Shawnee Correctional Center

Shawnee Correctional Center is a medium-security prison for male inmates located in Vienna, Illinois. It has an operational capacity of 2,151 inmates. 

The mission statement of Shawnee Correctional Center is to provide for the protection of society through the humane and secure incarceration of adult male offenders, based upon a foundation of legislative and judicial decisions. 

The administration is committed toward instilling responsibility and mature decision making in its offenders by providing extensive and high-quality educational programs, work assignment opportunities, public service, leisure time activities, and religious avenues, the institution is expected to go far beyond the provision of the minimum necessities of food, sanitation, clothing, housing, and medical services to the offenders at the facility.

Shawnee Correctional Center consists of 24 buildings, totaling 369,029 square feet. The living units consist of four X-type units, one receiving and orientation unit, two segregation units, and a 16-bed health care unit. The facility sits on 60 acres with 40 acres inside the fence.

Prison Insights

Visiting Hours and Rules

General Population visiting hours are 8:30 a.m. to 5:30p.m. seven days a week. Visitors will not be allowed entrance for processing from 2:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.  Offenders are permitted seven visits per month, with no more than two on weekends or holidays.

Visitors arriving after 3pm will be processed, however, from 3pm-4pm, Offender movement is stopped and Offenders will not be allowed to move to the visiting room until movement resumes. Visitors must arrive no later than one hour prior to the end of the visiting session. Visits are limited to three adults at one time

General Population Offenders may have a total of six visits per calendar month, up to four hours per visit. Visitors may only visit once per day. Visitors who travel great distances to visit an offender may request extended visits and/or group visits. These requests should be made sufficiently in advance to the Chief Administrative Officer for consideration and notification or approval or denial.

Visiting hours for inmates in segregation are from 9:00a.m. to 2:00p.m. daily. Offenders in Segregation, designated as non-contact visiting restriction, or on room restriction are limited to two visits per calendar month, for one hour per visit. Visits are limited to two adults at one time, immediate family onlyーimmediate family includes mother, father, child, brother, sister, grandmother or grandfather only. If a child can be held on an adult visitor's lap, they will not be counted as one of the two visitors.

General visiting guidelines

All visitors 17 and older must be on the inmate’s approved visitation list in order to visit.  The inmate is responsible for arranging their visits and notifying their visitors of their visiting status.  

Persons age 10 through 16 years of age who are not a member of the offender's immediate family may be allowed to visit only with notarized written consent of parent or guardian. Immediate family defined as offender's child, sibling, and grandchild, whether step, adopted, half, or whole, and spouses. 

Persons under the age of 17 must be accompanied by an approved visitor who is age 17 or older. Persons under 12 years of age may only be permitted to visit when accompanied by a parent or guardian who is an approved visitor or when prior notarized written consent has been given by a parent or guardian who is in the free community for the child to visit when accompanied by a person designated in writing who is an approved visitor, and who is at least 17 years of age or older.

To check if you are on the offender’s visitor list, you should write a letter to your inmate to inquire because the staff cannot tell you whether or not you are on an offender’s visitation list if you call the facility.  

All adult visitors (age 18 and older) are required to complete a Prospective Visitor's Interview (PVI) form for their first visit. This PVI form can be completed and brought in on the first visit.

Visitors must submit to a body search by officers at the Visitor Center.  Visitors who are intoxicated or under the influence of alcohol or drugs will not be permitted entry.

Visitor Property Policy

Visitors are not allowed to bring electronic devices such as cell phones or pagers. Other items not allowed in the visiting room include food, drink, smoking materials, currency, packages, purses, bags, sacks, books, magazines, sunglasses, or personal keys.   

Visitors may place personal items in small lockers available in the Visiting Center for 25 cents.  The locker key may be carried into the facility after the visitor secures personal responsibility for these items.  The facility will not assume responsibility for these items.

No baby food, except two plastic baby milk bottles are to be taken into the Visiting Room.  Baby items may consist of one baby blanket and two diapers.

Required Identification

All adult visitors will be required to produce photo identification (ID) and verification of his or her date of birth.  Be sure to bring two forms of identification with you; one should be a current state issued photo ID.

Dress Code

The dress code is strictly enforced. Visitors must be appropriately dressed or the visit will not be permitted at the discretion of the Shift Commander. 

