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Cook County Department of Corrections Inmate Visitation

Cook county department of corrections.

Address: 2700 South California Chicago, IL 60608 Phone: 773-869-7100

Cook County Department of Corrections In-Person Inmate Visitation

Review the following rules and procedures if you want to visit an inmate at any of the Cook County Jails.

• Visitation will only be approved for visitors completing the Cook County Department of Corrections Visitation Application .
• Visitation will only be allowed for inmates who have been vaccinated.
• You must apply for a visit at least 48 hours before you request to visit.

• If you fill out the application and are NOT approved, you may find the answer by looking up your inmate and seeing if they are allowed visitors, or you can call  773-674-8225 or 773-674-8194  to find out why, and what you need to do to get approved.
• For questions regarding scheduling you can also get answers by emailing the Visitor Information Unit .

These are the in-person COVID visitation guidelines:

• In person visits will be in an outdoor, social distancing setting.
• All visitors will be screened by staff for symptoms of COVID-19; temperature check and brief questionnaire, prior to entry.
• All visitors must wear a face mask that covers their nose and mouth and maintain social distancing (at least 6 feet) at all times during their in-person visit. If you don't follow this guideline, the visit will be immediately ended.
• If you have COVID symptoms, you will not be permitted entry into the Department of Corrections.
• If you experienced any COVID symptoms within 14 days prior to your scheduled in-person visit or have tested positive for COVID within 10 days of your scheduled in-person visit, you will not be allowed to enter the Department of Corrections.
• If you are NOT fully vaccinated (defined as 14-90 days since receiving all doses of a COVID vaccine), the following guidelines also apply: **If you have been in close contact (direct physical contact, or within 6 feet for 15 minutes or more) with an individual with COVID within 10 days of your scheduled in-person visit (or within 7 days if you test negative no earlier than 5 days after close contact), please do not come to the Cook County Jail. **If you have returned from a state covered by the City of Chicago’s travel order in the last 10 days of your scheduled in-person visit, you will not be allowed to enter the jail unless you test negative for COVID no more than 72 hours before arriving in Chicago.

These are the general rules for visitation:

• All visitors MUST present a valid, government issued picture ID to gain admittance.
• Minors age 17 and under must be accompanied by a parent or guardian. If a minor is high school age, they must present a school picture ID.
• A parent can bring up to three minors on a visit.
• No communication is allowed with any other inmate in custody that you are not been approved to visit.
• Scroll down for more detailed rules regarding dress code.
• Family and friends wishing to participate and receive an In-Person Visit may consult with their loved one. Next, your detained friend or family member will need to add your name to the visitation list and you will be contacted by a Cook County Jail staff member to schedule a day and time for your visit.

Once regular in-person visitation returns in 2023, the following will link you to the actual visitation schedules for each Cook County Jail Division:

• Division 2 (6 Annex)    773-674-3745
• Division 3 Annex           773-674-4894
• Division 4                     773-674-5713
• Division 5                     773-674-0667
• Division 6                     773-674-5336
• 8 – Cermak                   773-674-5761
• 8 – RTU                       773-674-0077
• Division 9                       773-674-2295
• Division 10                   773-674-7640
• Division 11                   773-674- 3722
• Div. 16 MHTC               773-674-7159

Cook County Department of Corrections Inmate Video Visitation

• In order to use Microsoft Teams you need to be registered and prepaid. While you can sign up for free, you get more benefits and it's easier to use with a paid version.
• Family and friends wishing to participate and receive a Video Visit may consult with their loved one.
• Next, your detained friend or family member will need to add your name to the visitation list and you will be contacted by a Cook County Jail staff member to schedule a day and time for your visit.
• The following are the instructions and steps to have a video visit with your inmate after you have been added by your inmate, and you have opened your account with Microsoft Teams . 1. Type www.skype.com  in the search bar. 2. Click 'sign in' in the upper right hand corner. 3. Click 'New to Skype' Sign up - then 'NEXT'. 4. Under 'Create Account', add your email address. - then 'NEXT'. 5. Create a password, then click 'NEXT'. 6. Enter your first and last name, then click 'NEXT'. 7. Enter your Country/region, then your birthday, then click 'NEXT'. 8. Download the SKYPE app to your chosen device, then ... 9. Sign into SKYPE using your email and password you just registered under.

Can I visit an inmate in Cook County Department of Corrections custody?

Yes, Cook County Department of Corrections, as well as all jails, allow you to visit an inmate.

By federal law, every jail must make provisions for offenders in custody, whether they are pretrial or convicted and sentenced, to receive visits from friends or family. 

Every state has their own policies regarding the amount of time that a jail must provide offenders in their custody, and then every facility gets to set their own rules, number of times, schedules, etc.   Some jails only allow 30 minutes a month. Others as much as an hour every day.

Before visiting, your inmate will have to have put you on an ‘inmate visitor’s list.' Jails can limit this approved list to as few as five people to as many as twenty.

The jail will most likely run a targeted background check on you, checking for outstanding warrants, criminal convictions and other red flags that may indicate to them that you could be a problem for the jail, a bad influence on the inmate or just be someone whose past puts you in violation of their policies.

There are three different types of visitation: •    Video visitation  •    In-person non-contact visitation •    Contact visitation

For security and staffing reasons, many jails have switched to video visitation only. Video visitation, also referred to as remote visitation, is monitored and recorded by the facility. Video visits can either take place using kiosks in the jail’s lobby, from your computer at home, or using an app on your phone.

Most jails, now that the COVID pandemic is behind us, have gone back to ‘in-person non-contact visitation’ even if they have also retained the video visitation programs. In-person visitation takes place in a booth of sorts, with a thick plastic shield separating the inmate and their visitor. Communication is done using old-fashioned telephone receivers like you see in phone booths.

Contact visitation between inmates and visitors in jails is rare. New York is one state that allows this. In a few other states, inmates who have been sentenced for non-violent offenses and are close to being released, may sometimes be allowed contact visits with special permission. A contact visit allows the inmate and visitor a brief hug or kiss, or handshake, both at the beginning and the conclusion of a visit.

Contact visits are also often allowed between inmates and their lawyer, law enforcement officials, and clergy. The downside of any contact visit is that before returning to their units, inmates must undergo a full strip search, which is demoralizing and invasive.

Can I visit an inmate in state prison custody?

Yes, prisons allow you to visit an inmate. Every state has their own limits on the minimum amount of time an inmate is allowed to have for visits from friends or family, however in federal prison, inmates are allowed a minimum of four hours per month.

Once an offender is sentenced to prison, your inmate will have to fill out a document listing you as an approved visitor. If you are not on this list you will not be allowed to visit.

The prison will then run a background check on you, checking for outstanding warrants, criminal convictions and other red flags that may indicate to them that you could be a problem for the jail, a bad influence on the inmate or just be someone whose past puts you in violation of their policies.

Most prisons allow anywhere from ten to twenty approved visitors per inmate, however each visit is limited to no more than four visitors at a time, children included. The list is compiled by the inmate.

Prisons have always allowed contact visits. A contact visit allows the inmate and visitor a brief hug or kiss, or handshake, both at the beginning and the conclusion of a visit. Some state prisons allow inmates and their visitor to hold hands, as long as the hands are on the table where the guards can see them.

However, given the ongoing problem of contraband - namely drugs and tobacco - being smuggled into the prisons by visitors, even the state prisons are moving to non-contact and video visitation. One way the visitors pass drugs to inmates is when they kiss. The drugs, wrapped in a small balloon, are then swallowed by the inmate who passes them through their digestive system later in the privacy of their cell.

What are the scheduled Inmate visitation times at the Cook County Department of Corrections?

The jail visitation times change often.  It is advisable to contact the Cook County Department of Corrections before planning your visit by calling 773-869-7100 .

If the visit is taking place at the Cook County Department of Corrections, whether in-person or by video, you will have to schedule the day and time with the jail.

