Menard Correctional Center is a Level One maximum-security adult male facility located in Chester, Illinois. It is the largest maximum-security facility in the Illinois Department of Corrections (DOC).
Read JHA's latest report here. (PDF)
Vital Statistics
Population: 3744
Rated Capacity: 3640
Average Annual
Cost Per Inmate: $20,736.00
Average Age: 34
(Source: IDOC)
Key Observations
- In the past year, Menard has had an alarming number of reported staff and inmate assaults.
- Menard has the worst inmate-to-staff ratio of all Illinois’ maximum-security facilities, as well as that of several medium and high-minimum security facilities.
- Over the last year and a half, Menard was on full or partial lockdown roughly half of the time.
- The average inmate at Menard spend roughly 21 to 22 hours a day locked in cells idle, with little or no activity or opportunity for normal social and human interaction.
- The racial makeup of Menard’s population is roughly 63 percent African American, 25 percent White, 12 percent Hispanic, .02 percent Asian, and .01 percent other.
JHA's work on healthcare in the Illinois Department of Correction is supported by a generous grant from the Michael Reese Health Trust
