https://illinoisfoia.org/public-bodies/illinois-department-of-corrections/ 2025-03-17T00:00:00Z https://illinoisfoia.org/opinions/letter-85755/ 2025-03-17T00:00:00Z

A federal investigator asked the Illinois Department of Corrections for an inmate's release date, but the department refused to provide it. The Attorney General's office reviewed the case and agreed with the department, explaining that state law strictly limits who can access these specific records and a signed release from the inmate does not override those legal restrictions. Consequently, the case is closed with no further action required.

https://illinoisfoia.org/opinions/2020-pac-62579/ 2020-07-27T00:00:00Z

The requester sought aggregate data on inmate head injuries and related medical-evaluation policies from a state prison agency, which said it did not possess the records and that its outside healthcare contractor had refused to provide its policies, claiming they were confidential trade secrets. The Public Access Counselor held that records held by a contractor performing a governmental function on the agency's behalf are public records of the agency, and that the agency failed to prove the cont

https://illinoisfoia.org/opinions/2018-pac-52206/ 2018-06-26T00:00:00Z

The requester, a reporter, sought records concerning a state prison agency's boot-camp-style incarceration program, and when she resubmitted the same request after her first request review was rejected as untimely, the agency denied the new request as an unduly burdensome repeated request. The Public Access Counselor held that a repeated-request denial is proper only if the agency actually provided all nonexempt responsive records or properly denied the earlier request, and the agency never demo

https://illinoisfoia.org/opinions/2017-pac-46587/ 2017-06-12T00:00:00Z

The requester, a wire-service reporter, sought records showing the job titles, locations, and numbers of employees the department deems essential during a pay interruption, and the department denied the request without acknowledging whether responsive records existed, first asserting attorney-client and deliberative-process exemptions and then withdrawing and reasserting different grounds. The Public Access Counselor held that a denial must state whether records exist and provide a detailed fact

https://illinoisfoia.org/opinions/letter-45170/ 2017-03-07T00:00:00Z

A legal clinic requested general information about the Illinois Department of Corrections' Gang Renunciation program, but the agency denied the request, claiming the information was confidential under state law. The Attorney General's office reviewed the case and found that the IDOC violated FOIA by improperly denying the request. The office also determined that the IDOC failed to provide sufficient evidence to justify the exemption, but the document does not include any order requiring the agen

https://illinoisfoia.org/opinions/letter-34503/ 2016-01-13T00:00:00Z

A reporter requested records of prescription drug orders made by the Illinois Department of Corrections through private vendors. The Attorney General's office ruled that the Department must get these records from its vendor and provide them to the reporter. The Department is allowed to remove personal information that would identify specific inmates to protect their medical privacy.

https://illinoisfoia.org/opinions/2014-pac-30269/ 2014-10-14T00:00:00Z

An incarcerated requester asked the corrections department for photocopies of certain administrative directives that were already available for inspection in the correctional facility's library. The corrections department denied the request under a FOIA exemption covering records requested by inmates that are available in the facility library, and the requester argued this exemption shouldn't apply because inmates weren't allowed to photocopy the library materials themselves. The Public Access C