The state's highest court is the supreme court, consisting of seven justices elected by judicial districts for 10-year terms; the justices elect one of their number as chief justice for three years. The supreme court has appellate jurisdiction generally, but has original jurisdiction in cases relating to revenue, mandamus, and habeas corpus. The chief justice, assisted by an administrative director, has administrative and supervisory authority over all other courts. The appellate court is divided into five districts; appellate judges, also elected for 10-year terms, hear appeals from the 22 circuit courts, which handle civil and criminal cases. Circuit judges are elected for 6-year terms. Repeated efforts to remove the state's judgeships from partisan politics have failed in the face of strong party opposition.
The penal system, under the general supervision of the Department of Corrections (established in 1970), includes large prisons at Joliet (1860), Pontiac (1871), Menard (1878), and Stateville (1919), near Joliet, plus juvenile facilities and an active parole division. The Cook County House of Corrections is highly active, as are federal facilities in Chicago and Marion. As of June 2001, Illinois had 45,629 prisoners, an increase of 1.4% over the previous year. The state's incarceration rate stood at 370 per 100,000 in population. Prisoner unrest, demands for legal rights, gang activity, and low guard morale continue to be serious problems in the state's penal institutions.
Illinois has a reputation for lawlessness, born of the gang warfare in Chicago during the prohibition era. In the 19th century, southern Illinois was ravaged by numerous bands of outlaws, and one county still carries the nickname "Bloody Williamson" because of its history of murders, massacres, and assassinations. In 2001, the total crime index stood at 4,097.8 per 100,000 inhabitants. This number included 636.9 violent crimes and 3,460.8 property crimes per 100,000 population statewide. Since 1977, Illinois has executed 12 people. In 2003, seven prisoners were under sentence of death.