McHenry County Adult Correctional Facility (ICE)

The first McHenry County Jail was established together with the Sheriff's Office in 1837. As the county grew, so did the need for more space. In 1972, a new government center was built. Nearly 20 years later a separate adult correctional facility was built. In 2006, that space was expanded again and today we have the capacity to house up to 650 inmates and employ 195 correctional officers and staff.

The facility houses inmates awaiting trial in criminal cases, as well as those that have been sentenced to the County facility. An inmate can be held at the facility until they can post bond or are sentenced. After an inmate is sentenced, they can be detained at the County facility for 364 days. Anyone sentenced to more than 364 days is taken to the Illinois Department of Corrections to serve their sentence.

Included in the inmate population are Federal Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detainees, Federal U.S. Marshal inmates and Federal Bureau of Prison inmates. By housing approximately 325-380 federal detainees/inmates, the jail generates revenue for the county at a rate of $95 per detainee/inmate per day from the federal government. To locate a detainee who is currently in ICE custody, or who was released from ICE custody for any reason within the last 60 days, please click here.

Illinois County Statute (55 ILCS 5/3-6017)

The Sheriff is the custodian of the courthouse and jail. He or she shall have the custody and care of the courthouse and jail of his or her county, except as is otherwise provided.

Illinois County Statute (55 ILCS 5/3-6023)

INMATE PROGRAMMING OPPORTUNITIES

Homepage > Corrections > Inmate Programming Opportunities

The McHenry County Sheriff's Correctional Bureau offers a range of rehabilitative programs for inmates. The Bureau's administrative staff is committed to providing inmates with opportunities for rehabilitation and reintegration back into the community.

McHenry County Community College provides us with licensed instructors and proctors to conduct GED classes in the facility's library. In the last year we have had 23 inmates submit applications for GED and 8 have received their GED certificates.

The McHenry County Health Department has volunteers that come each Tuesday for a HIV/AIDS training education for the inmates. This program has been going on for the last 10 years and is well received by the inmate population.

All detainees have access to religious resources, services, instruction and counseling on a voluntary basis. This service is provided by volunteers who facilitate these programs weekly. All detainees are extended the freedom and opportunity to pursue legitimate religious beliefs or practices within the constraints of security and safety considerations.

The McHenry County Correction Correctional Bureau Facility inmate/detainee worker program contributes to the orderly operation of the jail. The classification division carefully screens and recruits eligible inmates/detainees to fill the worker positions. Classification officers assign these individuals to work in the kitchen, laundry room and custodial services, where they are supervised by corrections officers. The worker program is a means of positive reinforcement for the inmates/detainees while incarcerated and may help them with job opportunities upon release.

Sheriff's Road Crew

The Sheriff's Road Crew Program consists of two correctional officers assigned to supervise up to four inmate workers who perform work details outside the jail in the community of McHenry County. The road crew program is strictly voluntary. To be eligible for this program, an inmate must pass a medical screening and cannot have a sentence or history of violent offenses.

The road crew works Monday through Friday from the first week of May to the second week of October. The 16 townships and various city and government agencies inside McHenry County often request the road crew's services, which vary from picking up trash on the roads and easements and patching pot holes and seal coating to painting guard rails, clearing trees and brush and washing fleet vehicles.

In the 2011 season alone, more than 4,479 hours of work were completed:

• 302 hours were spent painting
• 966 hours were spent removing trees and brush
• 176 hours were spent paving and patching asphalt
• 966 hours were spent doing various other tasks such as cleaning shop, washing fleet vehicles, landscaping and cleaning up after community special events.
• 2,069 hours were spent collecting trash, clearing over 370.9 miles of roadway and filling more than 679 bags of garbage.

The litter pick-up not only helps the community look better, but it also helps save money for the local townships that would normally have to use extra manpower to complete these tasks. It also reduces wear and tear on mower equipment that would run over this debris. The program also gives inmates a chance to give back to the community by completing constructive tasks.

In2Work Program

The goal of IN2WORK, conducted by ARAMARK, is to teach offenders the fundamentals of working in a food service environment to help them gain skills and experiences that can be leveraged when they reenter the workforce. The IN2WORK program includes both a classroom component and an on-the-job training component and is comprised of three modules: Kitchen Basics, Retail Basics and ServSafe®. The benefits of IN2WORK include:

• Inmates are given the opportunity to learn and work in a structured training program, which boosts self-esteem and provides a recognizable certificate.
• Certification can help open doors to employment upon release.
• Successful re-entry contributes to reduced recidivism. Research shows that this type of program provides offenders the skills to find meaningful employment as well as the values and discipline needed to become productive citizens.
• The program leads to a more efficient, better functioning kitchen.

If you need information about a detainee that is housed at this facility, you may call (312) 347-2400 between the hours of 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. When you call, please have the individual’s biographical information ready, including first, last and hyphenated names, any aliases he or she may use, date of birth and country of birth.

Detainees cannot receive incoming calls. If you need to get in touch with a detainee to leave an urgent message, you must call (815) 338-9396 and leave the detainee’s full name, alien registration number and your name and telephone number where you can be reached. The detainee will be given your message.