Stateville Minimum Security Unit

Stateville Minimum Security Unit is part of the Stateville Correctional Center, which is a maximum security prison for male inmates located in Joliet, Illinois. The current inmate population in the unit is 183.

Stateville Minimum Security Unit consists of a multi-purpose building for recreational and educational programs, offender dining room, and two housing units that can house up to 384 offenders. Offenders assigned to MSU perform various work assignments throughout the Northern Reception Center, Stateville Proper, and MSU.

Stateville Correctional Center's mission is to encourage and promote a climate of safe and secure conditions in which offenders and staff can develop positive attitudes and encourage work and program opportunities and experiences that guide offenders toward reintegration into the community. The Stateville Minimum Security Unit (MSU) is located within the Northern Reception and Classification Center, and can house up to 384 offenders in two units.

Prison Insights

Visiting Hours and Rules

The visiting hours at Stateville Correctional Minimum Security Unit are 8:00 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. on weekends and holidays. Visitors must arrive by 5:30 p.m., and all visits are limited to two hours on weekends and one hour on holidays.

General visiting guidelines

You must be on the inmate’s approved visitation list in order to visit.  Offenders are responsible for arranging their visits and notifying their visitors of their visiting status.  

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

Visitor Property Policy

Visitors are not allowed to bring electronic devices such as cell phones or tablets into the visiting room. You do have the option of putting your personal items in small lockers that are available in the Visiting Center for 25 cents.  

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 are 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

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 rooms at the facilities offer a variety of products for purchase. Outside vendors own and operate the machines and will differ from facility to facility.

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 Stateville 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. Adults are encouraged to register themselves first, and then add their minor children or guardians to the system.

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 4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Visitors should log on to the GTL 15 minutes prior to the scheduled start time.

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.

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. Dress Code policy below applies to video visitation and the termination of Visit/Loss of Visiting Privileges also applies to video visitation.

How to Call an Inmate

You can’t call an inmate at the Stateville Minimum Security Unit. 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

​Programs For ​Inmates

Academic:

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

Vocational:

• Barbering
• Volunteer Services:
• Chaplaincy
• Counseling
• Choir
• Religious Bible Studies

Other:

• Community Work Crews
• Library
• Lifestyle Redirection
• Like Skills
• Smart Group
• Re-entry Summits
• Anger Management

Pictures of Stateville Minimum Security Unit

Careers at Stateville Minimum Security Unit