Illinois Voters Overwhelmingly Support Parole Restoration
Poll Shows Broad Support as Illinois Legislature Considers Landmark Bill to Restore Parole After it Was Ended Almost 30 Years Ago
(March 27, 2025) — An overwhelming majority of Illinois voters support parole and want it restored in the state, according to a recent statewide poll commissioned by Parole Illinois, a local non-profit committed to the restoration of parole, and Campaign Zero, a data-driven organization focused on ending police violence and mass incarceration.
The poll showed voters are overwhelmingly in favor of parole, did not know the state does not currently have parole for most incarcerated people, and believes far too much time has passed since the legislature last addressed parole. The key findings showed:
81% of voters supported allowing incarcerated people to be reviewed for parole by a qualified parole board.
86% of voters were not aware that Illinois has not had parole since 1978.
67% of voters agreed that 45 years is too long to let a law go unexamined and it is time to modernize our parole system in Illinois.
Only 6% of voters supported the current status-quo of only having parole hearings for offenses committed prior to 1978.
A majority of voters believe people should be eligible for parole regardless of when they were incarcerated.
“This poll shows overwhelming support for reinstating parole as a safety valve for all of the overly punitive sentencing laws passed over the last 5 decades.”
The poll of 815 registered voters was conducted by YouGov, an international research, data and analytics group that provides audience profiling. The poll shows that voters overwhelmingly favor parole and believe it’s time for the legislature to act.
This poll comes as the Illinois Legislature considers HB2764, a bill sponsored by Representative Carol Ammons that would restore parole throughout the state for all incarcerated people serving a sentence of over 20 years. In 1978, Illinois became the third of an eventual 18 states that ended discretionary parole, eliminating a crucial tool proven to incentivize rehabilitation and improve public safety. Ending parole was part of the failed “tough on crime” movement. In Illinois, the elimination of parole has left the vast majority of the nearly 30,000 incarcerated people with no mechanism to review whether their continued incarceration serves any purpose. It also has left the state paying an average of $60,000 per person per year to incarcerate tens of thousands of people, with no regular system to identify those who have aged out of crime and no longer need to be there.
“The Earned Reentry bill would simply implement a safe and conservative method for review. Several Illinois Appellate Court Justices have specifically identified the lack of a parole system as one of the main problems in our current criminal legal system. Reinstating parole is supported by both the public and the courts.”
Restoring parole in Illinois will strengthen public safety and save taxpayers’ money, according to the data and research collected by Parole Illinois and Campaign Zero.
Parole Improves Public Safety
Strong families and communities are the foundation of safety. Parole and re-entry services can help families and communities repair, which helps all of us. In fact, over two-thirds of crime-survivors supported alternatives to incarceration, such as mental-health treatment and rehabilitation, which stress healing of individuals and communities.
Parole Incentivizes Rehabilitation and Improves Re-Entry
Parole allows people who have been incarcerated for decades and demonstrated rehabilitation to be evaluated for reentry based on who they are now. The process incentivizes rehabilitation and provides opportunities to contribute to the community.
Parole Saves Taxpayer $$$ and Boosts the Economy
Incarceration is expensive. It costs Illinois taxpayers over $60K/year per incarcerated person. By comparison, mandatory supervised release costs only $2,300/year per person. Experts estimate that bringing back parole could generate a cost savings of $115M or more after 10 years.
About Campaign Zero
Campaign Zero is a data-driven organization focused on ending police violence and mass incarceration. With a focus on evidence-based solutions, Campaign Zero equips communities with the tools necessary to create lasting change. For more information, please visit www.CampaignZero.org.
YouGov Polling Methodology
This survey is based on 815 interviews of registered voters in Illinois. The sample was weighted according to gender, age, race/ethnicity, education, and U.S. Census region based on voter registration lists, the U.S. Census American Community Survey, and the U.S. Census Current Population Survey, as well as 2020 Presidential vote and approximate 2024 Presidential vote based on available results. The margin of error (a 95% confidence interval) is approximately 4.1%.
