How to Get on Someone's Visitor List at an Illinois DOC Facility (without calling the facility)
Want to visit someone in an Illinois Department of Corrections facility? Skip the phone. The fastest way is to have the person inside add you to their approved visitor list—and make sure your paperwork is squared away.
IDOC staff can't verify whether you're on someone's approved list over the phone. Frustrating, yes - but it means there's no quick call that'll confirm your status. Your best move? Communicate directly with the incarcerated person so they can handle things from their end.
Takeaway: If you want to get on the approved visitation list without calling the facility, write the person you want to visit and ask them to add you.
The practical move from your side is simple: send a letter. Be direct - tell them you want to visit and ask to be added to their approved list. Since staff won't confirm your status by phone, the person in custody is your best source for knowing whether they've submitted your name and if anything else is needed before your first visit.
- Write a clear letter - Tell them you want to visit and ask to be added to their approved visitation list.
- Ask them to confirm when they submit your name - Since you can’t verify approval by phone, their reply is often your most reliable update.
- Plan around the fact that phone verification isn’t available - If you’re waiting on confirmation, keep communication going through the person you’re visiting rather than expecting staff to confirm it by phone.
Getting on the approved list is only half the equation. IDOC requires adult visitors (18 and older) to complete a Prospective Visitor Interview form (DOC 0148) before their first visit. Legal visitors and government officials are exempt. The form is available in English and Spanish - completing it ahead of time is one of the few things you can control to help the process go smoothly.
- ✓ Your full legal name
- ✓ Your date of birth
- ✓ Your current address
- ✓ Your relationship to the person you’re planning to visit
Tip: If you complete the DOC 0148 PVI before your first visit, you’re less likely to be slowed down by paperwork at the start of the visiting process.
If you don't hear back - or you're told you can't visit - start with the basics: Did the person receive your letter? Did they actually submit your name? Visits can also be denied or restricted by the facility's Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) for reasons like security concerns, space limitations, disruptive conduct, abuse of visiting privileges, or violations of laws or departmental rules. Even then, the most useful information usually comes from the person you're trying to visit. Staff still won't verify your approval status by phone.
- Confirm your letter was received - Ask the person in custody to tell you whether they got your request to be added to the approved visitation list.
- Ask them to re-check the submission on their end - Have them confirm they submitted your name and that you’ve completed the required PVI (DOC 0148) if you’re an adult visitor.
- Be ready for restrictions that are allowed under IDOC rules - The CAO can deny, suspend, or restrict visits for security/safety needs, space limits, disruptive conduct, abuse of visiting privileges, or law/rule violations.
Find an Inmate at Lawrence Corrections Center, IL
Search for a loved one and send messages and photos in minutes.
