The Montgomery County Inmate Population
Montgomery County sits in central Illinois, with Hillsboro as its county seat. The Illinois Sheriffs' Association lists the county population near 31,000 across about 710 square miles. The local inmate count is small next to that. The same association profile reports the Montgomery County Jail at 42 beds. That jail, run by the Montgomery County Sheriff's Office, holds people arrested in the county, pretrial detainees, short county sentences, and people waiting on court transport or transfer.
There is a second, much larger group counted within the county lines. Graham Correctional Center, a state prison just southeast of Hillsboro, reported a total population of 1,578 as of June 30, 2024 on its Illinois Department of Corrections facility page. Those are sentenced state prisoners and reception-status arrivals from across Illinois, not county pretrial detainees. The home for both questions is different. Local custody answers come from the sheriff. State custody answers come from IDOC. The numbers rise and fall with arrests, bond decisions, sentencing, and transfers out to state prison.
Montgomery County Inmate Population Statistics
The clean, sourced figures for the Montgomery County inmate population come from a handful of official and high-authority pages. The county itself does not post a daily jail census online. The Illinois Sheriffs' Association supplies the jail bed count. IDOC supplies the Graham prison figures. Prison Policy Initiative adds a historical local-jail snapshot. Each number below carries its source and date so it can be checked.
| Measure | Figure | Source / Year |
|---|---|---|
| Montgomery County Jail bed capacity | 42 beds | Illinois Sheriffs' Association, 2026 |
| Graham Correctional Center population | 1,341 | IDOC Graham page, 6/30/24 |
| Graham Reception & Classification population | 237 | IDOC Graham R&C page, 6/30/24 |
| Graham total population | 1,578 | IDOC Graham page, 6/30/24 |
| Graham operational capacity | 2,027 | IDOC Graham page, Aug. 2022 census |
| Historic county jail population | 32 | Prison Policy Initiative, 12/31/2013 |
Note: The county did not publish a current daily jail population in the official sources checked, so the 42-bed figure reflects capacity rather than today's head count.
Montgomery County Inmate Population Trends
Trend data for the local jail is thin but not empty. A Prison Policy Initiative correctional-populations table recorded a Montgomery County Jail local population of 32 on December 31, 2013. A Vera Institute county factsheet returned during research suggests the jail averaged about 78 people a day in May 2022 and fell roughly 33 percent between May 2019 and May 2022. That Vera figure should be read with care, since the file naming was not state-explicit, yet the text points to Illinois bail-reform markers. The state prison count is firmer. IDOC reported Graham's total at 1,578 as of June 30, 2024.
| Year / Date | Population | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 12/31/2013 | 32 (county jail) | Prison Policy Initiative local-jail entry |
| May 2019 to May 2022 | down about 33% | Vera factsheet trend, verify before heavy use |
| May 2022 | 78 (county jail daily avg.) | Vera factsheet, use with caution |
| 6/30/2024 | 1,578 (Graham total) | IDOC official facility page |
Who Makes Up the Montgomery County Inmate Population
The county jail and the state prison hold different people for different reasons. The county jail holds the pretrial and short-sentence group. The state prison holds sentenced adult men. No official current demographic breakdown for the Montgomery County Jail was located, so the split by sex, race, or charge level is not published for the local side. IDOC does describe Graham plainly. It is a medium-security adult male facility, and the attached reception unit is also adult male. The terms below help sort one group from the other.
- Pretrial detainee
- A person held before trial who has not been convicted. Most county jail residents fall here.
- Sentenced inmate
- A person serving a penalty after a plea or verdict. Felony sentences move to state prison.
- Reception status
- A temporary IDOC intake and classification phase before transfer to a permanent prison.
- Detainer
- A hold placed by another agency, such as another county, parole, federal, or immigration authorities.
Montgomery County Jail Capacity and Data Gaps
The honest picture is a small jail and a few real gaps in the public record. The Illinois Sheriffs' Association lists 42 jail beds. The 2013 local count of 32 sat under that line, but it is old and not a current reading. No county dashboard for average daily population, annual bookings, or length of stay was found in official sources. So overcrowding cannot be claimed or ruled out from the bed count alone.
Graham is easier to size. IDOC gives an operational capacity of 2,027 and a total population of 1,578 as of June 30, 2024, which puts the reported count below capacity on that date. IDOC notes that its operational capacity includes health care, crisis, restricted housing, protective custody, isolation, and reception beds, plus beds down for repair. The prison count is large next to the county's 31,000 residents, yet Graham holds people sent from across Illinois, so it is not a county incarceration rate.
