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76,000 people from Illinois are behind bars today

Rates of imprisonment have grown dramatically in the last 40 years

Also see these Illinois graphs:

• total numbers rather than rates.
• Women’s prisons: Incarceration Rates | Total Population
• Men’s prisons: Incarceration Rates | Total Population

Today, Illinois’s incarceration rates stand out internationally

In the U.S., incarceration extends beyond prisons and local jails to include other systems of confinement. The U.S. and state incarceration rates in this graph include people held by these other parts of the justice system, so they may be slightly higher than the commonly reported incarceration rates that only include prisons and jails. Details on the data are available in States of Incarceration: The Global Context. We also have a version of this graph focusing on the incarceration of women.

People of color are overrepresented in prisons and jails

See also our detailed graphs about Whites and Blacks in Illinois prisons and jails.

Illinois's criminal justice system is more than just its prisons and jails

Our other articles about Illinois

• Ending prison gerrymandering in Illinois campaign and resource page
• Adams: Are legislative maps hurting prison reforms?, by Pam Adams, The Journal Star (Peoria Illinois), November 10, 2010
• Prisoner Count, by Jessica Pupovac, Illinois Issues, February 2010
• Importing Constituents: Prisoners and Political Clout in Illinois, by Brett Blank and Peter Wagner, February 2010

Other resources

• Research on Illinois in our Research Library