Illinois jails

Our reporting revealed hundreds of incidents of forced medication, fires, sex offenses, serious injuries and more — all occurring with little oversight from state officials.

Dozens of people have died by suicide in Illinois jails in recent years. Advocates say a multipronged approach could prevent such deaths.

Jails that routinely fail inspections can be referred to the attorney general — but the Department of Corrections hasn’t done so in over a decade.

County jails were restraining people in chairs for long periods and underreporting it. Now, three counties that used them the most report doing so less, and other jails started reporting such incidents for the first time.

An Illinois Answers Project analysis revealed that 63 people who died in jails were missing from state data on in-custody fatalities. Now the state is auditing its records.

Use of pepperball guns in Illinois jails is not the norm. Of the 90 jails, 11 reported using them in recent years, and 9 others have them on hand. But one, the state’s second-largest county jail, stands out for its repeated use.

Illinois county jails report thousands of “extraordinary or unusual” incidents every year, but the state doesn’t keep track. So we stepped in to shed light on what’s happening inside.