Video visitation times from your home are much more flexible, often because you are not utilizing on of the few terminals in the jail lobby, and because the companies that handle the video visitation for the jail are providing inmates with hand-held computers, in addition to the video terminals they have in their units. 

We try to keep up with the visitation schedules for Cook County Department of Corrections, as well as every jail in the country. If we do have the schedule, you will find it on the top of this page.

How often can an inmate get visits?

Every state has their own policies regarding the amount of time that a jail must provide offenders in their custody, and then every facility, including Cook County Department of Corrections, gets to set their own rules, number of times, schedules, etc.   

Some jails only allow 30 minutes a month. Others as much as an hour every day.

Some jails require you to make an appointment one week in advance. Others require no appointment and work off the principle of ‘first come, first served’.

Every jail is different, and schedules can change; sometimes due to an emergency, the visit can be cancelled without notice, the moment you arrive at the jail.

Cook County Department of Corrections Visitation

We try to keep up with the visitation policies and schedules for Cook County Department of Corrections, as well as every jail in the country. If we do have the information on how often an inmate here can get visits, you will find it on the top of this page.

How long is a typical jail inmate’s visit?

An inmate visit can range from 15 minutes to an hour in length. We try to keep up with the visitation information for Cook County Department of Corrections, as well as every jail in the country. If we do have the information on how often an inmate here can get visits, you will find it on this page.

Typically, even though an inmate’s visit has a time limit, if you are visiting remotely from your home computer or cell phone, visits can be scheduled led back-to-back, so that even though your visit may have to start and stop every 15-30 minutes, you could visit with each other for hours at a time.

Keep in mind that video visits of this type do have a fee, as you are paying a third-party company. Prices fluctuate, based both on the company and the jail’s policy, but they typically cost about $0.30+- per minute.

How many people can visit an inmate at a jail or prison at one time?

Every jail makes its own policies regarding how many people can visit an inmate at one time. 

The factors that decide on the number of visitors are: 1.    How many people can fit into the visitation area comfortably. 2.    How many staff can oversee the visitation area. 3.    The more people visiting an inmate the more likely that if there is an argument, it is harder to control.

Most jails limit the number of visitors to no more than three or four, with a maximum of two of them being adults.

When doing a video visit from home, there is no limit on how many people can take part in a visit.

What are the inmate visitation rules for Cook County Department of Corrections?

Every jail and every prison have their own unique set of rules that must be followed when visiting an inmate, but in general, these are the guidelines:

Most important, you must first be on the inmate's approved visitation list that they create. •    Expect to have a background check done. •    Expect to be searched, go through a metal detector or pass a drug sniffing dog. •    You must be at least 18 years of age.  •    You must have a valid, government issued photo ID. •    Recently released inmates are either not allowed or must wait 6-12 months before being approved. •    Felons must get special permission. •    Children are allowed but must be with parent(s) or legal guardian. Birth certificate(s) or other legal proof is mandatory. •    Often babies are not allowed, but if they are, you will be allowed one diaper, one bottle and one teething ring, and maybe a baby carrier. •    Parents must be always in control of children. •    You must stay seated at all times. •    You cannot be under the influence of drugs or alcohol. •    No arguments, loud voices or fighting allowed. •    No cell phones or any electronic equipment allowed. •    No cigarettes, drugs, lighters allowed. •    No purses, handbags or backpacks allowed. •    No weapons allowed. •    It is likely that your ID and your car key will be the only things allowed on the visit.

What are the inmate visitation dress codes for Cook County Department of Corrections?

In general, all jails and prisons are the same when it comes to dress codes and what you are NOT allowed to wear to a visit. The Cook County Department of Corrections is no different.

Jails and prisons don’t want you wearing anything too revealing or too gangster. Here are some of the other types of clothing NOT allowed: •    Shorts •    Short skirts or dresses •    Long skirts or wrap around skirts •    Sleeveless clothing •    Low cut shirts or dresses. •    Underwire bras •    Skirts or dresses with slits. •    Sweats or leggings. •    Tank tops or wife beater shirts. •    Excess jewelry •    Hats or headbands •    See-through clothing •    Pajamas •    Sunglasses •    Wigs or toupees •    Uniforms or scrubs •    Heels over 1”

What can I bring to visit an inmate in Cook County Department of Corrections?

In general, the only thing you can bring into an inmate in a jail is either your ID and your car key, or if they have lockers, you can bring in the locker key. 

Prisons are a different story. Typically, prisons have vending machines in the visitation area and allow visitors to bring in a clear plastic purse with coins in it, usually totaling no more than $40.00.

What do I have to wear when visiting an inmate?

Refer to the answer above that explains the dress codes, but in general, if want to know what to wear to visit someone in jail, imagine you are visiting someone’s grandmother for the first time… wear that outfit.

Can we hold hands, hug or kiss during inmate visits?

There are no jails in the United States that allow contact visits as a matter of regular policy, except for jails in the state of New York. Thus, the concept of holding hands, kissing or hugging is not relevant.

On the other hand, prisons do allow contact visitors from friends and family. When this is the case, a brief kiss or hug (or handshake) is allowed at the start of the visit and the end of the visit. Holding hands above the table is sometimes allowed in prisons, but not in jails.

Can friends visit inmates in Cook County Department of Corrections, or just family?

By law, every inmate is entitled to a visitor, whether family or friend. The only exception to that is youths that are being held in secure juvenile detention centers. The only people allowed to visit them are parents, grandparents, legal guardians, and in some cases, siblings.

In addition, they are also allowed visits from probation officers, lawyers and their caseworkers.

What is a video visit?

Video visitation, also known as remote visitation, is quickly becoming the preferred method for visiting an inmate in jail or prison for the following reasons: •    It requires little to no staff, versus the staff required to move inmates to and from the visit and watch over the visit. It saves the Cook County Department of Corrections money. •    It removes any opportunity for contraband (drugs) to enter the facility. •    It can become a profit center for the facility, given that the revenue generated by visits is shared with the jail. •    While inmates prefer to see family and friends in person, video visitation allows them to visit with them more often, and on a whim. •    Video visitation gives the inmates and their visitors the feeling of more privacy. Video visitation from the perspective of the visitor allows them to visit from their home, their car, at work, and even allows them to take their device to a family or religious gathering. It allows them to give their inmate the feeling of belonging and not being forgotten.

Video visitation can take place on a computer, a tablet or a phone. 

Video visitation saves time. Instead of spending hours driving to the jail, checking in, filling out paperwork, potentially being searched, waiting, and then having a 15–30-minute visit, if it isn’t cancelled at the last minute, the visit can be done from anywhere during a short break in the visitor’s day.

If the visitor does not have access to a phone or computer, they can make an appointment ahead of time and use terminals in the lobby of the jail.

You must also be on the inmate's approved list, even for a video visit.

What are the companies that work with the jails and prisons that allow video visits?

There are several different companies that contract with all the jails and prisons that allow video visitation:

These are the companies in alphabetical order:

CIDNET City Tele Coin Correct Solutions Group Correct Pay Ctel Gettingout GTL Homewav IC Solutions Inmate Canteen Inmate Sales iwebvisits JailATM Jpay Gettingintouch (netvisit) NCIC Prodigy Sales Reliance Securus Smart Communications Tiger Services Visitel In addition, some jails use Microsoft Meeting and Zoom .

What is a conjugal visit?

A conjugal visit is a visit where the inmate is allowed to spend anywhere from several hours to a full weekend with their spouse. These visits are private, not recorded, and take place in a building, and an area of the prison away from the general population.

The purpose of the conjugal visit is to keep the inmate’s relationship with their spouse strong. Some conjugal visits also include the inmate’s children. A swing set and other recreational activities are available for the children to keep occupied.

There are no jails in the United States where conjugal visits are allowed, however the state prisons in California, Connecticut, Washington and New York all allow conjugal visits.

To be eligible, you need to be married, in good standing with the prison, have taken courses that prepare the inmates for these type of visits, and other requirements.

