence was imposed. Counties with 20+ people have their own page.
| County | People | Median sentence (years) | Serving 20+ years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cook | 12,340 | 12 | 43% |
| Winnebago | 1,048 | 8 | 28% |
| Lake | 876 | 10 | 32% |
| Kane | 865 | 9 | 31% |
| Peoria | 814 | 14 | 43% |
| Champaign | 807 | 10 | 33% |
| Dupage | 803 | 10 | 35% |
| St. Clair | 771 | 10 | 36% |
| Madison | 760 | 10 | 31% |
| Macon | 741 | 9 | 24% |
| McLean | 705 | 9 | 24% |
| Will | 668 | 10 | 35% |
| Sangamon | 590 | 10 | 30% |
| Adams | 347 | 7 | 14% |
| McHenry | 346 | 8 | 16% |
| Tazewell | 343 | 8 | 19% |
| Vermilion | 336 | 9 | 32% |
| Kankakee | 333 | 8 | 31% |
| Jackson | 323 | 8 | 21% |
| Rock Island | 301 | 9 | 31% |
| Lasalle | 277 | 7 | 25% |
| Coles | 276 | 7 | 21% |
| Jefferson | 274 | 10 | 30% |
| Livingston | 242 | 10 | 24% |
| Dekalb | 234 | 9 | 21% |
| Woodford | 191 | 6 | 13% |
| Henry | 184 | 6 | 15% |
| Boone | 181 | 7 | 18% |
| Stephenson | 169 | 6 | 22% |
| Knox | 158 | 6 | 20% |
| Montgomery | 158 | 5 | 10% |
| Williamson | 154 | 6 | 25% |
| Kendall | 146 | 7 | 18% |
| Saline | 132 | 7.5 | 23% |
| Logan | 129 | 7.5 | 22% |
| Clinton | 126 | 6 | 18% |
| Randolph | 119 | 5 | 12% |
| Franklin | 119 | 9 | 27% |
| Crawford | 119 | 5 | 7.6% |
| Marion | 117 | 6 | 27% |
| Fayette | 113 | 6 | 8.0% |
| Whiteside | 110 | 8 | 21% |
| Morgan | 110 | 7 | 19% |
| Lee | 97 | 7.5 | 16% |
| Bond | 91 | 5.5 | 5.5% |
| Christian | 90 | 7 | 23% |
| Effingham | 87 | 6 | 11% |
| White | 81 | 7 | 21% |
| Pike | 79 | 5 | 16% |
| Fulton | 76 | 5 | 13% |
| Macoupin | 73 | 8 | 23% |
| Lawrence | 73 | 4 | 12% |
| Ogle | 69 | 9.5 | 32% |
| Wabash | 67 | 6 | 18% |
| Wayne | 65 | 7 | 11% |
| Richland | 64 | 5 | 16% |
| Shelby | 63 | 6 | 21% |
| Douglas | 63 | 4 | 9.5% |
| Jersey | 61 | 8 | 16% |
| Grundy | 60 | 8 | 13% |
| Bureau | 60 | 8 | 22% |
| Edgar | 60 | 6 | 12% |
| Union | 55 | 5 | 16% |
| Massac | 53 | 10 | 30% |
| Perry | 51 | 6 | 18% |
| McDonough | 51 | 6.5 | 16% |
| Clay | 49 | 5 | 14% |
| Ford | 49 | 8 | 14% |
| Mason | 46 | 8 | 17% |
| Alexander | 45 | 14 | 40% |
| Iroquois | 44 | 9 | 32% |
| Jasper | 43 | 4 | 14% |
| Clark | 43 | 10 | 28% |
| Dewitt | 42 | 5.5 | 12% |
| Cass | 37 | 10 | 19% |
| Greene | 37 | 5 | 11% |
| Edwards | 36 | 6 | 19% |
| Warren | 33 | 8 | 21% |
| Mercer | 33 | 10 | 30% |
| Hancock | 33 | 10 | 24% |
| Carroll | 32 | 5 | 12% |
| Monroe | 32 | 4 | 12% |
| Piatt | 31 | 9.5 | 29% |
| Washington | 29 | 6 | 34% |
| Johnson | 27 | 7 | 15% |
| Cumberland | 26 | 10 | 27% |
| Schuyler | 25 | 4 | 8.0% |
| Moultrie | 23 | 6 | 22% |
| Calhoun | 20 | 6 | 10% |
| Jo Daviess | 20 | 15 | 35% |
| Marshall | 19 | 4 | 11% |
| Hamilton | 18 | 16 | 39% |
| Gallatin | 17 | 5 | 18% |
| Pope | 17 | 8 | 18% |
| Menard | 17 | 5.5 | 0% |
| Pulaski | 15 | 15 | 40% |
| Henderson | 14 | 9.5 | 36% |
| Hardin | 12 | 8.5 | 33% |
| Brown | 10 | – | 40% |
| Stark | fewer than 10 | – | – |
| Putnam | fewer than 10 | – | – |
| Scott | fewer than 10 | – | – |
About this data
Source: Illinois Department of Corrections public inmate records. Counts are people currently in state prison custody, one record per person, using the longest sentence from each person's most recent sentencing. People on parole, probation or in local jails are not included. Criminal history is not in the data. Search individual records in Justice Audit.