Which Illinois Prisons are the Most Overcrowded?

While the number of people incarcerated in Illinois prisons is slightly lower than it was five years ago, overcrowding remains a major problem considering the state’s correctional system was designed for an inmate capacity of 32,000.

The operational capacity at all but two of the state’s 25 correctional centers exceeds 90 percent, meaning they’ve nearly reached the maximum number of inmates a facility can hold.

When you look at these prisons’ design capacity–the number of inmates a facility initially was designed to hold–every correctional center in Illinois is operating above capacity. Some prisons hold double the number of inmates intended in their original designs.

Take a look at this chart to see the current operational capacity and design capacity at all 25 correctional centers in the state.

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