What jails or prisons allow conjugal visits?

Only California, Connecticut, Washington and New York state prisons allow conjugal visits. There are no jails in the United States that allow conjugal visits.

Other countries are much more liberal and some even allow prostitutes to visit the inmates on a weekly basis.

What can I do to appeal if my inmate visits are suspended?

An inmate can get their visitation privileges suspended for their behavior both because of their interactions with staff and inmates, or disobeying policy, or because of their behavior during visitation.

A visitor can get their visitation privileges suspended due to their behavior during an inmate visit or if they violate any of the rules and regulations of inmate visits and/or other jail policies such as mail, phone, email, etc.

If either the inmate or their visitor disagrees with the suspension of their visitation privileges, they need to write a letter explaining their position to the Jail Warden, County Sheriff or the Captain in charge of the facility’s visitation.

Address the letter to: Cook County Department of Corrections PhysicalAddressHtml}

The letter should contain the following: •    Inmate’s full name they were booked under and their  Inmate ID# (booking #, etc.). If you know the Unit # and cell #, write that as well. •    The visitor’s (you) full name, Identification Card number (driver's license, state ID, passport, etc.), home address, telephone number and email address. •    Explanation of what occurred that led to the suspension, including the date, time, who was the staff member present, whether it was a face-to-face visit or video visit. •    Why do you believe the suspension was unwarranted. •    A full-blown apology if it was accidental. •    Why it’s important to the inmate to continue visitation. •    What type of suspension you agree to if it happens again.

You should also offer to come to the jail and present your case face-to-face if they are open to the request. It is harder to turn down a person when they are directly in front of you, asking for your help.

In situations like this it is always best to keep the correspondence cordial, professional and detailed. Do not attack the staff member personally. It is always possible that the staff member was having a bad day or was still feeling anxiety or anger from dealing with a previous issue.

Being a correctional officer in a jail or prison is a very difficult thing. They have be ‘on guard’ against physical attacks, manipulations, lies and really bad behavior at all times. They are ‘the enemy’ and they know it. By putting yourself in their shoes when writing or requesting a suspension be reconsidered, goes a long towards a final resolution that you will be pleased with.

Can I visit an inmate in the if I have a criminal record?

In most jails it is required that you fill out a visitation application prior to visiting an inmate. You also have to be approved to be a visitor by the inmate. Even when visiting by video, you will need to give your personal information which includes your driver’s license or state ID number. 

The jail will use this information to do a quick background check on you to see if you have a criminal history or have any outstanding active warrants.

It is most likely that you will also be asked on the application form if you have ever been arrested, been convicted, or spent time in the Cook County Department of Corrections. If the answer is yes, they will want details, dates, etc.   If you lie about this and get caught, you will lose your right to visits for a period.  This is usually between one year and indefinitely.

If you are a convicted felon, you will have to apply directly to the sheriff. If you are a spouse, child or parent, you have a pretty good chance of getting approved than if you are just a friend. On the other hand, on rare occasions, some jails have adopted a zero-tolerance policy and never allow felons to visit.

If you recently did time in Cook County Department of Corrections, it is most likely that you will not be approved for a visit for a period of six to twelve months, starting on the day of your release. It is rare, but some jails have adopted a zero-tolerance policy and never allow previous inmates to visit, even if your previous conviction was for a misdemeanor.

What if I have a criminal record and the inmate is my child, can I still visit?

As explained in the previous answer, there are generally multiple hoops you must jump through in order to be approved to visit an inmate, if you have a criminal record, specifically if you are a convicted felon, or have recently spent time as an inmate in the Cook County Department of Corrections.

However, if you are a parent of a child in jail, that is one of the rare times that the jail will make an exception and allow you to visit.

Can a juvenile in jail or detention get visits?

Juvenile visits are limited to parents, legal guardians and grandparents. Sometimes siblings are allowed, but this is not always the case. If the caseworker or staff of the facility believe that it's in the best interests of the resident to have siblings visit, it will be approved.

Can children visit inmates in Cook County Department of Corrections?

Most jails will allow inmates to receive visits from their children, however if the child is under age 18, they will need to be accompanied by an adult. Further the adult must be able to legally prove their relationship to the child using either a valid birth certificate, adoption papers or paperwork that proves they are the legal guardian.

If there is a ‘no contact’ order in place in which the inmate has lost their parental rights, and this is not disclosed to the jail, then the inmate may lose visitation rights with other visitors or lose other privileges within the jail, as this is a violation of the law.

Because the presence of children can be a distraction for inmates during visitation, and children require a certain number of things (toys, etc.) to keep them busy, many jails are now setting apart certain days, usually on the weekends, for children to visit.

Children also have to be on the inmate's approved visitor list.

To confirm the visitation rules at the Cook County Department of Corrections regarding child visits, call 773-869-7100 to speak to a staff member.

Are babies allowed to visit inmates at the Cook County Department of Corrections?

Most jails do allow babies to visit. They will require a birth certificate. And given the baby’s needs, they allow the parent to bring in extra items to the visitation room; an extra diaper, a few wipes, a clear bottle with fluid, a pacifier and a baby carrier, for example.

There are some jails however that never allow babies in the visiting room. The cutoff age is usually about two years old.

To confirm the visitation rules at the Cook County Department of Corrections regarding baby or infant visits, call 773-869-7100 to speak to a staff member.

How do I check to see if I have a criminal record?

Most people already know if they have a criminal record. Sometimes they do, but it does not show up on a background check. This is usually because the person has undergone a name change at some point, or the name was misspelled when the data was entered by the court. 

The best place (and least expensive) for the most comprehensive nationwide website to find out if you have a criminal record is privaterecords.net , and they only cost $1.00 for 7-day trial.  

Cook County Department of Corrections Visitation Application Process

Cook County Department of Corrections  requires visitors to fill out an application prior to your visiting an inmate. Carefully fill out the application. Incomplete paperwork is cause for denial. Honesty is important. Violations of jail policies and guidelines that may show up on the background check – which if lied about on the application, will cause visits to be denied. Call 773-869-7100  to ask specific questions about the application.

'At Home' Video Visitation

Who Can Visit an Inmate in Cook County Department of Corrections

Anyone over the age of 18, who isn't on felony probation and can produce a valid government-issued photo ID can be approved to visit an inmate in this jail. Visitation applicants in Cook County  must sometimes submit to a background check. Those with warrants are denied visitation or if allowed to visit, will be arrested at the jail. Jails limit the number of people that can visit an inmate to two adults each visit. Children under age 18 must be accompanied by the parent or legal guardian. Call 773-869-7100  to ask specific questions about this policy or click here for any updates to this policy. It is likely that the Cook County Department of Corrections will deny visitation to anyone with a past felony conviction regardless of probation/parole status. Call 773-869-7100   prior to arriving for the specific jail guideline regarding your legal status. If you are a co-defendant with the inmate in a pending case, your visit will be denied. If you and the inmate are under a court order to have no contact with each other, your visit will be denied. The Cook County Department of Corrections reserves the right to deny any person the right to enter the jail it chooses and for any reason.

Cook County Department of Corrections Visitation Dress Code

The Cook County Department of Corrections staff reserves the right to turn anyone away who is not dressed appropriately for a visit. The best way to be sure the visit takes place is to dress as if you are meeting someone's grandmother for the first time. 

• Wear clothes that are not revealing.
• Don't wear see-through material.
• Have all undergarments covered (males and females) and avoid a lot of cleavage.
• Shorts and skirts should reach mid-thigh.
• Sleeves should be at least half-way to your elbow.

The following types of clothing are also prohibited:

• Clothing promoting gang affiliation.
• Anything displaying drugs, weapons or profanity.
• Clothing depicting anything obscene.

Call 773-674-8225 to ask specific questions about the Cook County Department of Corrections Visitation Dress Code guidelines.