Note: The 1,578 prison total should never be added to the 42 county jail beds, since the two are run by different agencies and answer different custody questions.
Laws Governing the Montgomery County Inmate Population
Several Illinois laws decide what jail and population data the public can see and how that data is collected. The Freedom of Information Act is the broad public-records law. A specific arrest-report provision sets timing for booking information. A state corrections unit collects monthly jail population counts from every county. And a death-in-custody law requires public annual reporting. Together they show that county jail data is part of a state framework, even when a county like Montgomery does not run its own online dashboard.
Before the statute list, it helps to see the agency that gathers the county numbers. The IDOC Jail and Detention Standards Unit inspects county jails and collects monthly detainee population statistics, building a database that flows to the Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority. The lead-in image below comes from the unit's official page at the Illinois Department of Corrections.
That page confirms the reporting channel that sits behind the Montgomery County inmate population, even though it does not hand back a ready-made county table.
Key Statutes:
5 ILCS 140 - the Illinois Freedom of Information Act, the general public-records law for state and local agencies.
5 ILCS 140/2.15 - requires arrest-report information, including booking-photo language, to be furnished within set timing after an arrest.
20 Ill. Admin. Code Part 720 - sets jail and lockup population reporting to the Jail and Detention Standards Unit.
730 ILCS 210/3-5(i) - requires a public annual report on deaths in custody across Illinois.
Montgomery County and the Illinois Prison Population
When a Montgomery County case ends in a state prison sentence, that person leaves the county jail and joins the Illinois Department of Corrections count. Graham Correctional Center is the prison physically in the county, two miles southeast of Hillsboro on Route 185. It opened in September 1980, sits on 117 acres with 50 buildings, and runs as a medium-security adult male prison. Its average annual cost per individual was reported at $37,248 for FY22, and the official IDOC Graham Correctional Center page lists its capacity, population, and programs.
Because Graham draws sentenced people from many Illinois counties, its 1,578 residents are part of the state prison population, not a measure of how often Montgomery County residents are locked up. A separate reception unit at the same address processes newly admitted adult men before they transfer to a permanent prison. Both are searched through IDOC, never the county jail line.
How to Search the Montgomery County Inmate Population
There is no public web roster for the Montgomery County Jail. The county sheriff page lists a jail information phone line, the facility address, and an app, but no last-name search box. So the search starts with a phone call, not a form. The order below moves from local custody to state and federal systems. The official Montgomery County Sheriff's Office page is where the local phone number and visiting details live.
Use that sheriff page to confirm the jail information line, then work the steps in order.
- Call jail information at (217) 532-9514 to confirm whether a person is booked, released, or transferred.
- If a written booking record is needed, file a FOIA request through the county FOIA Officer at the State's Attorney's office.
- For filed charges, open the Judici case search or visit the Circuit Clerk counter in Hillsboro.
- If the person was sentenced to state prison, search the IDOC Individual in Custody locator instead of the county.
- For federal or immigration custody, use the BOP or ICE locators, and use VINELink for custody notifications.
Current Inmate Lookup Without a County Roster
Because the county runs no online roster, the closest searchable database for people connected to Montgomery County is the IDOC locator, which covers anyone already in state prison custody, including Graham. It accepts three search methods and one text box. The official entry point is the IDOC Individual in Custody Search, which embeds the legacy form below.
The same page notes that custody details are also available by phone at 217-558-2200 when the online tool is down for maintenance.
| Field Label | Type | Required | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| How do you want to search? | Radio group | Yes | Last Name, IDOC Number, or Birthdate |
| Last Name | Radio option | One method required | Example: Smith, John or Smith or Smit |
| IDOC Number | Radio option | One method required | Example: K01234 |
| Birthdate | Radio option | One method required | Example: 04-01-1965 |
| Text input | Text | Yes after method | Holds the selected search value |
| Find | Button | - | Submits the search |
Past and Released Inmate Records
Finding someone who is no longer in custody runs on a different track. Since the county has no online roster, there is no released-inmate archive to scroll. For a past Montgomery County booking, a written FOIA request is the reliable path. Send it to the county FOIA Officer at the State's Attorney's office and name the records you want, such as a booking sheet, arrest report, or release record. Cite the state arrest-report law where it applies. For a person who went on to state prison, the IDOC locator keeps the record while they are in custody and shows admission, parole, and discharge dates.
