Penmate Inmate Support Guides
Visitation

How to Get on Someone's Visiting List at an Illinois Prison (without calling the facility)

Trying to visit someone in an Illinois Department of Corrections (IDOC) prison? Your first step is getting approved. Here's how to handle it when the facility won't confirm anything over the phone.

• 2 min read • idoc.illinois.gov
How to Get on Someone's Visiting List at an Illinois Prison (without calling the facility)

You can't just show up and walk in. To visit someone at an Illinois prison, you must be on their approved visitation list. Legal visitors and government officials are the exceptions - everyone else needs prior approval or risks being turned away at the door.

Want to find out if you're approved without calling? Write to the person you want to visit. Ask if you're already on their approved visitation list. If not, ask them to add you. IDOC staff can't verify your status over the phone, so calling usually won't get you a straight answer.

Being on someone's list isn't the only requirement. All adult visitors (18 and older) must complete a Prospective Visitor's Interview (PVI) form before visiting - that's the DOC 0148 form. Legal visitors and government officials are exempt, but everyone else should complete this before their first visit. Don't wait until you're at the facility to deal with it.

How to Get on Someone's Visiting List at an Illinois Prison (without calling the facility)

Practical Tips

  • ✓ Write a clear letter to the person in custody asking whether you’re on their approved visitation list, and asking to be added if you’re not.
  • ✓ Plan around the reality that staff won’t confirm your visitor-list status by phone - your best “confirmation” is hearing back from the person you’re trying to visit.
  • ✓ Complete the Prospective Visitor’s Interview (PVI/DOC 0148) if you’re an adult visitor (18+), since it’s required before you can visit (unless you’re a legal visitor or a government official).
  • ✓ Keep a copy of your completed PVI so you’re ready when your visit is approved and you’re able to go in person.

Note: IDOC staff cannot confirm over the phone whether you're on someone's visitation list. Don't rely on a call for that answer.

Find an Inmate at Kewanee Re-entry Center, IL

Search for a loved one and send messages and photos in minutes.

Exact spelling helps find results faster

Free to search · Used by families nationwide
Woman using phone to connect with loved one

More from Kewanee Re-entry Center, IL

Education & Job Training at Kewanee Life Skills Re-Entry Center: What Families Should Know

Kewanee Life Skills Re-Entry Center offers academic classes and career-focused job training. If you want to help a loved one make the most of their time there, these are the programs worth asking about - plus practical ways to support them from the outside.

Getting on Your Loved One's Phone List — and What the Securus→ICSolutions Switch Means for Calls

Two things matter if you're waiting for phone calls: being on your loved one's approved calling list, and making sure your phone will actually accept the call. Here's how the list works - and what to expect as phone service switches from Securus to ICSolutions.

How IDOC’s Mail Scanning System Works (and What It Means for Your Letters to Someone at Kewanee)

Writing someone at Kewanee Re-entry Center? Here's what you should know: most personal mail doesn't arrive as paper. It gets scanned and delivered as a digital copy on a tablet - and certain materials won't make it through at all.