Cook County Department of Corrections Visitation Tips, Rules and Guidelines

Jail visits are conducted in person behind plexi-glass or on a televised screen from another location. Children must be accompanied by a parent or guardian and guardians must provide proof of their guardianship. Leave all personal belongings, except for your state ID in your vehicle or in a locker (if one is provided). Children must be monitored at all times or jail staff will end the visit early.

(Scroll down for Video Visitation instructions)

As long as there is a threat of inmates getting sick from COVID or other pandemic related illness, the following rules will be in affect for all inmates and their visitors:

How to Deposit Money in a Cook County Department of Corrections Inmate's Account

There are five  ways to deposit money in an inmate's account in the Cook County Jail Corrections System:

• Online or Telephone deposits
• Currency Exchange facilities
• United States Postal Service
• Jail lobby kiosks

In order to do any of these you need to know the exact name the inmate was booked under, and the booking number .

If you can't find the inmate and booking number online, call the Records Office at  773-674-2390 .

Each week, an individual in custody can purchase up to $100 worth of clothing & supplies, and also $100 worth of food items.

1. Online or Telephone Deposits - Note that it my take up to two business days for the funds to show up in the inmate's account.

• Select Send Money , then Send Money to an Individual in Custody and follow Western Union's instructions.
• For questions, concerns or to add funds via Western Union over the phone, call 800-225-5227 .

For questions, concerns or to add funds via Money Gram over the phone, call 800-225-5227

2. Currency Exchange Facilities - Deposit funds in-person at Currency Exchanges that offer Western Union  or  Money Gram services.

Codes: Western Union City Code: CCDOC or COOK COUNTY DEPT CORRECTION State: ILLINOIS Money Gram Receive Code: 1750 JailATM Visit JailATM to register or call 870-627-5476

3.  Mailing a Payment - * Money orders - $100 maximum  * Cashiers Checks - $1,000 maximum When sending an inmate money by mail, the Cook County Department of Corrections will only accept:

• US Postal Money Orders, or
• Certified Bank Cashier Checks

If you want to send more you can, but you need to send multiple checks that do not exceed the maximum amounts listed above.

**Important Notes**

• The check/money order must be payable to the Inmate's Name AND Booking Number. Look up the inmate's booking number here if you don't have it.
• You can also get the inmate's booking number by calling the Inmate Information Line at 773-674-2390 .
• The Cook County Jail reserves the right to decline or return deposits that violate Department Policies.

Mailing Address: Inmate's Full Name & Booking # Cook County Jail 2700 S. California Ave. Chicago, IL 60608

4.  Dropping off a payment at a Kiosk - $300 maximum When dropping off an inmate's money in person, the Cook County Department of Corrections will only accept.

• Visa or Mastercard

JailATM Locations at the Cook County Jail to drop off inmate money:

• External Post 5 [Front Gate Entrance] – 2700 S. California Ave. Chicago, IL 60608
• External Post 7 – 2834 W. 31st Street Chicago, IL 60608
• External Post 9 – 2805 S. Sacramento Chicago, IL 60608
• Division 10 Lobby – 2950 S. California Chicago, IL 60608
• Division 11 Lobby – 3015 S. California Blvd. Chicago, IL 60608
• Division 5 Lobby – 2700 S California Ave. Chicago, IL 60608

Rules Regarding Picking up Money When an Inmate is Released from the Cook County Department of Corrections

The following is the procedure to pick-up money from an incarcerated male or female inmate’s money account, regardless of which Cook County Jail they were in: 

Once an inmate is released, they can go to the following address, and as long as they can present a government issued picture ID, they can get the balance of their Trust Fund Account issued to them.

Division 5 2700 S. California Ave. Chicago, IL 60608 Hours: 9 a.m. to 8:30 p.m.

If they don't have an ID, the balance will be mailed to the address that Cook County Corrections has on file.  If they are being released to another facility, upon request, the balance will be sent there.

Letters can be mailed to:

Cook County Department of Corrections Trust/Finance Office – Individual in Custody Trust Fund Division 5 Second Floor 2700 S California Avenue Chicago, IL 60608

If you have any questions, call the Trust/Finance Office at 773-674-6864 .

For more information, including fees, more detailed instructions, deposit limits, type of items available to purchase, and more, check out our Inmate Money page.

How to Send Mail to an Inmate in the Cook County Department of Corrections

They are also allowed to receive books and magazines, but not newspapers.

To learn all the rules, policies and guidelines, and they are extensive, for sending anything in the mail to an inmate at any of the Cook County Jails, check out our Inmate Mail Page.

How Do You Communicate with an Inmate in the Cook County Department of Corrections by Phone

• Advance Pay - This phone account allows you to prepay so that your inmate can call you (and only you) whenever he/she wants and the cost of each call is deducted from your balance. You can even be notified by text when your balance gets low. You still have the option of accepting or rejecting each call.
• Pin Debit   -  This option allows you to fund an inmate's commissary account and lets him pay for phone calls to you and others with the money. You will have no control over who your inmate calls.
• Voicemail   -  You can leave a secure voicemail without having to contact the facility. When you call the local phone number for a facility offering Inmate Voicemail (call Customer Service at 877-650-4249 to get the local voicemail number for Cook County Department of Corrections, you will be informed of the cost for leaving a message. To leave your message, simply select the inmate by ID number. Then, record your voicemail.

For full instructions on the Cook County Department of Corrections Inmate Phone System, what the costs are, how it works, and tips and guidelines on rules, regulations and saving money on calls, check out our  Inmate Phones  Page .

Photos of this facility

Cook County Department of Corrections Contact Information

• Español ( Spanish )

How to Schedule a Jail Visit in Illinois

It is important to know your options when contacting your loved ones. The rules vary depending on the prison or jail, but this article will discuss some different options at county jails in and around Chicago, and throughout the Illinois Department of Corrections, including Cook County, Kane County, McHenry County, DuPage County, Lake County and Will County. It is important that detained inmates maintain contact with their loved ones and support systems on the outside as it often helps them re-integrate back into society upon their release.

Setting up these meetings can sometimes be complicated and may require a lot of steps, so having all the proper information is crucial. Every call or in-person visit you set up with a loved one may seem like a small thing to you, but it could make that person’s whole week or month.

Here are some of the procedures currently in place:

Cook County Jail

Cook county in-person visits.

If you are looking to visit one of the 7,500 inmates currently housed in the Cook County Department of Corrections at 26 th and California, your first option is to fill out a form for in-person visitation. Note: as of the time of this article, you must have received the COVID-19 vaccination and you will be expected to show proof of this upon your arrival at any of the 11 divisions.

You may apply for an in-person visitation (at least 48 hours in advance) by going to this link:

https://dvv.ccsheriff.org

You must wear a mask, but you may be required to leave the facility by the Cook County Sheriff for any perceived security violation. It is discouraged for you to wear revealing clothing of any kind and this can also be a basis for denial of entry at the discretion of the Sheriff’s office. You will be subject to pat-downs, COVID temperature screens, and metal detectors. You will talk to your loved one through a thick glass screen with a two-way microphone and you will not be allowed to touch them.

Cook County Virtual Visits

In order to do a virtual visitation at Cook County Jail with a loved one, you must have an approved app such as a Microsoft Teams account with an active e-mail address. You can get a Microsoft Teams account here for free:

https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-teams/log-in

Once you get a Microsoft teams account, your loved one can add you to a visitation list. Each of the 11 Divisions at Cook County and Cermak Hospital has different visitation schedules. Once you are added to the virtual visitation request list, you will be contacted by a member of the Cook County Sheriff’s Office to schedule an exact day and time for your virtual visitation. You must be on Microsoft Teams and ready to accept the call from the Cook County Jail, as most times they will only try to call you two or three times before they give up.

Remember, there are rules which you must follow when doing virtual visitation with your loved ones. The calls themselves will be directly monitored and recorded and there will be a member of the Sheriff’s office standing nearby who will be periodically checking for any suspicious activity or response from the inmate.

