Sober homes in Illinois are under more government supervision than in other states.
Illinois has been licensing the facilities since the 1990s following complaints about crowded, hazardous conditions.
Today, complaint investigations are conducted on licensed homes as well as anyone attempting to operate one without a license.
Illinois has 90 licensed sober homes, a number that has grown about 10 percent over the past three years.
Theodora Binion, retired director of Illinois' Division of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse, says they are cost-effective.
It costs the Illinois Department of Corrections about $48 per day to house an offender in a sober home, compared to $64 per day in prison.
Last year, Illinois spent $4.8 million housing parolees in sober homes up 25 percent in the last three years.