How to visit, scheduling, dress code, and visitor requirements
In-person visits at Southwestern Corrections Center are scheduled through IDOC's SignUpGenius, so reserve a time slot before you go. When you arrive, call the unit to announce yourself, then show two IDs (including one state-issued photo ID) and provide your vehicle information. First-time adult visitors must complete the Prospective Visitor's Interview (PVI) DOC 0148 unless they already have electronic approval. You also need to be on the incarcerated person's approved visitors list (government officials and legal visitors are the exception). The Visiting Room is strict about what comes inside. Electronics, food and drink, purses and bags, keys, currency, and smoking materials are all prohibited. Small lockers are available. Staff may conduct body searches, and anyone who appears intoxicated will be turned away. Dress to the knee-length standard.
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Your first in-person visit at Southwestern Corrections Center goes a lot smoother when you handle the approval and paperwork upfront, reserve a time online, and know what to expect when you arrive.
Handle the online scheduling and first-visit paperwork ahead of time, and your first visit will go smoothly. Here's what Southwestern Illinois Correctional Center expects, step by step.
Visiting Southwestern Corrections Center takes a little planning, especially if it's your first time. The biggest things to sort out up front: the approved visitor list, the required paperwork, and what you can (and can't) bring into the Visiting Room.
Showing up prepared makes visiting a loved one so much smoother. Bring the right items, leave the wrong ones at home, and you won't get turned away at the door. Here's what to pack for Southwestern Illinois Correctional Center based on IDOC visiting rules.
Nothing derails a visit faster than showing up with prohibited items. Check the lists below and stash anything not allowed before you enter the Visiting Room.
Packing light is the easiest way to avoid problems at check-in. Here's what to leave at home (or locked in your car) before you enter the Visiting Room at Southwestern Corrections Center.
Reserve your visiting slot through IDOC's SignUpGenius online signup. Follow the on-screen instructions, arrive on time, and call the facility to announce yourself when you get there.
Bring two forms of identification, including one state-issued photo ID, and be ready to provide vehicle information. If this is your first visit as an adult, you'll need to complete the Prospective Visitor's Interview (PVI) DOC 0148 unless you already have electronic approval.
No. The Visiting Room prohibits electronic devices, food and drink, smoking materials, currency, purses and bags, books and magazines, sunglasses, and keys. Small lockers are available for your belongings. Staff may conduct body searches, and anyone who appears intoxicated will be denied entry.
If you're sending mail to someone in IDOC custody, it helps to know what they'll actually receive. And if you need contact to stop, IDOC has a specific form for that.
If your loved one is at Southwestern or another IDOC facility, their incoming mail won't arrive as paper. It gets scanned and delivered electronically to their tablet — and some mail gets rejected before it ever reaches them.
Staying in touch by phone with someone at Southwestern Corrections Center (IDOC) starts with figuring out how calls get paid for. There are two funding options through ICSolutions.