You may not, under any circumstances, drink, smoke, show nudity, or engage in any inappropriate behavior while on the virtual visitation call. You may not stand up during the call; all calls must be in a seated position by both parties. You may not show up to the call with other people in the background who are also participating. Any violation of these rules will result in an immediate termination of the virtual call and a possible ban on future ability to contact your detained loved one. These rules are uniform for all jails throughout Illinois.

Lake County Jail

Currently, all visits at the Lake County Adult Correctional Facility are conducted remotely. You will need to download a “GettingOut account” on your smartphone or computer. Once you set it up, an inmate will be able to initiate a call with you through a ViaPath Tablet at the facility.

GettingOut may be downloaded at this link:

https://www.gettingout.com

All you do to approve your visitation status is to create a working “GettingOut” account and enter your personal information, then add the inmate you would like to request contact with. After that, you can add funds to your account. The inmate may then call you during whatever allowed time they have for video visitation at the Lake County Adult Correctional Facility (which could change weekly or monthly). This is convenient as you can receive calls wherever you are, and it does not have to be at a scheduled time.

Calls are $0.25 cents per minute. If you are unable to use a smartphone or computer to receive these calls, you may schedule ahead of time to use the video visitation kiosks in the lobby of the facility itself. Inmates also receive one free call per week at this facility.

DuPage County Jail

DuPage also uses the “ GettingOut ” account system to schedule inmate visitation.

In addition, inmates are allowed to receive one thirty-minute visit per-week. Inmates who have a proven record of good behavior, called “Trusty” inmates at DuPage , may receive a single 60-minute visit or two 30 minute visits per week.

McHenry County Jail

The McHenry County Jail conducts their virtual visitation using what is called “ICS Mobile” which can be found on the iPhone app store by searching “ICSolutions.”

You can schedule video visitations with inmates who approve contact from you as long as you schedule six hours in advance. You will be expected to show the McHenry County Sheriff’s Office your ID upon entering the video visitation.

Due to the spread of the virus around the McHenry County area, the jail plans to conduct all visits via video visitation throughout the rest of 2022 and possibly beyond.

Kane County Jail

Kane County Jail is also only allowing video visitations at this time using the “ICS Mobile” app which can be downloaded on the iPhone app store.

Kane County Jail also has video visitation kiosks in the lobby of their facility which are also able to be used for video visitations 365 days out of the year.

The detainee must complete what is called an “Approved Visitor’s List” of only immediate family members. Then, an approved visitor will register in the ICS system to request a video visitation based on available time slots at the facility.

Each detainee is allowed one visiting “group” per week. This group can include either (1) one adult, (2) one adult and one child, or (3) two adults and one child. Every video visitation must be booked at least 72 hours in advance and can only be a maximum of 30 minutes long.

Will County Jail

Will County Jail currently only has video visitation available as well. Inmates are allowed two 30-minute calls per week. Visitation hours are every day from 9:15 am until 12:00 pm and then again from 1:00 pm until 4:15 pm.

If you wish to book a visit, you must call this number: 815-774-7950. You must call this number and book at least 24 hours before your desired visit time. You may not schedule a visit more than 48 hours in advance. After scheduling the visit with the Will County Sheriff’s office, you will check in at the Will County Video Visitation Center on 20 South Chicago Street in Joliet, Illinois. You will then be put in front of a computer screen and assisted as you connect with your detainee. If you do not bring a valid state ID you will be denied your video visitation.

It is important to note that you must also arrive 15 minutes prior to your scheduled appointment time if you wish to have a video visitation call with the Will County Jail. If you cancel your scheduled appointment time without calling ahead, it could result in your future video visitation rights being restricted.

Virtual Visitation at the Illinois Department of Corrections (IDOC)

Thankfully, virtual visitation happens the same way at all the below listed facilities in the Illinois Department of Corrections:

• Big Muddy River Correctional Center
• Centralia Correctional Center
• Clayton Work Camp
• Crossroads Adult Transition Center
• Danville Correctional Center
• Decatur Correctional Center
• Dixon Correctional Center
• Dixon Springs Structured Impact Program (DSSIP)
• DuQuoin Structured Impact Program (DQSIP)
• East Moline Correctional Center
• Fox Valley Adult Transition Center
• Graham Correctional Center
• Graham Reception and Classification Center
• Greene County Work Camp
• Hill Correctional Center
• Illinois River Correctional Center
• Jacksonville Correctional Center
• Joliet Inpatient Treatment Center
• Joliet Treatment Center
• Kewanee Life Skills Re-Entry Center
• Lawrence Correctional Center
• Lincoln Correctional Center
• Logan Correctional Center
• Logan Reception and Classification Center
• Menard Correctional Center
• Menard Medium Security Unit
• Menard Reception and Classification Center
• Murphysboro Life Skills Re-Entry Center
• North Lawndale ATC
• Northern Reception and Classification Center
• Peoria Adult Transition Center
• Pinckneyville Correctional Center
• Pittsfield Work Camp
• Pontiac Correctional Center
• Pontiac Medium Security Unit
• Robinson Correctional Center
• Shawnee Correctional Center
• Sheridan Correctional Center
• Southwestern Illinois Correctional Center
• Southwestern Illinois Work Camp
• Stateville Correctional Center
• Stateville Minimum Security Unit
• Taylorville Correctional Center
• Vandalia Correctional Center
• Vienna Correctional Center
• Western Illinois Correctional Center

In order to virtually visit an inmate at any of the prisons in the Illinois Department of Corrections, you will need to follow three basic steps:

Step 1: Make an Account on Global Tel*Link (“GTL”)

The first thing you must do to virtually visit a detained inmate at any prison in the Illinois Department of Corrections is make an account at this web address:

https://ildoc.gtlvisitme.com/app

You will be asked to provide personal information and also a list of any inmates you are hoping will “approve” you to visit with them. The inmate will be informed you have requested to be added to their list and they may accept or decline. Once you register yourself you may then add family members (children or household members) who you may also visit with. Your user interface will show not only your approved inmates, but also your approved household members.

Step 2: Schedule the Visit

Once you have your account set-up, scheduling a visit is easy. You can scroll to the bottom of your GTL homepage and click “Select Inmate.” You can then choose from a drop-down list of all your approved inmates. Then click “Visit Inmate.” The facility will then guide you to the available visitation times.

Most facilities require a week to a month in advance, so make sure you request the visit far in advance. Rarely does a facility allow same-day visits, but some of the smaller ones do.

Prices for the video visits vary based on the facility and the amount of time allowed per visit also varies widely. Most facilities offer three different options as of the time of this article:

• 15-minute video visits for $3.75;
• 25-minute video visits for $6.25 (most common); or
• 55-minute video visits for $13.75.

Your upcoming visits will then be displayed on your GTL homepage. The display page will tell you exactly when the visits are and how much time you have left until you are allowed to check-in to the visit. It will also display a unique confirmation code that you may use to contact the facility directly with any questions about your specific visit.

Step 3: Read the Illinois Department of Corrections Rules and Guidelines for Virtual Visitation Before Your Visit

The final step is to read the Illinois Department of Correction visitation rules found at this link prior to your first visitation:

https://idoc.illinois.gov/facilities/visitationrules.html

The rules are simple and most of them revolve around a few main prohibited behaviors which can get your visitation privileges restricted or banned:

• No nudity or sexual behavior
• No display of weapons or drugs
• No gang behavior (throwing gang signs) or showing the inmate depictions of any gang activity or disturbing content
• No filming the prison visit
• No unauthorized visitors appearing with you on the scheduled video call

Depending on the seriousness of the offense, you may be banned temporarily from visiting with a particular inmate or banned for life from using the GTL video-visitation system to meet with any inmates. The call will be terminated immediately upon the occurrence of any of the banned behaviors.

Inmates can receive a maximum of one video call per day and usually only two calls per week.

