How to Sign Up for a Visit at Western Illinois Correctional Center
Visiting someone at Western Illinois Correctional Center takes a little advance prep. Handle the sign-up and paperwork ahead of time, and you're much less likely to be turned away when you arrive.
Western Illinois Correctional Center requires you to sign up before you visit. Use the facility's visitation sign-up link to reserve your spot, then plan your trip around the time you selected. Show up without signing up first and you can be denied entry, even if you drove hours to get there.
First time visiting an IDOC facility as an adult (18+)? You'll need to complete the Prospective Visitor's Interview (PVI), also called form DOC 0148. This is a basic screening form that has to be on file for most adult visitors (legal visitors and government officials are handled differently). If you already received prior approval through the electronic PVI process, you may not need to fill it out again for that first visit. Worth checking your own records before you go.
ID and Docs
- ✓ Current photo ID (driver’s license)
- ✓ Current photo ID (state identification card)
- ✓ Current passport (acceptable documentation of non-US citizenship)
- ✓ Current Visa (acceptable documentation of non-US citizenship)
- ✓ Current Matricula (acceptable documentation of non-US citizenship)
- ✓ Documentation that shows your date of birth
- ✓ Electronic devices (including cell phones and pagers)
- ✓ Food
- ✓ Drink
- ✓ Tobacco or smoking materials
- ✓ Currency
- ✓ Packages
- ✓ Purses
- ✓ Bags or sacks
- ✓ Books
- ✓ Magazines
- ✓ Sunglasses
- ✓ Personal keys
Not sure whether you're on someone's approved visitor list? Don't bother calling the facility to check. IDOC staff cannot tell you over the phone if you're on an incarcerated person's visitation list. The practical move is to write to the person you want to visit and ask them directly.
- Arrive with extra time: Build in time for check-in and for securing anything you cannot take into the Visiting Room.
- Expect searches: All visitors, their vehicles, and their property are subject to search.
- Do not refuse a search: If you refuse to submit to a search, your visit can be denied and your visiting privileges can be suspended or restricted.
Two of the most common reasons visits get stopped at the door: bringing in prohibited property and refusing required screening. Before you head inside, make sure you're not carrying a phone, tobacco items, cash, a purse or bag, sunglasses, reading materials, or even personal keys. None of those are allowed in the Visiting Room. Your vehicle and belongings are also subject to search. Refusing that process can lead to a denied visit and restrictions on future visiting privileges.
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