Inside Illinois Jails

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McDonough County


Its jail, located in Macomb, has a capacity of 58.

McDonough County has a population of 26,662 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”.

5inspections failed since 2017
2incidents reported 2019–2025
1deaths in custody
deaths never counted by the state

Annual inspections

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

YearResultViolations cited
2025Compliant
2024Compliant
2023Noncompliant
2022Noncompliant
2021Noncompliant
2020Noncompliant
2019Compliant
2018Compliant
2017Noncompliant

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

McDonough County reported 2 extraordinary or unusual incidents at its jail between 2019 and 2025 — 0.8 per 10,000 residents, the 84th highest rate of the 92 Illinois counties with a jail.

Among the 32 rural counties it is 30th; 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

McDonough CountyRural counties Every other county with a jail

McDonough 0.8020406080100
Each dot is one of the 92 Illinois counties with a jail, placed by its rate.

Most frequent categories

A single report can fall into more than one category.

Reported incidents by year

  • 20191
  • 20231

Deaths in custody

Between 2019 and 2025, 1 person died in custody of the McDonough County sheriff. It appears in state oversight data.

Each death in the McDonough County jail

Counted by the state

Data compiled 2026-09-15. Methodology.