Kewanee Life Skills Re-Entry Center

The Kewanee Life Skills Re-Entry Center is a supervised transitional facility for male inmates who are at the end of their sentence with the Illinois Department of Corrections. The facility opened in 2017 and is located in Kewanee, Illinois. It can house a maximum of 682 inmates who are preparing to re-enter society.

The main objective of the Kewanee Life Skills Re-Entry Center is to help the inmates build valuable life skills and prepare them for re-entry into society, while maintaining safety and security.

The center focuses on offenders who are ready to make needed changes in order to successfully reintegrate into their community. They must have one to four years left on their sentence, and qualify for placement at the facility. Kewanee Life Skills Re-Entry Center offers educational, job readiness, and cognitive behavior therapy courses.

Prison Insights

Visiting Hours and Rules

Visiting hours at the Kewanee Life Skills Re-Entry Center are Sunday through Saturday, between 8:30am – 1:30pm and 3:00pm – 8:00pm.

Visitor Approval

All adult visitors must be on the inmate's approved visitation list in order to visit. Inmates are responsible for arranging their visits and notifying their visitors of their visiting status. 

Video Visits

As of August 2021, video visitation is available due to COVID-19. All potential visitors must register with GTL (https://ildoc.gtlvisitme.com). The registration process includes completing a Prospective Visitor Interview Form.

All visitors must fully complete this form with GTL -- even if they have completed this form at a facility. 

All video visits must be scheduled through the GTL website. Do not call the facility to schedule a video visit. The visitor should check before scheduling the video visit of dates and times that are available for the offender. The facility will inform the offender of the pending visit and arrange for the offender to be present.

• An offender may only receive one video visit per day.
  • No more than three approved visitors per video visit for offenders confined in general population or protective custody status.
• An offender may receive only two video visits per week
• All video visits must be scheduled at least seven days in advance.
• Visits may be scheduled up to 30 days in advance.
• Only scheduled visitors may appear in the video visit monitor.
  • One visitor on screen at a time, excluding children who need assistance sitting for the visit.

All video visits are monitored live and recorded. Any violation of visitation rules, inappropriate conduct, or language may be subject to immediate termination of the video visit with or without warning. 

In-Person Visits

Due to changes to the CDC's COVID-19 guidelines, Kewanee Life Skills Re-Entry Center is now scheduling visits according to vaccination status. This will allow vaccinated people in IDOC custody and their families (if all participants are vaccinated) to visit with fewer restrictions. Both the incarcerated person and all visitors (including minors) must be fully vaccinated to schedule a vaccinated visiting slot.  

Visits must be scheduled a minimum of seven days prior to the visit. To schedule your visit, click here.

General Visiting Rules

Visitation is encouraged to help incarcerated men and women maintain ties with family, friends, and others in the community. 

All adult visitors are required to have a current photo ID, such as a driver’s license, a state identification card or acceptable documentation of non-US citizenship including a current passport, Visa or Matricula, and documentation that includes their date of birth. 

Allowed Items

Visitors are not allowed to bring electronic devices (such as cell phones, smartwatches, tablets, or laptops), food, drink, smoking materials, currency, packages, purses, bags, sacks, books, magazines, sunglasses, or personal keys into the Visiting Room. Visitors must put personal items in small lockers that are available at no charge. 

Items that a visitor may possess inside the visiting room or in a secured locker, unless otherwise approved by the CAO, shall include: 

• Any item approved for an ADA request for reasonable accommodation. 
• One identification card
• One key fob or car door key without remote attachment
• One locker key, if issued
• One jacket or coat appropriate for the weather
• Religious headgear, and
• Lifesaving medication

If visiting with an infant or toddler, the following items may be brought into the visiting room in a clear plastic bag or container:

• Three diapers and wipes
• One blanket
• Two filled clear plastic bottles; two sealed containers of baby food; a combination of one bottle and one sealed container of baby food
• One change of clothes
• One bib
• One pacifier
• One plastic spoon
• One clear empty cup with lid
• One coat or jacket and one hat
• One pair of gloves or mittens during appropriate weather

Dress Code

All adult visitors must be dressed appropriately for a prison environment or the visit will not be permitted.

