Southwestern Illinois Correctional Center

Southwestern Illinois Correctional Center is a minimum-security prison for male inmates located in East St. Louis, Illinois. Owned and operated by the Illinois Department of Corrections, it has an operational capacity of 763 inmates. 

The Mission of Southwestern Illinois Correctional Center (SWICC) is to protect the public from criminal offenders through a system of incarceration, while providing a safe and secure environment for offenders, as well as programs and services which are designed to assist them in successful re-entry into the free community. 

SWICC is a totally dedicated substance abuse treatment community. Each department participates in the offender recovery process by evaluating and assessing the performance of the offenders under its direction. All offenders housed at SWICC attend substance abuse treatment groups five days per week for a minimum of 15 hours per week.

SWICC has a 91-bed Work Camp on-site, which provides community service to government and non-profit groups within a 45-mile radius of the institution. The Work Camp offenders also actively participate in substance abuse treatment groups.

SWICC consists of a total of 19 buildings, which is comprised of more than 195,214 square feet. The living units consist of four dorm-style housing units, the Work Camp, one eight-bed segregation unit, and a six-bed health care unit. The facility sits on a 24-acre site, with 22 acres being enclosed by fencing.

Prison Insights

Visiting Hours and Rules

Visiting hours at Southwestern Illinois Correctional Center are 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. on Saturdays, Sundays, and official State holidays only. No visits will be processed after 5:00 p.m.

General visiting guidelines

You must be on your 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.  

All adult visitors age 18 and over must complete a Prospective Visitor's Interview (PVI) form on their first visit to Southwestern Illinois Correctional Center. This PVI form can be completed in advance and brought in on the first visit.

Visitors must submit to a body search by officers at the Visitor Center. If you are intoxicated or under the influence of alcohol or drugs, you will not be allowed to visit.

Visitor Property Policy

Visitors are not allowed to bring any electronic devices into the visiting room. Other prohibited items include food, drink, smoking materials, money, packages, purses, bags, sacks, books, magazines, sunglasses, or personal keys.   

Visitors can rent small lockers in the Visiting Center for 25 cents for personal items.  The locker key may be carried into the facility.

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 youㅡone should be a current state issued photo ID.

Dress Code

All visitors must be dressed appropriately for a prison environment or the visit will not be permitted.  Clothing must be in good taste and not advertise or suggest any items in such a manner to 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 inappropriate dress for visitors are: short shirts or dresses, wrap around skirts, see-through clothing, see-through or low-cut blouses, tube tops, halter tops, tank tops, swim suits or swim suit tops, short shorts, clothing with “cutouts” or leggings.  Dresses or skirts should extend to the knees.

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 is not allowed to have.

Information about Vending Machines

The visiting room offers a variety of products for purchase in vending machines provided by outside vendors.

Vending machine items may only be purchased using a debit card.  Visitors may purchase a debit card at the facility, normally at the gatehouse. The price of the debit card will vary by facility depending upon the vendor providing the service.

Video Visits

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

All visitors must be on the offender’s approved visitation list in order to be granted a visit. Video Visitation Hours are Sunday through Saturday from 8:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m., 12:30 p.m. – 2:30 p.m., and 5:30 p.m. – 9:00 p.m..

Visitors should log on to the GTL site 15 minutes prior to the scheduled start time, and all video visits will be scheduled through the GTL website. Do not call the facility to schedule a video visit. 

Before scheduling your video visit, you should check on the dates and times that are available for the offender. Staff at the facility can’t tell you 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 Southwestern Illinois Correctional Center:

• Offenders may receive up to 2 video visits per week
• 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 inmates in the general population.

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. The visit Dress Code policy applies to video visitation.

How to Call an Inmate

You can’t call an Inmate at the Southwestern Illinois Correctional Center, but they do have access to a phone during assigned times and can make outgoing calls. For complete details on how to call an inmate in Illinois, please click here.

How to Send Money

You can send money to an inmate at Southwestern Illinois Correctional Center via GTL (ConnectNetwork), JPAY, Western Union, or money order. You must have the inmate’s name and IDOC number to send money.

• GTL (ConnectNetwork) 
• JPAY 
• MoneyGram locations using the Blue MoneyGram Express Payment Formー receiving code is 7364
• Western Union online or at locations using the Quick Collect Form – code city and state are ILDOC  IL

Money Orders

Please note that a money order must be sent directly to the lockbox, NOT to the facility. 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)
• Pre-GED (Pre-General Education Development)
• GED (General Education Development)

Vocational:

• Commercial Custodial
• Horticulture
• Vocational Business
• Construction
• Warehousing
• Remedial Skills
• Career Technology

Volunteer Services:

• Alcoholics Anonymous
• Narcotics Anonymous
• Storybook Project
• Pell Grant Seminars
• Vocational Seminars
• Salvation Army

Other:

• Life Skills
• Substance Abuse
• Family Reunification Program
• Inside Out Dad
• Fatherhood Initiative
• Anger Management/Domestic Violence
• Parenting
• Interpersonal Relationships
• 12-Step Group
• Incarcerated Veterans Transition Program
• Leisure Time Activity
• Chaplaincy
• Library
• Community Work Crews

Pictures of Southwestern Illinois Correctional Center

Careers at Southwestern Illinois Correctional Center

If you are interested in a career with the Illinois Department of Corrections at the Southwestern Illinois Correctional Center, you can find available positions by clicking here.