Court records last longer than jail custody. Once charges are filed, the case stays in the Circuit Clerk index regardless of whether the person is still in jail. That makes the court file a strong place to confirm what happened after a past arrest, subject to sealed, juvenile, and adoption limits.
What an Illinois Inmate Record Shows
The county does not publish an inmate profile, so the field list below describes a state prison record from the IDOC locator, which is the inspectable profile tied to Montgomery County through Graham. It is far richer than a phone confirmation, and it shows why the right system matters. A booking record requested by FOIA from the sheriff would cover the arrest side instead, such as charges, arrest time, and arresting agency.
| Field | What It Shows |
|---|---|
| IDOC Number and Name | State prison identifier with last, first, and middle formatting. |
| Parent Institution and Location | The prison responsible for custody, which can read Graham for local cases. |
| Offender Status | Whether the person is in custody or another status. |
| Physical Profile | Date of birth, height, weight, hair, eyes, sex, and race. |
| Admission and Release Dates | Admission date plus projected parole and discharge dates. |
| Sentencing Information | Mittimus, offense, class, count, custody date, sentence, and county. |
Note: Projected parole and discharge dates can change, so treat them as estimates and confirm release timing with IDOC before relying on a date.
County Jail vs. State Prison: Where to Look
The single most common mistake here is sending a county-jail search to IDOC, or a Graham family to the sheriff. The county jail holds the pretrial and short-sentence population under the sheriff. The state prison holds sentenced felons under IDOC. The lookup tool follows the custody, not the address, even though both sit in Hillsboro. The table sorts the two systems.
| County Jail | State Prison (IDOC) | |
|---|---|---|
| Who Is Held | Pretrial and short sentences | Sentenced felons |
| Run By | Montgomery County Sheriff | Illinois Department of Corrections (IDOC) |
| Where to Look | Jail information phone line and FOIA | IDOC Individual in Custody Search |
| Local Facility | Montgomery County Jail, Hillsboro | Graham Correctional Center, Hillsboro |
State and Federal Inmate Search
Beyond the county and state systems, two federal locators and one notification service round out an inmate search. Sentenced state prisoners use the IDOC search. Federal prisoners use the Bureau of Prisons locator, which covers federal inmates from 1982 to the present. Immigration detainees use the ICE Online Detainee Locator, which generally needs an A-Number or biographical details. No BOP or ICE facility was located in Montgomery County, so those searches run statewide or nationwide rather than against a local jail.
For custody alerts rather than a one-time check, Illinois uses VINELink. Register through the VINELink Illinois person search to get notice of a custody change. VINELink tracks status and notification, and it does not replace the official IDOC profile or a county records request.
Montgomery County Detention Facilities
Three facility pages cover the detention map for the county. One is the local jail under the sheriff. Two are IDOC state-prison pages at the same Route 185 complex in Hillsboro, kept separate because they hold different groups and follow different rules. Each link below opens a full facility page with lookup, visitation, and contact details.
- Montgomery County Jail - local arrests, pretrial detainees, short county sentences, and court-transport holds under the sheriff.
- Graham Correctional Center - sentenced adult men in IDOC custody, searched through the state locator.
- Graham Reception & Classification Center - newly admitted adult men in temporary IDOC reception status.
Montgomery County Inmate Population FAQ
How big is the Montgomery County inmate population?
The local jail is small, with 42 beds listed by the Illinois Sheriffs' Association, and no current daily count was published by the county. The far larger group counted inside county lines is Graham Correctional Center, a state prison that IDOC reported at 1,578 total residents as of June 30, 2024. The two are separate systems, so they are not added together.
How do I search the Montgomery County inmate population?
For local custody, call jail information at (217) 532-9514, since the county has no online roster. For a sentenced person, use the IDOC Individual in Custody Search. For filed charges, use Judici or the Circuit Clerk. For federal or immigration custody, use the BOP or ICE locators. The right tool depends on which system holds the person.
Can I look up a released or past inmate?
There is no public released-inmate archive for the county jail. For a past booking, file a FOIA request with the county FOIA Officer and ask for the booking sheet, arrest report, or release record. Court files in the Circuit Clerk index also show what happened after an arrest, unless a record is sealed.