Illinois has no law limiting how long a person can be held in solitary confinement. That fact sits at the center of every conversation about restrictive housing in Illinois prisons. Until 2025, there was also no publicly available data on how often solitary was used, for how long, or on whom. That changed on March 21, 2025, when Governor JB Pritzker signed Public Act 103-1074 (House Bill 4828) into law -- a transparency measure championed by Senator Robert Peters requiring IDOC to collect and publish quarterly reports on solitary confinement use.
The first quarterly report, released July 2025 for April-May 2025, showed 2,483 placements in solitary in May alone; nearly 500 instances per month of people classified as Seriously Mentally Ill (SMI) being placed in solitary; a median stay of seven days; and two men with over 600 days in restrictive housing despite an IDOC internal directive capping extended restrictive housing at one year. Black Illinoisans represented 63-65% of solitary placements while making up 55% of the IDOC population. Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson had previously condemned IDOC for keeping a man in solitary confinement for three years.
The Nelson Mandela Act (SB 65/HB 1428), which would impose actual limits on solitary in Illinois, was pending in the legislature as of this writing.
What Solitary Confinement Is Called in Illinois
IDOC uses "restrictive housing" as its primary term for solitary confinement in state prisons. Public Act 103-1074 uses "solitary confinement" as the public-facing term in its reporting requirements. Both terms describe the same practice: separating a person from general population and confining them to a cell for 22 or more hours per day.
Other forms of isolation exist in Illinois outside the official restrictive housing classification:
- Crisis cells: People in mental health crisis may be placed in crisis cells, which are not counted in official restrictive housing data.
- C Grade housing: A classification that restricts a person's access to telephones and other resources. Also not captured in the main restrictive housing data.
These parallel tracks mean the official data -- even now that it is being collected -- does not capture the full scope of isolation in Illinois prisons.
Does Illinois Have a Law Limiting Solitary
No. Illinois has no statute limiting the duration, criteria, or scope of solitary confinement for the general adult prison population. Public Act 103-1074 (signed March 2025) requires data collection and reporting but imposes no limits on use.
IDOC has internal administrative directives (not law) that set the following internal targets:
- Regular restrictive housing: Not to exceed 28 days.
- Extended restrictive housing (when IDOC deems a person an immediate and present danger): Not to exceed one year.
These are internal directives. They are not enforceable by statute. The first quarterly report found two men with over 600 days in restrictive housing -- exceeding the one-year directive -- with no apparent consequence.
The Nelson Mandela Act (SB 65/HB 1428), pending in the Illinois legislature, would bring Illinois into compliance with the UN Mandela Rules by limiting solitary to 15 consecutive days and banning it for certain vulnerable populations.
What Public Act 103-1074 Requires
Signed by Governor Pritzker on March 21, 2025, Public Act 103-1074 requires IDOC to:
- Collect data on the use of solitary confinement in its facilities.
- Publish quarterly reports online detailing how often and why people are placed in solitary confinement.
- Include data on incidents of self-harm during solitary placement.
- Include data on access to health care during solitary placement.
The quarterly reports are published online. The first report, released July 2025 covering April-May 2025, was based on a narrow data set that IDOC acknowledged was not yet comprehensive. IDOC indicated it was working on programming to share more complete data in future reports.
This is a transparency measure, not a reform of the underlying practice.
What the First Quarterly Report Found
The first quarterly report under PA 103-1074, covering April-May 2025, found:
- 2,483 placements into restrictive housing in May 2025.
- Two men with over 600 days in restrictive housing -- exceeding the 1-year internal directive cap.
- Median time in restrictive housing in May: 7 days.
- Nearly 500 instances per month of people classified as Seriously Mentally Ill (SMI) being placed in solitary.
- Racial disparity: Black Illinoisans represented 63% of solitary placements in April and 65% in May, while making up 55% of the IDOC population.
- A John Howard Association survey found 42% of incarcerated individuals reported spending excess time in their cells, often not meeting the daily required minimum of two hours outside their sleeping area.
IDOC acknowledged the report offered only a narrow view and said it was working to provide more comprehensive data in future quarters.
How Long People Stay in Solitary in Illinois
The IDOC internal directive caps regular restrictive housing at 28 days and extended restrictive housing at one year. These are internal targets, not law, and the first quarterly report documented violations of the one-year cap.
In practice, people have been held in solitary for years. Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson condemned IDOC for holding a man in solitary confinement for three years. Solitary Watch and advocacy organizations have documented multi-year placements.
Until the Nelson Mandela Act or similar legislation passes, Illinois law imposes no limit.
Mentally Ill Prisoners
Illinois has no statute prohibiting solitary confinement for people with serious mental illness in adult prisons. The first quarterly report documented nearly 500 SMI placements per month -- making clear the scale of the problem.
The absence of statutory protection for SMI adults in Illinois solitary is one of the central advocacy demands of Restore Justice, the John Howard Association, the ACLU of Illinois, and allied organizations pressing for passage of the Nelson Mandela Act.
Youth Protections
A 2023 Illinois law made it illegal to confine incarcerated youth in solitary confinement for any purpose other than preventing immediate physical harm. This is one of the few hard limits in Illinois law on solitary confinement. It does not apply to adults.
What Families Can Do
If your person is in restrictive housing, crisis cells, or C Grade housing in an Illinois state prison:
Find where your person is housed. IDOC provides an offender search at idoc.illinois.gov. This confirms current facility placement.
Contact the facility. Each IDOC facility has administrative staff. Contact the warden's office or classification department to confirm your person's current housing status and the stated reason for any restricted placement.
