Monroe County
Its jail, located in Waterloo, has a capacity of 42.
Monroe County has a population of 34,969 and is classified by the U.S. Department of Agriculture as “Metro - Counties in metro areas of 1 million population or more”.
Annual inspections
Between 2017 and 2025, the Monroe County jail has failed six of nine Illinois Department of Corrections inspections.
Inspectors cited violations to “Supervision” regulations most often, bringing it up in five of those failed inspections.
| Year | Result | Violations cited |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Noncompliant |
|
| 2024 | Noncompliant |
|
| 2023 | Noncompliant |
|
| 2022 | Noncompliant |
|
| 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
Monroe County reported 21 extraordinary or unusual incidents at its jail between 2019 and 2025 — 6 per 10,000 residents, the 53rd highest rate of the 92 Illinois counties with a jail.
Among the 36 metropolitan counties it is 20th; those counties report a median of 8.3. 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
Monroe CountyMetropolitan counties Every other county with a jail
Most frequent categories
- Fight among detainees8
- Battery6
- Assault on staff4
- Restraints used3
- Sex offense2
A single report can fall into more than one category.
Reported incidents by year
Deaths in custody
Between 2019 and 2025, 1 person died in custody of the Monroe County sheriff. It appears in state oversight data.
Each death in the Monroe County jail
Counted by the state
No deaths in custody were identified at the Monroe County jail.
Illinois Answers withheld the names of some of the deceased at the request of their families.
Data compiled 2026-09-15. Methodology.