NCJ Number
117234
Date Published
1989
Length
96 pages
Annotation
This report updates the Illinois Department of Correction's Adult Correctional Center Capacity Survey of 1986, summarizes the issues of prison capacity and inmate population growth, assesses how many inmates can be safely accommodated in current Illinois facilities, and addresses the problem of increasingly crowded correctional facilities.
Abstract
Detailed information is provided on every facility and work camp in the Illinois adult prison system. Data include the age of facilities, their design characteristics, rated and ideal capacities, the number of housing units, population, mix of population, and the level of single, double, and multi-celling. Support services are reviewed as well as the actual uses of housing space under the current rated capacity. The assessment concludes that the current rated capacity exceeds ideal capacity by 3,600 beds. The report points out that improvements must be made to the system's capacity to house an increasing number of violent inmates. Failure to make necessary improvements will put the Illinois prison system at serious risk in coming years.