| What
is Good Time? |
|
There
are three types of good time, however not all inmates are eligible
for each type.
Statutory Good Time refers to the percentage of time an inmate must spend incarcerated. Inmates serve 50%, 75%, 85%, or 100% of their sentence. This is determined by statute and is based on the offense that was committed. Inmates may lose some of that good time based on their behavior while in custody.
Meritorious Good Time (MGT) and Supplemental Meritorious Good Time (SMGT) refer to the discretionary time (up to 180 days) that the director may grant to an eligible inmate based on his or her behavior while incarcerated. Please note that the award of meritorious good time is not automatic; it is at the discretion of the director. Inmates convicted of certain offenses are not eligible for this type of good time credit.
The MGT/SMGT program was suspended in December of 2009 and terminated in January of 2010. The program is currently under review.
Earned Good Conduct Credit refers to time earned by an inmate for participation in education, drug treatment or Illinois Correctional Industries programs. Again, not all inmates are eligible; inmates convicted of violent and Class X crimes are not eligible. Inmates earn one-half day off their sentence for each day of participation in such programs if they successfully complete the programs (Example: if an eligible inmate completes a drug treatment program that is 30-days in duration, he may be awarded 15-days off his sentence).
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| Does
Corrections have a program of incarceration payments? |
|
Mothers
of children whose father is incarcerated sometimes find it
difficult to make ends meet. They seek "incarceration
pay" from the Department of Corrections to help them
support the children while the father is incarcerated. There
is no Illinois Corrections program that allows the agency
to financially support children of incarcerated fathers or
mothers.
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| What
are "C-Number" inmates? |
|
"C-Numbers"
refers to those inmates who were convicted to indeterminate
sentences prior to implementation of determinate sentencing
in 1978. C-numbered inmates periodically appear before members
of the Illinois Prisoner Review Board to plead their case
for parole. Other inmates serve a specific amount of time
and are released after serving a percentage of their sentence.
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| How
do sentencing laws work? |
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The
Illinois General Assembly passed legislation in 1977 that
changed the state's sentencing laws. It also established a
new category of crime (Class X for the most violent crimes)
as well as creating the death sentence and natural life sentence.
Legislators also displaced the Illinois Parole and Pardon
Board with the Illinois Prisoner Review Board. This eliminated
a subjective determination by members of the Parole and Pardon
Board as to when or why an inmate could be released from prison.
Determinate
sentencing became effective in February, 1978. Inmates convicted
of crimes committed in 1978 or later were given determinate
sentences -- specific amounts of time based on the seriousness
of the crime Previously, an inmate received an indeterminate
sentence -- or range of time -- and appeared before the
Parole and Pardon Board which determined suitability for
release to parole. Until passage of "truth in sentencing"
laws in the 1990's, all inmates were to spend half their
sentences incarcerated in jail or prison (less awards of
good time as explained above). This allowed all involved
-- the victim, the criminal, the courts, law enforcement
agencies, corrections, and the general public -- to know
when the inmate would be released from prison.
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|
Can
I communicate with an inmate over the Internet?
|
|
No. Inmates
are not permitted access to the Internet, nor can they have
personal computers in their cells. Inmates may use computers
if their educational program merits it.
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| What
is the situation with older inmates? |
|
Traditionally,
inmates 50 year of age or older make up three to four percent
of the inmate population. While the percentage of older inmates
has not increased dramatically, the number of older inmates
has increased as the population has quadrupled during the
last three decades. And, as younger and middle aged inmates
continue to serve longer sentences, the number and percentage
of older inmates will increase accordingly. In addition, older
inmates will likely have increased health issues as they age.
Illinois Corrections is carefully monitoring the situation. The
agency is exploring funding sources to expand a geriatric
unit currently established at the Dixon Correctional Center.
This unit operates on a floor of the infirmary, formerly a
hospital for mentally and developmentally disabled people.
It houses more than 80 inmates with multiple disabilities
who are 55 years old or older. Other older inmates with physical
infirmities are housed in prison infirmaries in accordance
with the security status.
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| I
am a former inmate of IDOC and would like to have my name removed
from the Internet Inmate Search Database. How can I do that?
|
|
Inmate
conviction information can only be removed with proper paperwork
from the committing court. Certified copies of not guilty
verdicts on cases reversed and remanded to the circuit court
are sufficient. Other court documents may be considered in
cases where mistrials are ruled in remanded cases. Former
inmates who have received pardons and commutations will have
cases reviewed on an individual basis after Prisoner Review
Board documents are submitted to the agency by the board at
the request of the former inmate. Paperwork and a cover letter
should be submitted to the IDOC Public Information Office.
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| How
do I write/correspond with an inmate? |
|
Inmates
may receive mail at any time during their incarceration. Write
an inmate as you would anyone else, but remember to put his
inmate number in the proximity of his name on the envelope.
