Freedom of Information Act

FOIA is the state Freedom of Information Act. Under the Illinois Freedom of Information Act (5 ILCS 140), records in the possession of public agencies may be accessed by the public upon written request. [Illinois FOIA statute] Pursuant to Section 2 (c), “public records” are all records, reports, forms, writings, letters, memoranda, books, papers, maps, photographs, cards, tapes, recordings, electronic data processing records, recorded information, and all other documentary materials, regardless of physical form or characteristics, having been prepared or having been or being used, received, in the possession of or under the control of any public body.

The Illinois Prisoner Review Board is a quasi-judicial law enforcement agency of the State of Illinois tasked with four primary missions:

1. bi-partisan, independent review, adjudication, and enforcement of behavioral rules for offenders;
   
2. parole consideration reviews and decisions for all adult offenders with “indeterminate” sentences;
3. hearings and confidential reports and recommendations to the Governor regarding all requests for executive clemency;
4. protection and consideration of the rights and concerns of victims when making decisions or recommendations regarding parole, executive clemency, conditions of release, or revocation of parole or release.

Prior to submitting a FOIA request, please visit the Board’s website for information concerning the various programs and procedures handled by the Board. Your search may help you:

1. To obtain information that is free and immediately available;
2. To obtain information already available at a minimal fee;
3. To contact Board staff who can answer questions and assist defining your written information request;
4. To contact other state agencies that may also have relevant information.

To access the Prisoner Review Board’s information, a FOIA request must be submitted. The request can be submitted:

1. By mailing it to the following street address:
   FOIA Officer
   319 East Madison Street, Suite A
   Springfield, IL 62701
   
   
2. By emailing it to PRB.FOIA@Illinois.gov. This method is highly preferred due to the higher potential speed at which the request can be received, processed, and have a reply prepared and sent out.
   In order to ensure that your request can be properly identified and responded to in a timely and appropriate manner, please include the following information as part of your request:
   1. Name of the person making the request, including the name of any organization or other person on whose behalf the request is being made;
   2. The specific documents or type of documents being sought;
   3. The specific time frame being addressed by the request, where applicable; and
   4. The physical address or email address (preferred) to which a response may be sent by the Board.

The Board's public records are maintained and organized within each Board division by program, site location, facility name, annual chronology, individual name, date, etc. Consequently, it is important to provide specific descriptive information when requesting information through the FOIA process in order to identify the appropriate division’s files, database, archive, etc.
 

The Board’s public records are maintained in various media formats that may include paper, microfilm, digital images, and computerized records. In certain situations information cannot be cost effectively converted into a paper or electronic format. In these situations, special arrangements, such as onsite viewing or your use of commercial copy vendors, may be necessary.

This website information concerning the Illinois Prisoner Review Board’s FOIA program is being provided as required by Section 4 of the FOIA (5 ILCS 140/4). This website information may be revised and/or updated in the future.