Southwestern Illinois Correctional Center Inmate Locator

Southwestern Illinois Correctional Center Overview

Southwestern Illinois Correctional Center, often shortened to SWICC, is operated by the Illinois Department of Corrections at 950 Kingshighway Street, East St. Louis, IL 62203. It is a minimum-security adult male facility and is the parent institution for Southwestern Illinois Work Camp. It is not the St. Clair County Jail, and it does not hold ordinary new county arrestees waiting for a first court appearance.

IDOC describes SWICC as a dedicated substance-abuse treatment community. The official facility page says all individuals housed there attend substance-abuse treatment groups five days per week for a minimum of 15 hours per week. The facility opened in August 1995 and consists of 19 buildings totaling more than 195,214 square feet. Living units include four dorm-style housing units, the Work Camp, one 8-bed segregation unit, and a 6-bed health care unit. The site covers 24 acres, with 22 acres enclosed by fencing.

Because SWICC is an IDOC prison, the record path is statewide. A person usually reaches IDOC after sentencing and transfer from county custody. Adult males from St. Clair County may pass through reception and classification before IDOC assigns a facility based on classification, program needs, security level, and bed space. The county jail roster is still useful for recent arrests and local custody, but it should not be used as the primary search tool for sentenced people housed at SWICC.

Southwestern Illinois Correctional Center Capacity and Population

IDOC lists SWICC with an operational capacity of 733 and a population of 507 as of June 30, 2024. The same official facility detail identifies the site as minimum security and adult male. IDOC also listed an average annual cost per individual of $131,164 for FY22. Those figures should be read as state-prison operational data, not county jail population data.

The SWICC count is separate from the St. Clair County Jail count in Belleville. A person in the county jail may be waiting on court action or transfer, while a person at SWICC is in IDOC custody and should have an IDOC number or a state profile. Capacity and population figures for SWICC come from IDOC's facility page, while county jail capacity comes from IDOC jail inspection reports.

How to Look Up an Inmate at Southwestern Illinois Correctional Center

Search SWICC through the IDOC Individual in Custody Search, not through the St. Clair County jail roster. The IDOC locator supports search by last name, IDOC number, or birthdate. It can show IDOC number, birthdate, name, parent institution, offender status, location, photos when available, physical profile, admission date, projected parole date, projected discharge date, sentencing information, and a VINELink registration link.

1. Open the IDOC Individual in Custody Search from the official IDOC site.
2. Select a search method: Last Name, IDOC Number, or Birthdate.
3. Enter the name, IDOC number, or date in the format shown by the IDOC form.
4. Review the result and confirm the parent institution or location is Southwestern Illinois Correctional Center.
5. Use the profile status and facility location before scheduling visits, sending mail, or placing deposits.

If the profile shows another IDOC facility, an in-transit status, parole, discharge, or a location outside SWICC, follow the current IDOC record rather than older county information. If the person is recently arrested in St. Clair County and does not have an IDOC profile, search the county jail roster or call the Belleville jail instead.

Southwestern Illinois Correctional Center Address and Contact

Use SWICC contacts for facility questions, visiting rules, and state-prison mail. The same street address is used for business mail and individual in custody mail, but personal mail should include the individual's full name and IDOC number near the name so IDOC can route it correctly.

Visiting Someone at Southwestern Illinois Correctional Center

IDOC visitation is different from county jail video visitation. Visitors generally need to identify the person and facility, be on the approved visiting list by writing the individual in custody, schedule the visit online, and arrive or log in early. Adult visitors need two forms of identification, including one state-issued photo ID. SWICC's specific video visitation hours are published by IDOC and apply Sunday through Saturday.

Confirm the person's current IDOC location before scheduling. Transfers, classification changes, disciplinary status, medical restrictions, or facility operations can affect whether a visit can proceed.

Mail, Phone, and Money at Southwestern Illinois Correctional Center

IDOC publishes systemwide rules for mail, phone service, and deposits. Individuals in custody cannot receive incoming calls, but they can call approved contacts through IDOC's phone provider. Deposits require the person's IDOC number and last name. Money can be sent through JPay, Western Union/Send2Corrections, MoneyGram, or by money order. Money orders cannot exceed $999.99 and are sent to the JPay lockbox at PO Box 260250, Hollywood, FL 33026.

Reception, Classification, and State Custody

SWICC does not perform street-arrest booking for St. Clair County. County arrest booking happens through the county jail or another law-enforcement holding point. A person reaches IDOC after sentencing and transfer approval, then goes through reception and classification before final placement. Research for St. Clair County notes that adult males may be transferred by the sheriff to IDOC Reception and Classification at Menard Correctional Center, while adult females use Logan Correctional Center reception and classification. IDOC then assigns a facility based on custody level, programming, health, and other institutional factors.

That distinction matters for families searching online. A person arrested yesterday in Belleville may appear in the county jail roster or jail phone system. A person sentenced and moved to state prison should appear in the IDOC locator. If the IDOC profile lists SWICC, use SWICC procedures for mail, visits, phone, and deposits. If the profile lists another parent institution, follow that facility's current rules.

Programs and Oversight at Southwestern Illinois Correctional Center

SWICC's program identity is unusually specific for a state facility in St. Clair County. IDOC describes it as a totally dedicated substance-abuse treatment community where each housed person attends treatment groups five days per week for at least 15 hours. Other programs documented in the research include ABE, advanced ABE, GED, career technologies, custodial maintenance, construction occupations, remedial skills, horticulture, warehousing, AA, NA, Storybook Project, Pell Grant seminars, Salvation Army, life skills, family reunification, Inside Out Dad, fatherhood, anger management and domestic violence programming, parenting, veterans transition, chaplaincy, library, and community work crews.

Oversight is through IDOC as the operating agency. Facility data, location, mission, capacity, population, visitation rules, mail rules, and deposit rules come from IDOC sources rather than the St. Clair County Sheriff's Department. For custody notifications, Illinois VINE can notify registrants of IDOC status changes and transfers, but IDOC states that it does not administer the VINE system.