In-Person Visitation at the Illinois Department of Corrections (IDOC)

Every facility in the Illinois Department of Corrections has slightly different in-person visitation guidelines. These visitation schedules can change based off facility lockdown schedules, COVID restrictions, current prison capacity, and any other infrastructure changes within the facility itself.

The procedure for going to an in-person visitation is essentially the same throughout the Illinois Department of Corrections, and for each facility you must:

Confirm You Are on the Detained Inmates Approved Visitor List

This is important to confirm before you take the time to travel out to a facility. If you are not approved on the inmate visitor list at the specific facility you would like to visit, you will be denied entry.

Completion of a “Prospective Visitor’s Interview” Form

On your first visit to any facility, you will be expected to complete a Prospective Visitor’s Interview form which requests many different categories of personal information. You will also be expected to explain how you know the detained individual. You may be subjected to additional interview questions, strip searches, dress code checks, and contraband searches of any kind. You will need two forms of state ID .You will be allowed a locker in almost all facilities to store personal items during the length of stay of your visitation.

Arrive at the Facility at the Designated Visitation Hours

It is important that you arrive on time. Call the facility ahead of time to ensure that it is not currently on lockdown. Be patient when dealing with staff members as you will not receive any preferential treatment by disrespecting them. If you are disrespectful to staff members, you may be made to wait for a very long time before you see your loved one.

You will then be brought to a designated visitation room (after COVID, almost all facilities will have this room separated by a partition with everyone required to wear masks). You may then see your loved one. Anyone under 17 is required to be accompanied by an adult over 18. If you have travelled a long distance (over 100 miles) to see someone, you may ask the facility for a special arrangement (such as a longer visitation time). All special arrangements should be confirmed with the facility beforehand.

Don’t Break Any Facility Rules

The last thing you need to remember is not to break any facility rules. This includes bringing in any contraband, attempting to give anything to an inmate, wearing revealing clothing or attempting to violate any of the other listed rules at each individual facility.

Speak to the Legal Team at Mitchell S. Sexner & Associates LLC

If you have a loved one who is incarcerated in Illinois and needs representation, call Mitchell S. Sexner & Associates LLC right away. We have more than 30 years of  criminal defense experience  and have successfully represented more than 20,000 clients. Our attorneys are honest, hard-working, and will do everything in their power to get your loved one out of jail as quickly as possible. No matter what the situation, we will fight vigorously on your behalf. For more information on our services, visit our  contact page  or call (312) 644-0444 for a free confidential consultation.

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The Cook County Sheriff offers an online inmate locator service. Click below to go to the Sheriff's website and locate a detainee in Cook County Jail.

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The Chicago Reporter

Investigating race and poverty since 1972

Sheriff Tom Dart says Cook County Jail is the first to end solitary confinement. Here’s what it looks like from the inside.

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We stood in the middle of the Cook County Jail’s Special Management Unit dayroom, its perimeter lined with cells. Five African American men sat on steel stools connected to small steel tables, each with shackles around his belly, hands, and feet, bolted to the center of the table. 

The SMU, located in the maximum security Division 9 building, housed 173 men in four separated living units as of last month. “They used to call this the ‘Thunder dome,’” the sheriff’s Chief of Staff Bradley Curry said, leading us into the most secure of the four pods. “You’d walk in here and it would be rockin’.” The place used to be called segregated housing, another name for solitary confinement. Now they call it a “rehabilitative unit.”

The unit houses mostly individuals who have allegedly assaulted guards or other detained men. The table with shackles — variations of which are now used in a number of prisons and jails around the country — is meant as an alternative to round-the-clock lockdown, a way to get people out of their cells without risking more violence.

This past April, Sheriff Tom Dart caught the attention of criminal justice reformers when he wrote a Washington Post op-ed declaring, “Since May 2016, we have not housed any detainee in a solitary setting, not for even one hour. Instead, we created a new place in the jail called the Special Management Unit (SMU) to house detainees who resort to violence and/or break the rules.” 

Even in an era of increased awareness about the deep psychological harms caused by solitary confinement, this was a bold move. Only one state prison system, Colorado’s, claims to have eliminated solitary, and no other local jail system has done so. Upon request, the sheriff’s office agreed to provide a tour to myself and three advocates, so we could see for ourselves what the self-declared end of solitary confinement at a major city jail looks like. The increased out-of-cell time, programming, and the ability to socialize set the SMU apart from solitary confinement. 

Still, the men living on the unit, advocates, and mental health experts raised several concerns about the inadequacies of the program. One man held in the SMU had experienced solitary confinement previously, which he said made him “feel suicidal.” But to him, “solitary versus SMU is not a big difference … the increased out-of-cell time in SMU is no big difference due to the uncomfortability with the box chain and shackles.” Another man called the SMU conditions “inhumane,” referencing violent behavior from the officers, poor food quality, scant phone time, and a lack of meaningful mental health care.

Located on Chicago’s Southwest Side, bordering the Sanitary and Ship Canal, Cook County Jail is a 96-acre complex encased in high fencing topped with spirals of razor wire. The largest single-site jail in the United States, it houses about 5,800 people, 98% of whom are being held pre-trial, according to figures from last month. The jail’s population is 73.2 % African American, 16.5% Latinx, and 9.5% white, in a city whose population is almost evenly divided between the three groups. Within the labyrinth of brick and concrete towers, nearly 4,000 county employees work under the leadership of Sheriff Tom Dart, who was elected in 2007.

When our tour reached the SMU, a guard yanked open the door of an unoccupied cell, revealing beige walls covered with faded chicken scratch and one meticulous drawing of a handgun. Other than that, the parking space-sized room contained a bright fluorescent light, bare metal bunk beds, a steel desk, toilet and sink unit, and shelf.

In his op-ed, Dart defined solitary confinement as holding “individuals … alone in roughly 7-by-11-foot concrete cells for up to 23 hours a day with little human contact and no access to natural light. For as few as 60 minutes a day, they are allowed out of their cells to pace about another concrete area no larger than a dog run.” That is what this pod used to be like. Since it was converted to the SMU, the men are supposed to get out of their cells for at least four hours a day, with opportunities for group programming and social interaction. While individuals in this pod are always shackled during group activities, they may transition to other SMU pods where they would not be shackled in the dayroom.

The change was an initiative of the sheriff’s Justice Institute, created by Dart four years ago to “infuse social justice in a system that is usually unjust,” said Hanke Gratteau, the director of the institute. Gratteau sat us down in a vacant unit of the jail to explain the work her office does. She spoke carefully, with contemplative pauses between thoughts.

“I’m a former journalist,” she said, looking through pointy-rimmed glasses, “and I can tell you there’s no way I could work for a law enforcement official other than Tom Dart. This is Sheriff Dart’s vision and one we carry out every day. ”

The biggest SMU advocates? Jail staff 

“Two years ago, you couldn’t walk on this tier with the noise level,” said chief of staff Curry. “But we brought in programming, we brought in different staffing techniques, tried to get more interaction, dayroom time. We just changed the whole philosophy on how we do discipline.” 

The men in the SMU are provided with group programming in the dayroom on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. “On the other days, they can talk to each other, you know, do things across the table, things like that,” Curry said. “The whole goal was to have them come out and be able to communicate with each other, be able to have that interaction with the fellow detainees, and … the staff in here.”

Lieutenant Despina Atsaves, a sturdy woman with her dirty blonde hair pulled back, said the new approach “keeps these guys focused on what they need to work on in order to better themselves and exit out. In all honesty, it is working.”

“It’s the data that tells you it’s successful,” said Sheriff Dart in a phone interview. “You start with [the fact that] attacks on staff hit historic lows … The numbers of assaults on staff and assaults among detainees have plummeted. They’re at the lowest levels ever.” So far in 2019, the data on the jail’s maximum security units bears out his claim, not only for attacks by incarcerated people, but for staff use of force as well.

