What to expect on your first visit to Lincoln Correctional Center (IL)

Before you make the trip, confirm you’re approved to visit. At Lincoln Correctional Center, all visitors (except government officials and legal visitors) must be on the incarcerated person’s approved visitation list or the visit won’t be granted. The incarcerated person is responsible for arranging visits and letting you know your visiting status, so if you’re not sure you’re on the list, the most direct way to check is to write to them and ask.

If you’re an adult (18+), plan on completing a Prospective Visitor’s Interview (PVI) form (DOC 0148). Adult visitors - excluding legal visitors and government officials - must complete the PVI prior to or at their first visit. If you haven’t already been approved through the electronic PVI process, you’ll be expected to complete it as part of your first-visit paperwork.

Bring current photo ID if you’re an adult. Staff require a current driver’s license or state ID, or acceptable documentation of non‑U.S. citizenship such as a current passport, Visa, or Matricula, and you’ll need documentation that includes your date of birth. Visitors under 18 are not required to show photo identification.

1. Be ready to complete the PVI (DOC 0148) - If you’re an adult visitor and you weren’t already approved through the electronic PVI process, you’ll complete the Prospective Visitor’s Interview as part of your first visit.
2. Present your current photo ID - Adult visitors must show current photo identification (driver’s license, state ID, or a current passport/Visa/Matricula) and documentation that includes your date of birth so staff can verify it at check-in.

Searches are part of check-in. You, your vehicle, and anything you bring can be searched. Refusing means your visit gets denied - and you could lose visiting privileges entirely. Keep things simple: bring as little as possible and follow staff directions.

Once you’re in the visiting area, assume the visit can be watched or recorded. Visits are subject to monitoring and recording at any time by departmental staff. The exception is confidential attorney visits or other privileged visits - those require prior special arrangements, so they shouldn’t be treated like a regular family visit.

Because of the way visits are monitored and searched, don’t try to pass anything to the person you’re visiting. Anything that shows up in someone’s possession after a visit that wasn’t there before can be treated as contraband and can create serious consequences.

Allowed Prohibited Items

• ✓ Electronic devices (cell phones, tablets, smart watches)
• ✓ Food
• ✓ Drink
• ✓ Smoking materials
• ✓ Currency
• ✓ Packages
• ✓ Purses
• ✓ Bags
• ✓ Books
• ✓ Magazines
• ✓ Sunglasses
• ✓ Personal keys

Inside the Visiting Room, keep it simple: you’re limited to a short list of small essentials. The Visiting Room allows one identification card, one key fob or car door key without a remote attachment, and one locker key if one is issued to you. You can also bring one jacket or coat appropriate for the weather, plus approved religious headgear. If you have lifesaving medication, it can be brought in, but it must be delivered to - and held at - the officer’s desk in the visiting room.

If you arrive with items that can’t go into the Visiting Room, you may be able to store them. Small lockers are available in the Visiting Center for personal items.

Plan your outfit to pass the dress code on the first try. One rule to know: dresses, shorts, and skirts must reach the knee.

The information provided here doesn’t include facility-specific visiting hours, parking details, or how long check-in typically takes. Before you travel, verify the current visiting schedule and any special restrictions, and ask what arrival time they expect so you don’t get turned away for being late.