Vandalia Correctional Center

Vandalia Correctional Center is a minimum-security prison for male inmates located in Vandalia, Illinois. Owned and operated by the Illinois Department of Corrections, it has an operational capacity of 1,770 inmates. 

The mission of the Vandalia Correctional Center includes maintaining a safe and secure environment for all staff and offenders as well as providing programs designed to assist offenders in their reentry into society. To attain maximum success of these programs, security and accountability of offenders remains the center's main goal.

The Vandalia Correctional Center, located 85 miles southeast of Springfield, was established as the original prison farm operation in Illinois housing entirely misdemeanor offenders. The center has a dorm-type setting with 113 buildings, totaling 412,000 square feet. Total acreage is 1,520 with eight acres contained within the perimeter fence.

In 2011, the John Howard Association—a prison watchdog group—released a report that criticized the conditions at Vandalia Correctional Center. In response, prison officials denied the facility was overcrowded, even though there were 1700 inmates living in a facility approved to hold about 1,100. 

The current population at Vandalia Correctional Center is 1,222.

Prison Insights

Visiting Hours and Rules

Visiting hours at Vandalia Correctional Center for the General Population are from 10:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. seven days a week. Visitors are processed from 10:00 a.m. to 1:45 p.m. and 3:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. 

No visits are processed between the hours of 1:45 p.m. and 3:00 p.m. Visitors must arrive prior to 4:45 p.m. to be processed. Offenders are permitted seven visits per month, with no more than three  on weekends or holidays.

Visiting hours for Security Building (segregation) offenders are daily from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Visitors must arrive at the facility by 12:00 p.m. 

Unless specifically ordered by the warden or duty warden, all visits for offenders housed in the Security Building will be conducted in the visiting room and will be terminated by 1:00 p.m. Visits for offenders housed in the Security Building will not exceed one hour.

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 Vandalia 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.  

FIRST-TIME visitors are required to provide TWO FORMS of documentation verifying their current name, date of birth, & address.

PLEASE NOTE: Social Security Cards, YOUR birth certificate, & Credit/Debit Cards are NOT acceptable forms of identification. Visitors must also provide their vehicle information including vehicle license plate number, make, & model.

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.

Any vending items purchased must be consumed during the visit and may not be carried out of the visiting room.

Video Visits

The Illinois DOC has partnered with Global Tel*Link (GTL) to provide video visitation services for the Vandalia 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 8:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. and 3:00 p.m. to 7:00 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 Vandalia 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 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 Vandalia 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

​Programs For ​Inmates

Academic:

• ABE (Adult Basic Education)
• GED (General Education Development)
• Pre-GED
• Computer Technology
• TABE (Test for Adult Basic Education)
• Vocational Technical Math
• College Academic Classes

Vocational:

• Building Trades
• Auto Body School
• Horticulture
• Career Technologies

Industries:

• Milk Production
• Juice Production
• Turkey Processing
• Vegetable Oil Processing
• Spice Production

Volunteer Services:

• Alcoholics Anonymous
• Bible Studies
• Religious
• Other:
• Chaplaincy
• Fatherhood Initiative
• Leisure Time Activity
• Library
• Field Services
• TRAC 1
• Orientation
• Lifestyle Redirection
• Drug Education
• Parenting
• Inside Out Dads
• Hot Topics Presentations
• Parole School
• Anger Management
• HIV Peer Groups
• Anger Management

Pictures of Vandalia Correctional Center

Careers at Vandalia Correctional Center

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