Editorial: Illinois can't fix what it won't track

The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune on Sep 18, 2025

Published in Op Eds

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An important way to tell whether a corrections system is working is to track how many people end up back behind bars after serving time.

For years now, Illinois has left the public in the dark about how many people are returning to prison after release.

The phenomenon is called recidivism, which refers to convicts who reoffend, cycling in and out of the corrections system.

The state hasn’t known since 2022 how well or poorly it’s doing on this measure, according to WGN Investigates, which disclosed the problem. Back in 2022, 37% of inmates reoffended within three years of their release, according to the Illinois Department of Corrections. Since then, the state has no idea.

Why? IDOC spokesperson Naomi Puzzello told WGN, “There’s a programming issue with the file that generates those calculations and reports… IT is working on the issue.”

A programming issue? For three years? Explaining such a systemic failure as a simple technical issue is hard to believe. Such problems, once detected, don’t typically take three years to solve. Is this due to a budget crunch? Really, how important is knowing and imparting this data to the public to these state officials?

Data isn’t just numbers — it tells us what’s working and what’s not. And this issue isn’t some second-tier matter of importance to the public. Public safety consistently is at or near the top of the priority list in polling.

The reason we need officials to track information on who’s flowing in and out of the corrections system is so we can improve public safety and make sure crime-prevention programs are as effective as possible.

The opposite of recidivism is, of course, rehabilitation, which is supposed to be the ultimate goal for people in prison.

If we don’t track behavior data, we don’t know if we’re helping people to turn their lives around or if we’re consigning people to a system that cycles them through repeatedly, without delivering on the promise of rehabilitation.

Recidivism, of course, isn’t the only metric that matters in the criminal justice system. Equally important is understanding whether those who are incarcerated have access to services like General Educational Development, or GED, courses.

The rate at which those who are released from prison re-offend doesn’t reflect exclusively on the prison system itself, either.

It also helps us understand how conditions outside prisons are affecting people once they get out. Successful reentry after prison involves many factors — securing housing, finding work, access to health care and family support. There are programs available from nonprofits and others aimed at assisting with those challenges.

How well are they working? Well, the recidivism rate can give us a clue.

The corrections system’s job is not meant to be solely punitive — it’s supposed also to be transformative, aimed at slowing the cycle of crime that ruins so many lives.

Unless IDOC keeps — and reports — reliable data, Illinois will be flying blind on how this critical priority is being met.

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