Your letter to the inmate will be opened and searched for
contraband. If contraband is found, we will ask the state’s
attorney of your county to prosecute you to the fullest extent
of the law. We are not interested in what you write the inmate
unless it contains plans for his escape or other illegal activity.
Please do not decorate the envelope with stickers. We strictly
enforce the prohibition of stickers since they may be used
to introduce contraband materials. Any document received at
a prison that has stickers attached will be returned.
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| What
items can I mail to an inmate? |
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Inmates may receive correspondence, legal mail and publications, which are reviewed to determine whether they are obscene or constitute a danger to safety and security.
How can I send money to an inmate?
Inmates may receive money via JPAY, Western Union or money order.
Electronic Payments: Funds up to $5,000 may be sent to inmates via the following methods.
- JPAY at www.jpay.com
- Money Gram locations using the Blue Money Gram Express Payment Form - receiving code is 7364
- Western Union at www.westernunion.com or at locations using the Quick Collect Form – code city and state are ILDOC IL
For all electronic transfer of funds, the inmate IDOC number and incarcerated last name must be used. Funds are anticipated to be applied to the inmate’s account within 24 - 48 business hours. Funds sent during an inmate transfer between facilities may take longer than 24 – 48 business hours.
Money Orders: Inmates may receive money orders not to exceed $200. The money orders must be completed with the inmate name, IDOC inmate number, sender’s name and address. The department reserves the right to withhold the money from the inmate until the money order clears the bank. The money orders should be mailed to the inmate’s current correctional facility.
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| What
is the situation with boot camps in Illinois? |
|
The Illinois
Department of Corrections operates two adult boot camps. The adult camps are located at the DuQuoin
State Fairground in Perry County, and at Dixon Springs, at
the edge of the Shawnee National Forest in deep southern Illinois.
Adult inmates
must volunteer before the judge and the placement recommendation
by the judge is reviewed when the inmate is received at Corrections.
Corrections administrators determine who goes to the juvenile
camp. Adults may not have been convicted of a serious crime,
must be between the ages of 18-35 and not have been sentenced
to Corrections more than twice. They cannot have a sentence
of more than 8 years. Corrections retains the right to determine
who goes to boot camp based on the nature of the crime and
whether the inmate can take the regimentation both physically
and mentally. The camp is 120-days in length. Inmates may
not have visitors for 30 days, and then only immediate family.
They are also restricted from phone calls for a period of
time. Inmates may possess only what Corrections gives them.
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| What
is the procedure for assigning inmates to facilities when they
begin to serve their sentence? |
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Inmates will be located at an IDOC reception and classification unit until they are processed for appropriate placement.
Inmates are assigned
to maximum security prisons if they have a sentence of 20
or more years. Inmates with a 19 to 8 year sentence are eligible
for assignment within a medium security facility, while inmates
with a sentence of 7 years or less may be assigned to minimum
security facilities. Inmates who do not abide by the rules
at minimum or medium security prisons may be assigned to maximum
security prisons regardless as to the length of time to serve.
They may not have visits for a month, then two one-hour visits
for the next 30-days, then three one-hour visits for the next
30 days. They are not allowed to make collect phone calls
for the first 30-days, may make one 15-minute phone call during
the next 30-days, and then three 15-minute phone calls the
next 30-days. They cannot have commissary during the first
30-days, and then $15 a month for personal hygiene items for
the next 60-days. This is all dependent on maintaining proper
discipline.
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| How
long must an inmate be in prison before they can go to a work
release center? |
|
The Illinois Department of Corrections (IDOC) operates 7 Adult Transition Centers (ATCs), also referred to as work release centers. One of the centers, Fox Valley ATC in Aurora, houses female inmates. The other 6 facilities house male inmates. The male ATC facilities are Crossroads ATC, North Lawndale ATC and West Side ATC, all in Chicago; Decatur ATC in Decatur; Peoria ATC in Peoria; and Southern Illinois ATC in Carbondale.
Inmates must work or go to school, or both, and return to the center when not occupied in an approved activity in the community. Inmates who are within 2 years of release and classified as minimum security may apply for placement at an ATC through their assigned correctional counselor. Approximately 49,000 adults are incarcerated in IDOC; therefore the agency is selective about who is transferred to ATCs.
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| How
may I obtain archived information/records of past IDOC inmates?
|
|
Currently,
an inmate search on our website will only return information the Department may disclose to the public on IDOC inmates
who are currently incarcerated or on parole. If an inmate
has completed their sentence, their information will not be displayed.
Their information is still available, however, you must request
it through our archived records search. To make a request,
visit our webpage on retrieving
archived records for information.
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| What is the Prisoner Review Board and how can I contact them? |
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This information can be found on the
Prisoner Review Board website.
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| My family member is incarcerated. What services are available for me and my family? |
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This information can be found on the
Department of Human Services website.
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