What to Bring (and What to Leave Home) for Your Illinois River Visit
What you bring can make or break your visit. Use this checklist for Illinois River Correctional Center to show up prepared, avoid banned items, and sidestep dress-code problems at the door.
Bring a current government-issued photo ID with your date of birth - a driver's license, state ID, or passport works. Only one ID card is allowed inside, so leave extras locked in your car.
- ✓ One car door key or key fob without a remote attachment
- ✓ One locker key (if one is issued to you)
Prohibited Items
- ✓ Cell phones, pagers, and other electronic devices
- ✓ Food or drinks
- ✓ Purses, bags, sacks, or packages
Brought something that can't go into the Visiting Room? Free lockers are available at the facility. Use them instead of walking all the way back to your car.
Dress like you're going to a prison visiting room, not running errands. Dresses, shorts, and skirts must reach the knee. Underwear is required, and female visitors must wear a bra. Miss any of these, and you could be turned away.
Tip: Leave behind anything sexually explicit, offensive, degrading, or gang-affiliated. Sheer fabrics, holes, tears, or cutouts above the knee can also get you denied entry.
Visitors under 18 don't need a photo ID. That simplifies check-in, but make sure they still follow all other rules - especially the dress code and property limits.
Bringing a minor child? You may need the DOC 0330 "Permission to Allow Visitation of a Minor Child" form. Once signed, it's valid for one year unless the form says otherwise.
Expect security screening. You, your vehicle, and your belongings are all subject to search. Refusing means losing visiting privileges - and possibly facing a suspension. Arrive with as little as possible and follow staff directions.
When in doubt, use the free lockers. Stashing an item before you enter beats having it confiscated - or getting turned away.
Quick-checklist
- ✓ Bring one current photo ID with your date of birth (adults) - and plan on having only one ID card with you
- ✓ Bring one car key/key fob without a remote attachment
- ✓ Carry a locker key only if one is issued to you
- ✓ Leave your phone and other electronics in your car or a locker
- ✓ Don’t bring food or drinks into the Visiting Room
- ✓ Don’t bring purses, bags, sacks, or packages into the Visiting Room
- ✓ Use the facility lockers (free) for anything you can’t take inside
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