Jefferson County
Its jail, located in Vernon, has a capacity of 246.
Jefferson County has a population of 36,107 and is classified by the U.S. Department of Agriculture as “Nonmetro - Urban population of 5,000 to 20,000, not adjacent to a metro area”.
Annual inspections
Between 2017 and 2025, the Jefferson County jail has failed two of nine Illinois Department of Corrections inspections.
| Year | Result | Violations cited |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Compliant | — |
| 2024 | Compliant | — |
| 2023 | Compliant | — |
| 2022 | Compliant | — |
| 2021 | Noncompliant |
|
| 2020 | Compliant | — |
| 2019 | Compliant | — |
| 2018 | Noncompliant |
|
| 2017 | Compliant | — |
Each violation links to the standard it cites in the Illinois County Jail Standards. Years link to the full inspection report for that year on the IDOC website.
Extraordinary or unusual incidents
Jefferson County reported 154 extraordinary or unusual incidents at its jail between 2019 and 2025 — 42.7 per 10,000 residents, the 10th highest rate of the 92 Illinois counties with a jail.
Among the 32 rural counties it is 2nd; those counties report a median of 5. The median for every county with a jail is 7.
A county reporting less could indicate lower incident rates or lower reporting rates.
Incidents per 10,000 residents
Jefferson CountyRural counties Every other county with a jail
Most frequent categories
- Restraints used94
- Taser used37
- Suicide attempt35
- OC spray used20
- Assault on staff19
A single report can fall into more than one category.
Reported incidents by year
Deaths in custody
Between 2019 and 2025, 3 people died in custody of the Jefferson County sheriff. Of those, 2 were not counted in state oversight data.
Each death in the Jefferson County jail
Counted by the state Uncounted Additional details
No deaths in custody were identified at the Jefferson County jail.
Illinois Answers withheld the names of some of the deceased at the request of their families.
Data compiled 2026-09-15. Methodology.