Clothing must not advertise or suggest any items that signify a Security Threat Group or other illegal activity. Visitors should not wear clothing that is sexually explicit, offensive, or degrading. All visitors must wear underwear and female visitors must wear a bra. 

Visitors should not wear clothing which reveals the buttocks or breasts. Examples of appropriate and inappropriate dress for visitors are: 

• Dresses, shorts, or skirts must extend to the knee
• Clothing that compromises the integrity of safety/security such as gang affiliated symbols and communication that may negatively impact ability to control the population
• No see through/sheer clothing
• No holes, tears, or “cutouts” in clothing above the knee
• No tube tops, halter tops, tank tops, swimsuits, or swimsuit tops
• Loose fitting clothing is encouraged but not required
• Visitors may be permitted to wear religious headgear if there are no safety or security concerns. Wigs are not considered headgear and will not result in the denial of visits. 
• Visitors may wear two rings (inclusive of one wedding ring), one pair of earrings, and piercings that cannot be removed.

How to Call an Inmate

You can't call a resident who is part of the Kewanee Life Skills Re-Entry Center, but they do have access to phones during certain hours and are allowed to make outgoing calls.

How to Send Money

You can send money to a resident at the Kewanee Life Skills Re-Entry Center via the following methods. (You must use the inmate's IDOC number and legal name for all electronic transfer of funds.)

• GTL (ConnectNetwork) at https://web.connectnetwork.com/facilities/illinois-department-of-corrections/
• JPAY at www.jpay.com
• MoneyGram locations using the Blue MoneyGram Express Payment Form –  receiving code is 7364
• Western Union at www.westernunion.com or at locations using the Quick Collect Form – code city and state are ILDOC, IL

Money Orders

Money orders must be sent with a lockbox deposit slip and must be complete with the inmate name, IDOC inmate number, sender’s name, and address. 

Deposit slips are available by clicking here. The money orders should be made payable to JPay and sent with the deposit slip to: 

PO Box 260250
Hollywood, FL 33026

Programs For Inmates

Academic:

• Pre-vocational and re-entry related Life Skills
• ABE (Adult Basic Education)
• HSE (High School Equivalency)

Vocational:

• Welding
• Manufacturing
• Restaurant Management
• Custodial Maintenance

Volunteer Services:

• Alcoholics Anonymous
• Worship Services
• Religious Studies
• Day With Dad
• Job Partnership

Clinical Services:

• Thinking 4 a Change (NIC)
• Criminal and Addictive Thinking (Hazelden)
• Socialization (Hazelden)
• Cultural Self Awareness (Hazelden)
• Impact of Crimes (US Dept. of Justice/Office of the Victim Advocate-Penn. Dept. of Corrections)
• Brief Intervention (TCU)
• 12 Step Mapping (TCU)
• Drug & Alcohol Education (Hazelden)
• Substance Abuse Therapy Sessions

Mental Health Services:

• Trauma (SPARCS)
• Veteran’s Trauma Group (Veteran’s Administration)
• Applied Anger Management (TCU)
• Wellness Workshop I-Depression (UC San Francisco)
• Wellness Workshop II-Anxiety
• Responding to Grief (University of Texas)
• Critical Thinking Workshop
• Survivor’s Support Group (SAMSA)
• Overcoming Domestic Violence (National Training Project)
• Abused Boys, Wounded Men (Hazeldon)
• Exploring Relationships and Marriage with Fragile Families (CFWD Center for Families)
• My Emotional Life-Mindfulness
• Stepping Up and Stepping Out-De-Institutionalization Group
• Therapeutic Enrichment Programs
  • Art as Coping (presented with Education, LTS)
  • Creative Writing (presented with Education)
  • Two Roads Literary/Art Program (presented with Education, LTS)
  • Inside Out Dads (presented with Clinical)

Other Services:

• Chaplaincy

Pictures of Kewanee Life Skills Re-Entry Center

Careers at Kewanee Life Skills Re-Entry Center

If you are interested in a career with the Illinois Department of Corrections and would like more information about the job openings at the Kewanee Life Skills Re-Entry Center, click here.