Decatur Correctional Center is Illinois’ Minimum-Security women’s prison.
Vital Statistics
Population: 675
Rated Capacity: 500
Operational Capacity: 719
Average Annual Cost Per Inmate: $38,171
Average Length of Stay:
8 months
Average age of Inmate: 36
(Source: IDOC 4/12/2011)
Key Observations
- Approximately 85 percent of Decatur’s inmates are mothers.
- Decatur is the home of Moms and Babies, a program that allows specially screened pregnant inmates to deliver and care for their children while serving their sentence. Since the program started in 2007, no inmate who has completed the program has returned to prison.
- Like most of Illinois’ prisons, Decatur lacks adequate programming. In particular, the facility is having problems providing inmates with substance abuse treatment.
- Decatur is one of a small handful of Illinois prisons that offers video visitation.
Read JHA's latest report here.
