Participation or initiation of three-way calls by inmates is strictly prohibited by IDOC rules and will result in disciplinary action. Each prisoner can receive 7 visits per month. Each prisoner may submit to IDOC a list of 30 persons authorized to visit him. IDOC must keep this list in paper and electronic form on its website. Thank you for your comment. I am glad the information was helpful. When an inmate arrives at a prison for the first time, he or she presents a list of the names of the requested visitors and telephone contacts. These lists may be revised once a month. You can talk to an inmate as long as you are on an approved list.

Prisons are generally required to admit personal visitors. They must also provide access to video calls if they are available in prison. People can have access to tablets for video calls as a reward for good behavior. Prisons are not allowed to restrict face-to-face visits simply because they provide video calls. Visitors are allowed to wear a religious head covering, but the head covering must be removed and searched. It must be a Kufi, a kippah, a turban, a dress or a fez. If this is not the case, you must send a written request to the prison at least ten days before your visit. If the application is approved, you can wear your religious head covering, but it is still subject to search. Inmates are only allowed to make group appeals.

The telephone service used by prisons is Securus. You need to create an account with them to receive these calls. « Inmates can`t take phone calls, but they can make calls to those on their approved call list. If you want to receive group calls from an offender, you must write to the offender and ask to be added to their approved call list. Are you worried about doing it alone? You may be able to get free legal help. On the following pages you will find more information about visiting prisons and communicating with prisoners: Hello. ILAO wants to better understand who uses this website so that we can provide you with the information you want and need. You also have a chance to win a $250 gift card. Please take the time to complete this survey. Offenders incarcerated in Illinois can receive letters from anyone, as long as the mail item contains nothing but jewelry or contraband of any kind. Be sure to stick the name and identification number of the inmate on the envelope and never put stickers on the envelope or letter, as this will result in the rejection of the mail. Stickers have been used in the past to introduce illegal substances into the facility, which is why they are so strict with stickers.

All correspondence (with the exception of legal mail) is opened, inspected and read to ensure that there is nothing that poses a threat to the security of the institution, such as evacuation plans, maps, etc. Legal mail can be opened to search for contraband, but only in the presence of the detainee, and is not read. Deposits via Walk InFriends and family members can deposit money by visiting any MoneyGram store, including CVS or Walmart. You must use receipt code 7364. The deposit can be paid for a fee and can be paid in cash or by debit card. You can also deposit through any Western Union location using the Quick Create form. For Western Union, you need to know the ILDOC City code and the IL state. The maximum amount that can be sent is $5,000.

You can create a phone account through Securus by calling 1-800-844-6591 or by visiting their website at securustech.net. We believe that detainees, whether guilty or not, should have constitutional rights and should be able to speak to their lawyer or public defender as intended. We understand that we are living in uncharted times, but we urge our courts to immediately allow our clients to speak to their defence lawyers if possible. Deposit money by mailThe way to send money with the lowest fees is by postal order. Use a U.S. money order payable to « JPAY » that enters the name and occupant identification number in the memo field. You can send money up to $999. You must also complete the deposit form and send it with the money order to the following address: JPAYP.O.

Box 260250Hollywood, FL 33026 For more information on sending money to an inmate, read our guide here. You must format all emails you send to your Illinois inmate as follows:Inmate Name, ID NumberFacility NamePO Box or StreetCity, State, Zip Code Deposit money over the phone Deposit money into your Illinois inmate`s escrow account by calling JPAY at 1-800-574-5729. All offenders may make outbound group calls to anyone on their approved call list. To be placed on an inmate`s approved call list, you must write to the inmate asking them to add you to the list. Once you are on the occupant`s approved call log, they can call you or use the Secrus external call provider. If you only have a mobile phone to answer calls from inmates, you have no choice but to use Securus, as it is the only way for a mobile phone to receive calls from the prison. All calls may be recorded and monitored, unless it is a call from the detainee`s lawyer. You can register with Victim Information and Notices Daily (VINELink). VINE informs victims when a prisoner moves or is about to be released on parole. It is accessible to all.

There is also a link on each prisoner page on the IDOC website to sign up for VINE updates. Inmates are not informed in advance of their new place of residence, so they cannot share this information with their families. No visits are allowed during the first 30 days a prisoner is in an R&C. After that, they may be allowed for limited visits, mail, and phone calls. The calls, which require access to a part of the prison that has private lines and phone lines that are not monitored, have been suspended due to COVID-19 precautions. The lawyers told The Tribune last week that they had been told they might have to wait until the first week of May to speak to a client. Only logged-in users can post comments. Please log in or register if you wish to leave a comment. We do our best to respond to any comments.

We cannot provide legal advice in the comments, so if you have a question or need legal help, please see Getting Legal Help. Offenders have scheduled hours when they can make calls determined by their housing unit schedule. All offender telephone calls are monitored and recorded by departmental staff at all times, unless special arrangements have been made in advance to make or receive an unsupervised lawyer call. All requests for unsupervised lawyer calls must be handled by a member of IDOC`s legal staff. Securus charges you a fee plus a per-minute rate for each call. You may be able to significantly reduce your inmate phone bill by creating your account with a local number at the institution. Learn more about how you can save money on phone calls from your occupants. Each inmate who arrives first goes to a reception and classification centre (R&C). This is called treatment. According to the Illinois Department of Corrections (IDOC) website regarding Illinois inmate rights: IDOC will place each inmate in the most appropriate prison. There are many factors they use to choose a prison for the inmate.

An inmate is not transported to prison until beds are available. This can take anywhere from a week to a year. Any of the following actions may result in a visit restriction of up to 6 months: Submitted by Natanya Pope on Mon, 05/06/2019 – 16:20 Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Wed, 18/12/2019 – 10:54. If contraband is found in the possession of an inmate during or after a visit, it is assumed that you gave it to the inmate during the visit. Submitted by Sarah Peterson on Thu, 06/20/2019 – 10:59. The prison may restrict this access for security reasons. Visits may also be restricted if inmates break certain rules. Rules may vary from prison to prison. However, you should be aware of the standard rules and penalties for violating these rules. Warrants are no longer accepted in any Illinois prison. If you send personal checks and money, the prison will return them to you. All money must be sent via Western Union.

It can also be sent via other exchange offices using the Quick Collect form or via J-Pay. « Sure, these are extraordinary circumstances, but people in custody still have a constitutional right to communicate, » said Sheila Bedi, a law professor at Northwestern University and one of several Chicago lawyers who have filed a lawsuit against IDOC for COVID-related risks to thousands of inmates in Illinois jails.