“My best exemplar for how it is working and working well,” Dart said, “is that the average amount of time that anyone spends in this unit… is 10 days.] And as you know, there are people around the country that are in goddamn solitary for years!” The most recent government survey, from 2012, showed that 20% of people held in U.S. jails had spent time in solitary in the previous year, and 5% had spent more than 30 days in solitary. On any given day, more than 20,000 people were in solitary confinement in local jails alone, with 60,000 more in solitary in state and federal prisons.

People who commit serious disciplinary infractions in the Cook County Jail can be punished with five to 60 days in the SMU. But the sheriff has set a maximum of 29 consecutive days, at which point individuals are sent to general population for a few days before returning to the unit.

“I didn’t really know what I was getting into … I always sort of thought there would be a better playbook out there,” Dart said. After investigating jails around the country, however, he found that no such models existed for a jail system. Some other large jail systems, including Rikers Island in New York, have greatly reduced their use of solitary — but none has eliminated it. “But once we figured out that if we came up with some method where people that needed to be separated could be allowed out amongst other people for extended periods of time, they just couldn’t harm other people, then it was like okay, now anybody in the country can do this.”

Dart spoke about the resistance he initially got from both staff and other sheriffs — a common experience for reformers around the country, where even modest reductions in solitary are often fiercely opposed by corrections officers and their unions. “Y’all thought I was nuts. Y’all thought I was letting the inmates run the asylum,” Dart recalled, “And everyone was going to take advantage of it and everyone’s going to get hurt and everyone’s going to get the message that they can do what they want.” But now, he said, “The biggest advocates for it are my staff that work in those units.”

In the SMU, Atsaves said that at first she did not want to work in the unit, but she had a change of heart. “I’ve been here 17 years in the county. This is the first time in my entire career here — the two years that we’ve been [in the SMU] — where administration listens to the staff” and takes their ideas seriously, she said. “Because… everything is perfect written on paper, but in practicality, in reality, it just doesn’t work out the way you have it written out, so you have to adjust.”

Stuck in a cell, outside of a cell 

The detained men in the SMU, in contrast, had many complaints and calls for change to share. Lewayne Patterson, a forthright 28-year-old with a neatly shaped afro and star tattoo on his neck, spoke first. “It’s very frustrating. We chained up,” he said, pulling at the shackles joined to the table. “We only get phone calls fifteen minutes a week. Like you can barely get a conversation out of it … It’s like basically you’re still stuck in a cell outside of a cell, shackled up. That’s it.” A chorus of voices rose in agreement.

Cordell Frank, sitting next to me, said, “We only get three hours out of our cell. What about the rest of the day? That’s 21 hours in your cell all day long … This right here, it feels like we’re really monkeys in here. Real live monkeys.”

Another man said, “I got two kids. I got a lot of family. I can’t talk to everybody in fifteen minutes. Fifteen minutes [a week] is not enough … We don’t get fed enough… It’s the same thing for breakfast … and a repeat continuation of meatballs. Every other day is meatballs.”

The men said it is a problem that, when detained in the SMU, they cannot order food from the commissary, only hygiene items. Gratteau agreed. “I overheard the guy say how horrible the food was. It is … We have a dietitian, we have a vendor who provides the food. It’s nutritionally adequate. But if it tastes like crap and you don’t eat it, it’s not nutritionally adequate.”

And despite policy changes, the captive men are still subject to the actions of rank and file correctional officers, who they say don’t all play by the rules themselves. “There’s a lot of things that go on up in here that a lot of people don’t know about,” Patterson said. “We be in the cell, and they might come to your cell and get to messin’ with you… You ain’t hear about [officers] gettin’ physical, touching and everything back here.”

Frank recalled, “One of [the officers] got physical with me, and I said something back to him ‘cause he was talking to me crazy. He didn’t even let me out my room the next day… When you first get locked down here, you gotta wait 24 hours until you can come out for your next dayroom. My 24 hours was up. He still ain’t let me out.”

In a letter he wrote following our visit, Patterson described the retaliation he faced in the SMU after getting into an altercation with an officer. “On the elevator, I was punched and kneed multiple times by several correctional officers … I asked for medical attention, to no avail … The correctional officer in charge of property threw all my property away except for my personal mail.” Days later, Patterson wrote, he “was jumped again by three correctional officers … [and] was given 60 days segregation time and 60 days visiting restriction.”

Joseph Ryan, spokesperson for the Cook County Sheriff’s Office, said the county has implemented a “model system” to identify, review, and address uses of excessive force and hold officers accountable. Ryan said, “Since 2014, the office has moved to fire or suspend more than 75 officers in cases related to excessive force.” He added, “The way in which we address excessive force was one of the many reasons the jail was released from more than 40 years of court oversight in 2017 to applause from a federal judge and the U.S. Department of Justice.”

Dart, a former prosecutor, believes the SMU needs to demonstrate that people will face consequences for their actions. He said, “We can’t walk away from the fact that there is evil in this world and there are bad people so there’s got to be repercussions … I can’t have this little kumbaya thing, there’s got to be repercussions, where that person needs to be separated, that person needs to be told this is conduct you can’t do.” His goal is to make this point without the use of solitary.

Jessica Sandoval, of the ACLU’s National Prison Project and one of the advocates on the tour, expressed a somewhat different perspective. Sandoval, who oversees a national anti-solitary campaign called Unlock the Box, said that truly ending solitary confinement will require thinking outside of this framework. People like those in the SMU, even those who have engaged in violence, “actually need the most services, not the least. And so, I think moving away from the punishment paradigm is what needs to happen.”

Sandoval said that since nearly all people in jail will eventually return to society, public safety demands that policies and practices be aimed toward rehabilitation — and any level of isolation is antithetical to that. In Cook County, she said, “They’re moving in the right direction, but people are still being penalized by important services being taken away, like phone time with their families.”

Back in the dayroom, Edward Abrams, a more soft-spoken man, weighed in. His bicep bore a long scar with what looked like fresh stitches, and a white medical wrap covered his forearm. “The staff, they treat us pretty good, if you’re, say, P2 or P3 [lower risk mental health status],” Abrams said. “If you really need to talk to somebody, you’re fucked back here. Just to keep it real.”

Meeting the criteria for mental health care 

The SMU is not meant to house people with serious mental illness. The jail has a separate unit run by Cermak Health Services of Cook County for people with “acute” medical and mental health needs. But, in reality, jails across the country are now overflowing with people needing mental health care , and narrow definitions of SMI mean that many end up mixed in with the regular jail population. Without adequate care, they are at high risk of self-harm and suicide, especially if they are placed in solitary.

Gratteau told us about one man who has been in and out of the jail over the past few years. “We called him the man who ate the jail,” she said. “He would literally swallow anything he could get his hands on, and had so many abdominal surgeries that for a time, he was at an outlying hospital for months in restraints because every time he would be healing from an operation, he would rip open his wounds … And he didn’t have a psychiatric status … [Cook Count Health and Hospital] mental health professionals said, ‘Nothing, no problem here. Move along.’ Yeah,” Gratteau sighed, “[They claimed] that was manipulative behavior. Holy moly. I know I’m just a layman but it looks crazy to me.”

Homer Venters, the former chief medical officer of New York City’s Correctional Health Services and author of the new book “ Life and Death in Rikers Island,” explained in a phone interview, “We believe that people with serious mental illness have the most concerning risk for lots of bad mental health outcomes. But the fact is there are a lot of people who have mental health problems — and behavioral health problems, addiction problems — who don’t meet the kind of clinical criteria for SMI, or serious mental illness.”

He continued, “A lot of suicides involve impulsivity, involve reacting against one’s environment. Those suicides are often among people who don’t have SMI designations … people who don’t happen to get this one clinical criteria, for which there’s a great amount of racial disparity for how it’s applied. It just makes one more connection between exposure to solitary and death that the mental health service in many of these settings is not effective at mitigating.”

