How to send messages, photos, and packages
Western Illinois Correctional Center offers video visitation every day. The facility posts specific visiting hours, and you should log on about 15 minutes early so you don't miss your appointment. Video visits must be scheduled through the facility's approved communications vendor (not by calling the prison). Plan to create and verify your vendor account, download the app, and test it ahead of time. Phone calls and electronic messages in Illinois prisons are typically monitored and recorded. People in custody place outgoing calls only to approved numbers. Electronic messaging and visitor approvals often require vendor account verification before anything goes through. Non-privileged incoming mail is opened, inspected, scanned in color, and uploaded to the person's tablet. For mail stops or phone restrictions, contact the Victim Services Unit. For general questions, call (217) 773-4441 or fax (217) 773-2202.
Search for a loved one and send messages and photos in minutes.
A missing detail on your envelope can mean delays or returned mail. Here's exactly how to format the address for Western Illinois Correctional Center, including the person's name and IDOC number.
One missing detail on your envelope can delay delivery or send your letter to the wrong place. Here's the exact address format to use, plus what to expect from Illinois DOC's mail-scanning process.
If you write to someone at Western Illinois Correctional Center, your non-privileged mail will be scanned and delivered as a digital copy (or photocopy)—not the original. And starting Sept. 30, 2025, books and publications must come directly from an approved publisher to be accepted.
If you write to someone at Western Illinois Correctional Center, here's the biggest change: regular (non-privileged) mail is now scanned and/or photocopied. What your loved one reads is typically a digital or paper copy, not the original you sent.
Schedule video visits through the facility's approved communications vendor, not by calling the facility directly. Create and verify your vendor account, download the app, and test it before your appointment. Log in a few minutes early and follow the vendor's scheduling steps.
Video visitation is available daily. The facility posts specific visiting hours, so check those first. Log on 15 minutes early to avoid missing your session.
No. You cannot confirm visitor-list status by phone, so write to the person in custody to ask about their approved list. You can still call the facility at (217) 773-4441 for other general inquiries.
Your first visit goes a lot smoother when you show up with the right paperwork and as little extra stuff as possible. Use this checklist so you don't get turned away at the door.
First visits can feel stressful—the rules are strict, and small mistakes can get you turned away at the door. Use this checklist to show up prepared for Western Illinois Correctional Center: signed up, approved, with the right ID, and nothing that'll cause problems.
Your first visit goes smoother when you handle the paperwork upfront. Here's what the PVI (DOC 0148) is, where to get it, and how visitor approval works across Illinois IDOC facilities.
