Vienna Correctional Center

Vienna Correctional Center is a minimum-security prison for men that is located in Vienna, Illinois near the Shawnee National Forest. Owned and operated by the Illinois Department of Corrections, it was first opened in 1965, and it is adjacent to Shawnee Correctional Center.

The mission of Vienna Correctional Center is to protect the public through a system of incarceration, supervision, and education by securely supervising offenders while providing a rehabilitative foundation for the offender's reintegration into society. As an incentive to rehabilitate negative behavior and reinforce rehabilitative qualities, Vienna Correctional Center offers offenders access to a variety of programs.

Vienna Correctional Center sits on 3,500 acres with 40 acres being enclosed by fences. It is the parent facility to the Dixon Springs-Impact Incarceration Program (IIP), which is located in Pope County.

In May 2015, the John Howard Association—a prison watchdog group—documented chronic unsafe and unclean conditions at Vienna Correctional Center. The non-profit supported an class-action suit from inmates that sought to address neglect and overcrowding.

The operational capacity at Vienna Correctional Center is 1,963 inmates, and the current population is 1,094 inmates plus 33 at the Dixon Springs Impact Incarceration Program.

Prison Insights

Visiting Hours and Rules

Visiting hours at Vienna Correctional Center are 8:30 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. seven days a week. Offenders are permitted seven visits per month with no more than three on weekends or holidays. No visitor is admitted after 6:00 pm.

General visiting guidelines

Before you visit your inmate at Vienna Correctional Center, you must get on your inmate’s approved visitation list.  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 before their first visit to Vienna Correctional Center. You are allowed to complete the PVI form in advance and bring it with you.

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 partnered with Global Tel*Link (GTL) to provide video visitation services for the Vienna Correctional Center.

All potential visitors must register with GTL. The 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 visitors must be on the offender’s approved visitation list in order to be granted a video visit. Video Visitation Hours are Sunday through Saturday from 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. and 12:00 p.m. to 2:30 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 Vienna 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 Vienna 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

Vocational:

• Auto Body
• Auto Mechanics
• Construction Occupation
• Cosmetology
• Custodial Maintenance
• Culinary Arts
• Horticulture
• Barber College
• Job Preparedness

Other:

• Life Skills
• Substance Abuse (AA & NA)
• Anger Management
• Incarcerated Veterans Transition Program
• Leisure Time Activity
• Chaplaincy
• Library
• Community Work Crews
• Lifestyle Redirection
• Field Services
• Reentry Summits
• Parole School
• TRAC 1
• Volunteer Services - Religious

Pictures of Vienna Correctional Center

Careers at Vienna Correctional Center

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