Inside Illinois Jails

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Whiteside County


Its jail, located in Morrison, has a capacity of 129.

Whiteside County has a population of 54,657 and is classified by the U.S. Department of Agriculture as “Nonmetro - Urban population of 20,000 or more, adjacent to a metro area”.

2inspections failed since 2017
6incidents reported 2019–2025
3deaths in custody
deaths never counted by the state

Annual inspections

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

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

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

Whiteside County reported 6 extraordinary or unusual incidents at its jail between 2019 and 2025 — 1.1 per 10,000 residents, the 83rd highest rate of the 92 Illinois counties with a jail.

Among the 24 non-metro counties with a small urban centre it is 23rd; 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

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

Whiteside 1.1020406080100
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

  • 20203
  • 20213

Deaths in custody

Between 2019 and 2025, 3 people died in custody of the Whiteside County sheriff. All of them appear in state oversight data.

Each death in the Whiteside County jail

Counted by the state

Data compiled 2026-09-15. Methodology.