Inappropriate, revealing clothing is not allowed, such as short skirts or dresses, wrap-around skirts, short shorts, see-through or low cut blouses, break-away pants, Spandex bodysuits, clothing that allows underclothing to be visible, clothes with holes in suggestive areas. 

Females must wear a bra and underwear. Clothing must be in good taste and not advertise or suggest anything illegal, gang-related, or of a sexual nature. With the exception of religious headgear, no hats, gloves, scarves or headbands are allowed.

Contraband

Bringing contraband into an Illinois DOC facility is a criminal offense as specified in the Illinois Criminal Code of 1961.

"Contraband" means items which are prohibited by criminal law, departmental or facility rules or posted notices.  They are items which an offender has no authority to possess; property which is in excess of that which is authorized by the facility.

All persons, vehicles and items brought onto State property are subject to search. Failure to  submit to a search will result in denial, suspension, or restriction of visiting privileges. 

Information about Vending Machines

The visiting rooms at the facilities offer a variety of products for purchase in vending machines provided by outside vendors.

Vending machine items may only be purchased using a debit card.  A vending card must be purchased for $5 in order to use the vending machines. 

There are no refunds for unused money remaining on the card for any reason other than a defective card, so only put enough on the card for the single visit. Cards are only good at the facility where purchased. If the offender transfers, a new card at the current facility will need to be used.

Video Visits

The Illinois DOC has partnered with Global Tel*Link (GTL) to provide video visitation services for the Shawnee Correctional Center.

All potential visitors must register with GTL. Registration process will include 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. Any omissions of required information on the form may result in your registration not being accepted causing unnecessary delays. 

All visitors must be on the offender’s approved visitation list in order to be granted a visit. Video Visitation Hours are as follows:

Sunday through Saturday 8:30a to 2:30p; 4:30p to 5:30p
Visitors should log on to the GTL 15 minutes prior to the scheduled start time.

Please note offenders may receive up to four video visits per week.

All video visits will 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 cannot tell a potential visitor if a date or time will work with an offender’s daily schedule. The facility will inform the offender of the pending visit and arrange for the offender to be present.

In order to accommodate all offenders at the Shawnee Correctional Center:

• 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, this is counted against allotted visits.
• Visitors may only schedule one video visit per day.
• 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.

Video Visitation is a privilege and is only available to offenders in general population or in the health care unit. Offenders housed in Segregation, in orientation, or temporarily housed at the facility will not be permitted video visitation. If an offender receives discipline between the time a visit is confirmed and the time of the visit, the visit may be cancelled; the visitor will receive an email of the cancellation. If the facility goes on lock down prior to a scheduled video visit, the visitor will receive an email. 

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. 

Your use of video visitation and acceptance of the rules is consent to have both audio and video recorded of the video visit. Dress Code policy below applies to video visitation.

How to Call an Inmate

Inmates at the Shawnee Correctional Center can’t receive calls, but they do have access to a phone during assigned times. For complete details on how to call an inmate in Illinois, please click here.

How to Send Money

Inmates may receive money via GTL (ConnectNetwork), JPAY, Western Union, or money order.

(A money order must be sent directly to the lockbox, NOT to the facility; see information below regarding money orders.)

Funds up to $5,000 may be sent to inmates via the following methods, except MoneyGram, who has a maximum limit of $3,000.

• 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ー 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

For all electronic transfer of funds, the inmate IDOC number and incarcerated last name must be used. 

Money Orders

Money orders must be sent with the 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 sent with a deposit slip, be made payable to JPay, and sent to the following address:

JPay
PO Box 260250
Hollywood, FL 33026

​Programs For ​Inmates

Academic:

• ABE (Adult Basic Education)
• GED (General Education Development)

Vocational:

• Commercial Custodial
• Auto Mechanics
• Youthful Offender Counseling
• Career Technology

Industries:

• Metal fabrication services, including welding
• Outdoor recreational furniture and specialty fabrication items
• Recycling - Go Green Initiative

Other:

• Religious Volunteers
• Life Skills
• Drug Education
• Anger Management
• Incarcerated Veterans Transition Program
• Leisure Time Activity
• Chaplaincy
• Library

Pictures of Shawnee Correctional Center

Careers at Shawnee Correctional Center

If you are interested in a career with the Illinois Department of Corrections at the Shawnee Correctional Center, click here.