In the case of Edward Abrams, the man with the gash on his arm, behavioral issues related to mental illness led to him spending several months in solitary confinement at the maximum-security Pontiac Correctional Center before he returned to the jail, where he was “remanded for a clinical mental health evaluation,” he wrote in a letter after our visit.

“I’ve been on suicide watch over ten times,” Abrams wrote. “Due to depression, anxiety attacks, family tragedies, emotional lows, no support. I’ve attempted suicide fourteen times. Overdosed off pills, hung myself, and self-harm by cutting. Cook County does nothing for self-harm.” Abrams has since been sent to live in solitary confinement through August 2023 at Menard Correctional Center, where he is serving the remainder of his six-year sentence for robbery.

In a phone interview following our visit, the Sheriff’s First Deputy Chief of Staff Tarry Williams said the jail has seen two suicides so far in 2019, including 27-year-old Giovanny Gomez on May 8, two days after we toured the facility. Last August, 24-year-old Anthony Mbanu committed suicide by hanging himself in his cell in Division 9. Another man, 23-year-old Richard Smith, was found hanging in his cell a few months before Mbanu died.

Abrams said that an improvement in the SMU is that the groups are now conducted by mental health workers, instead of correctional staff, “but they do one group a week, which is not enough treatment,” he wrote. “I like the groups because it gives me a chance to express my thoughts and feelings.”

Dr. Jane Gubser, a clinical psychologist and assistant executive director of programs at the jail, said in a phone interview that men in the SMU are offered six mental health-focused groups every week. Half of the groups are administered by her staff and the other half are administered by mental health specialists from Cermak.

The groups target “emotional regulation, anger management, coping skills, things of that nature,” Gubser said. “The facilitator typically comes in, they’ll check in with the individuals, see how they’re doing that day, typically they’ll come in with a topic to discuss, like a worksheet to go over and then there’s a discussion around it.”

When asked if the men are provided therapy, Gubser took a long pause. “It’s kind of a hard question. I wouldn’t say that they’d be on an individual-therapy caseload, but if they request to meet with a mental health specialist, which is part of the medical provider, they will be seen.”

Otherwise, group therapy in the SMU takes place in the presence of other incarcerated men, with guards surrounding the perimeter of the dayroom. While group programming serves an important role in providing constructive social interaction, critics say that the depth to which participants are willing to open up is inhibited around men they may encounter in a different context, or officers they may fear could retaliate.

Venters said that increasing the presence of mental health staff does not counteract the danger of subjecting people to violent conditions. At the mental health units at Rikers that were developed as an alternative to solitary confinement, he said, people would “be put in these units for some punishment of jail rules, and then extra mental health staff would be there to take care of them.”

“But really what would happen was the mental health staff would run around these units but not with the capacity to provide meaningful treatment because the thing that was making these patients much worse was exposure to, not just solitary, but high levels of violence from the security staff. [Mental health staff] really were just bearing witness, but not able to provide meaningful care.” The chaotic and violent environment of Rikers, Venters said, could alone become “the main driver of much of this behavior, [which] included self-harm and death.”

Abrams said he had never personally experienced physical abuse, but said, “a lot of guys get physically assaulted in the elevator. There’s cameras everywhere except the elevator in Division 9.” 

Jail officials stand by their record of responding to this and other allegations of excessive force made by men in the SMU.

Based on his experience representing people held at the jail, Alan Mills, the executive director at Uptown People’s Law Center, said that the county has “made good progress, and their policies in theory are very good. But they have a long way to go before those policies are fully implemented and before they really have a handle on use of force at that jail.” Mills referenced a policy demanding that footage be pulled from all cameras relevant to an incident, but “in the use of force reports that we’ve reviewed, that never happened. You might have one camera but not all of them were pulled.”

Sheriff Dart readily admitted that his efforts at Cook County Jail are a work in progress, and said he is open to further change. “Because we’re going into unchartered territory,” he said. “There’s no ego here as far as saying we’ve nailed it, we’ve got it down a hundred percent … Now, it’s just a question of adding more bells and whistles as far as programming and more sort of unique twists to it that are all, you know, making it up as we go along, but all thoughtful.”

Advocates point out that being safe from retaliation and other forms of abuse is a basic human right of detained persons, and that even such lesser complaints as excessive shackling or inadequate programming go well beyond what could be considered “bells and whistles.” The procedural reforms — and, more importantly, the culture change — needed to create a truly rehabilitative environment may have begun, but they still have a long way to go.  

Another person on the tour, Dolores Canales, is community outreach director with The Bail Project. She spent time in solitary confinement herself, and her son, who was in solitary for years at California’s notorious Pelican Bay, is still in prison. Canales said she was struck by what she did not encounter in the unit. “The smell of urine and feces was not present at all, which a lot of times you have in [solitary]. The screaming was not present in the SMU at all.”

Canales said other county facilities should follow Dart’s lead, but agrees that the SMU still has a lot of work to do to live up to its name as a rehabilitative unit. “Part of rehabilitation is how one feels. That’s part of why [incarcerated people] do what we do. Part of the trouble comes from [the fact] that we’ve always felt ‘less than.’ We’ve always felt not enough. We’ve always felt angry. It’s a lot about feelings.” The SMU may be a significant improvement over what came before it, she said, “but what it is now should not be the end.”

This piece was published in partnership with Solitary Watch.

Update: This piece has been updated to clarify jail officials’ response to allegations of excessive force raised by men in the SMU.

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Valerie kiebala.

Valerie Kiebala is editorial associate and staff writer for Solitary Watch, a watchdog group that investigates and documents the use of solitary confinement in U.S. prisons and jails. Her work has also... More by Valerie Kiebala

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People released from Cook County Jail can get state IDs through new program

Reset with Sasha-Ann Simons

About 2,300 people awaiting trial will be eligible to apply for free state IDs in the first phase of the Cook County Jail program.

The program is thought to be the first of its kind to offer free state IDs at the county jail level. It comes after years of advocacy by people organizing re-entry services. They say that an ID is key to connecting people with employment and housing — but not the only support needed.

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Tour the headquarters of the third largest police department in Illinois. Hear the history of the Sheriff’s Police including stories from famous criminal cases. Visit the Wall of Honor which remembers officers killed in the line of duty. The tour may also include a visit to the Department’s Command Room, a canine demonstration, an overview of the Gun Range, a tour of a Sheriff’s Police car, a chat with a Chief, a stop in the Backup 911 Center, and a chance to sit in a real armored vehicle used by our Department SWAT team. (Subject to times and availability.)  

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Restaurant cook accused of putting his genitals in food items, police say

HOUSTON (Gray News) - A restaurant cook in Houston is accused of putting his genitals on open food items, according to authorities.

On April 4, Harris County deputies arrived at the restaurant, Kulture, and saw surveillance video from the manager showing 27-year-old Othello Larenzo Holmes allegedly placing his genitals on food items, KPRC reported

When interviewed by investigators, he said that he “has these urges frequently and has a history of sexual offenses.”

Following the controversy, the restaurant immediately shut down and fired the employee. The restaurant also threw all the kitchen items and hasn’t served a single patron since, KPRC reported.

Holmes was charged with indecent assault, which eventually led investigators to dig more into his digital footprint and past.

On April 15, Holmes gave written consent to the forensic analysis of his cellphone.

KPRC reported that authorities extracted over 100 images and five videos of child pornography . The videos contained children between the ages of infancy and teens engaging in sexual intercourse and various sexual acts.

Records also show that an image was found on his phone, showing a conversation on Telegram, a social media messenger app. The conversation was allegedly between Holmes and another username “Princess” in a chat room named the “Devil Lair.”

In the conversation, Holmes allegedly says, “Super pervy yesterday. I wish I had access to kids.”

Princess says, “I wish you did too (cry face emoji),” according to KPRC.

Due to the nature of the evidence, it was determined Holmes was a danger to society and should not be around children.

Holmes was booked into the Harris County Jail on a $500,000 bond for the child pornography cases.

Authorities believe that he may have done this at several restaurants where he previously worked.

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