Brad Curry
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Chief of Parole
Brad Curry was named chief of Parole on May 23, 2011. He is a 22-year veteran of the Illinois Department of Corrections (IDOC).
Curry joined IDOC as a correctional officer in 1989 at Illinois River Correctional Center (IRCC). In 1993, Curry was named Correctional Officer of the Year at IRCC. He was promoted to lieutenant in 1994 and later became chief investigator there in 1997. Curry was named Employee Volunteer of the Year at IRCC in 1997 for his participation on the Cuba, Ill., Fire Protection District.
In 1999, he became institutional intelligence coordinator at IRCC and in 2000, Curry was promoted to correctional captain. Later that year, he was appointed IDOC District 2 intelligence coordinator. In 2001, Curry was promoted as IDOC’s first Northern Region intelligence coordinator and law enforcement liaison and was charged with supervising IDOC’s Northern District intelligence coordinators.
In 2003, Curry was appointed to begin a pilot program in the City of Chicago with the U.S. Attorney’s Office entitled, “Project Safe Neighborhoods,” in which IDOC conducts parolee forums to bring ex-gun offenders together and explain to them the consequences of being charged federally on a repeat gun offense.
Curry also assisted the Chicago Crime Commission with the production of the “Chicago Crime Commission Gang Book,” which serves as a resource to all law enforcement agencies in the country.
In 2005, Curry was appointed as the Illinois coordinator for the National Major Gang Task Force (NMGTF). The NMGTF is a law enforcement organization that is committed to providing leadership and information within the criminal justice system to minimize the effects of security threat groups, gangs and terrorists in jails, prisons and communities.
Scope of Responsibilities
Parole Division
The Parole Division has initiated numerous programs and processes to reduce recidivism, address parolee risk to the community and provide numerous reentry services for ex-offenders.
- The Parole Division has reduced agent caseloads by adding agents, while at the same time, increasing the number of contacts between agents and parolees. Lower caseloads and increased contacts provide opportunities for agents to assess risk, identify appropriate diversion programs and resources and increase public safety by actively managing the parolee population.
- The Parole Division also has developed a series of graduated sanctions to reduce recidivism, while providing community-based sanctions and resources. Part of this program involves the use of Halfway Back residential programs, Day Reporting Reentry Centers, localized drug assessments and counseling referrals and an extensive network of job training and placement programs.
- The Sex Offender Supervision Unit provides for specialized caseloads for agents who are specially-trained in sex offender supervision. These highly-trained agents focus on increased contacts, monitoring of registration requirements, application of new legislation, computer surveillance and adaptation of GPS and electronic monitoring equipment.
- Spotlight Reentry Centers are another important component of the program. The agency has opened seven of these centers in high-impact regions that serve as resource centers. The Spotlight Centers provide counseling, programs and services to support the parolee's transition into society. The centers also offer a highly structured Day Reporting Program that offers an alternative sanction for non-violent parole violators.
- As part of the parole monitoring efforts, the Parole Division has increased the number of parole compliance check operations throughout the state. These early morning operations conducted throughout Illinois help to ensure parolees are complying with the requirements of their parole. IDOC agents join municipal, county, city, state and federal law enforcement agencies in conducting the operations. The division is committed to cooperative efforts with compliance checks, Project Safe Neighborhoods and other local law enforcement efforts.
- The Parole Division has also initiated a comprehensive approach to the management of offenders charged and/or convicted of domestic violence crimes. Beginning with a statewide domestic violence training curriculum for agents, adherence to orders of protection provisions and swift action when violations occur, the division continues to update efforts to provide protections for victims of domestic crimes.
IDOC has actively engaged the community in the reentry process by developing the Community Support Advisory Council (CSAC) in the high-impact areas of the state where most parolees return. CSACs are community-based partnerships designed to work collaboratively with parole and other existing community resources to develop wraparound services for parolees, while assisting other groups with building community capacity to develop their own resources. Parole actively participates in CSAC activities.
The agency's parole efforts additionally support the Sheridan National Drug Prison and Reentry Program. Nearly 69 percent of the state prison population is incarcerated for a drug-involved crime. In a recent evaluation, the Sheridan program was reported to have maintained a nearly 50 percent lower reincarceration rate than comparison groups. In addition, a larger percentage of Sheridan program participants are becoming employed and getting employed sooner, compared to other parolees. More than 54 percent of Sheridan parolees were verified to be currently working, and most of them full-time, while a 30 percent average of other parolees self report working at any given time during the year. More recently, Southwestern Correctional Center has been added to the Sheridan.
Victim Services
The goal of the Office of Victim Services is to improve the involvement of the victim within the criminal justice system. The unit strives to reduce victimization through education within an environment of integrity, fairness, compassion, dignity and respect.
The core component of the Office of Victim Services is notification and information about the status of offenders under the supervision of the Illinois Department of Corrections. Legislation and departmental policy and procedures guide the process of victim notification within IDOC. Activities are completed that augment the notification and information process including distribution of informational brochures, information access via Internet, the toll-free number and assurance of victim confidentiality.
Office of Victim Services provides direct services to victims. Services include crisis intervention and other emergency services intended to restore a victim’s sense of safety. The office assists with participation in criminal justice proceedings including advocacy, support in the courtroom, during parole hearings and information on the status of offenders under IDOC supervision. The office also assists with victim impact statements and provides assistance to services including referrals for mental health services and counseling, filing for compensation, linking victims to shelters, food and clothing and in filing orders of protection. The Office of Victim Services also listens to the victim and provides empathetic support and assistance.
The Victim Services Unit was created in 1997. The unit’s toll-free number, (877) 776-0755, eliminates the burden of cost to those individuals who contact the Office of Victim Services. Access to the Illinois Department of Corrections Victim Services is also available online.
Through the Attorney General’s Office, victims have access to the new Illinois Automated Victim Notification system. This bilingual 24-hour telephone service provides information concerning offender custody and case status. The system also provides automatic information about offender status changes to registered victims. The Illinois AVN’s toll-free number is 1-866-5-NOTIFY (1-866-566-8439).
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