Mark Curran

Mark C. Curran is the current Sheriff of Lake County, Illinois.

Curran began his career a state prosecutor in Lake County in 1990, rising to Senior Felony Prosecutor. He then served as a prosecutor with the Illinois Attorney General from 1999 to 2002. In 2002, Curran went into private practice, concentrating in civil and criminal litigation.

In 2006, Curran won the Democratic Party primary election on March 21, 2006, and won the general election in November 2006, defeating incumbent Gary Del Re. Curran has been outspoken in his call for prison reform for Illinois, including faith based programming in prisons.

Jail

In August 2008, Curran made national news when he voluntarily spent a week in the Lake County Jail.

Change of political party

On December 15, 2008 Curran announced that he was switching from the Democratic to Republican Party, calling his decision a "matter of conscience." Curran stated that the scandals of Democratic Governor Rod Blagojevich played a role in his decision to switch parties