Lee County

Its jail, located in Dixon, has a capacity of 94.

Lee County has a population of 33,544 and is classified by the U.S. Department of Agriculture as “Nonmetro - Urban population of 5,000 to 20,000, adjacent to a metro area”.

9inspections failed since 2017

6incidents reported 2019–2025

2deaths in custody

2deaths never counted by the state

Annual inspections

Between 2017 and 2025, the Lee County jail has failed nine of nine Illinois Department of Corrections inspections.

Inspectors cited violations to “Supervision” regulations most often, bringing it up in seven of those failed inspections.

Year	Result	Violations cited
2025	Noncompliant	Commissary701.250
2024	Noncompliant	Medical and Mental Health Care701.90 Supervision701.130
2023	Noncompliant	Medical and Mental Health Care701.90 Supervision701.130 Safety701.150
2022	Noncompliant	Commissary701.250
2021	Noncompliant	Supervision701.130 Commissary701.250
2020	Noncompliant	Supervision701.130 Commissary701.250
2019	Noncompliant	Housing701.80 Sanitation701.120 Supervision701.130
2018	Noncompliant	Housing701.80 Sanitation701.120 Supervision701.130
2017	Noncompliant	Classification and Separation701.70 Housing701.80 Sanitation701.120 Supervision701.130

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

Lee County reported 6 extraordinary or unusual incidents at its jail between 2019 and 2025 — 1.8 per 10,000 residents, the 74th highest rate of the 92 Illinois counties with a jail.

Among the 24 non-metro counties with a small urban centre it is 21st; those counties report a median of 11.8. 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

Lee CountyNon-metro counties with a small urban centre Every other county with a jail

Each dot is one of the 92 Illinois counties with a jail, placed by its rate.

Most frequent categories

Restraints used2
Suicide attempt2
Serious injury1

A single report can fall into more than one category.

Reported incidents by year

20192
20202
20221
20241

Deaths in custody

Between 2019 and 2025, 2 people died in custody of the Lee County sheriff. Of those, 2 were not counted in state oversight data.

Each death in the Lee County jail

Uncounted

Data compiled 2026-09-15. Methodology.