Know the IDOC internal directives. Regular restrictive housing should not exceed 28 days under IDOC's own directives. Extended restrictive housing should not exceed one year. If your person has been in restrictive housing beyond these periods, document this and file a grievance.
Ask about C Grade housing and crisis cells. If your person is being held in isolation-like conditions but is being told they are not in "restrictive housing," ask specifically about their grade status and whether they are in a crisis cell. These classifications exist outside the main restrictive housing category and are not captured in the quarterly data.
Review the quarterly reports. IDOC's quarterly restrictive housing data reports are published at idoc.illinois.gov under Public Act 103-1074. These may help you understand system-wide patterns.
File a grievance. IDOC has an administrative grievance process. Help your person file formal grievances documenting conditions, duration of placement, and any denial of services. The grievance record is important for any future legal action.
Contact Restore Justice. Restore Justice (restorejustice.org) has been the lead advocacy organization on IDOC solitary reform and the primary champion of both PA 103-1074 and the Nelson Mandela Act. They may be able to provide referrals and information.
Contact the John Howard Association. The John Howard Association of Illinois (thejha.org) monitors IDOC conditions through facility visits and publishes reports. They have documented solitary confinement conditions firsthand.
Contact the ACLU of Illinois. The ACLU of Illinois (aclu-il.org) has been involved in litigation and advocacy on IDOC conditions.
Seek legal help. If your person has been in restrictive housing beyond the 1-year internal directive cap, has a serious mental illness and is in solitary, or is being held in isolation-like conditions outside the formal restrictive housing classification, these situations may support legal claims. Consult a prisoner rights attorney familiar with Illinois federal courts.
Frequently asked questions
What is solitary confinement called in Illinois prisons?
IDOC uses "restrictive housing" as its primary term. Public Act 103-1074 uses "solitary confinement" in its reporting requirements. Both refer to isolation in a cell for 22 or more hours per day. Crisis cells (mental health crisis housing) and C Grade housing (restricted privileges) are additional forms of isolation not counted in the formal restrictive housing data.
Does Illinois have a law limiting solitary confinement?
No. Illinois has no statute limiting the duration, criteria, or scope of solitary confinement for adult prisoners. IDOC has internal directives capping regular restrictive housing at 28 days and extended restrictive housing at one year, but these are not law and have been violated. The Nelson Mandela Act (SB 65/HB 1428), pending in the legislature, would establish statutory limits aligned with UN Mandela Rules (15-day cap, vulnerable population protections).
What is Public Act 103-1074 and what does it do?
Signed by Governor Pritzker on March 21, 2025, PA 103-1074 requires IDOC to collect and publish quarterly data on solitary confinement use -- how often, why, how long, incidents of self-harm, and health care access during placement. It is a transparency measure only. It imposes no limits on solitary use. The first quarterly report was released July 2025 covering April-May 2025.
What did the first Illinois quarterly solitary report find?
The July 2025 report (covering April-May 2025) found 2,483 placements in May; nearly 500 SMI placements per month; a median stay of seven days; two men exceeding 600 days despite the 1-year directive cap; and Black Illinoisans representing 63-65% of solitary placements while comprising 55% of IDOC's population. IDOC acknowledged the data was not yet comprehensive and was working to improve reporting.
How long can someone stay in solitary in Illinois?
As long as IDOC deems it necessary. There is no statutory limit. IDOC's internal directives cap regular restrictive housing at 28 days and extended restrictive housing at one year, but these have been exceeded without consequence. The first quarterly report documented two men with over 600 days in restrictive housing. People have been held in Illinois solitary for years and in at least one documented case, three years -- which drew condemnation from a U.S. Supreme Court justice.
Are mentally ill prisoners protected from solitary in IL?
No -- not for adults. Illinois has no statute prohibiting or limiting solitary confinement for adults with serious mental illness. The first quarterly report documented nearly 500 SMI placements per month. The Nelson Mandela Act, if passed, would address this. Restore Justice (restorejustice.org) and the ACLU of Illinois (aclu-il.org) are the primary advocacy organizations pushing for SMI protections.
Are young people protected from solitary in Illinois?
Yes, with limits. A 2023 law prohibits solitary confinement for incarcerated youth except to prevent immediate physical harm. This is one of the few hard statutory limits on solitary in Illinois. It does not apply to adults. The protections apply to youth in IDOC custody, not adults.
What is C Grade housing in Illinois prisons?
C Grade is a classification that restricts a person's access to telephones and other resources in Illinois prisons. It can create conditions similar to restrictive housing -- limited contact with the outside world -- but is not classified as restrictive housing and is not counted in the quarterly data released under PA 103-1074. Crisis cells used for mental health emergencies are another form of isolation outside the formal restrictive housing count. Families should ask directly about grade status and housing type, not just whether someone is in "restrictive housing."
Can families visit someone in Illinois restrictive housing?
Visiting is typically restricted during restrictive housing. The specific rules depend on the facility and the type of restrictive housing. Contact the facility directly to confirm current visiting status before traveling. IDOC facility contact information is at idoc.illinois.gov. Written mail retains stronger protections than phone or visits during restrictive housing.
What can families do if someone is in IL solitary?
Use the IDOC offender search at idoc.illinois.gov to find your person. Contact the facility for housing status and the reason for restrictive housing. Ask specifically about C Grade status and crisis cell placement, not just formal restrictive housing. Know the IDOC directives (28 days for regular RH; 1 year for extended RH) and document any excess. File grievances through IDOC's process. Review quarterly reports at idoc.illinois.gov. Contact Restore Justice (restorejustice.org), the John Howard Association (thejha.org), or the ACLU of Illinois (aclu-il.org) for advocacy support and referrals. ---