Pinckneyville Correctional Center Overview
Pinckneyville Correctional Center is a medium-security prison for adult men, operated by the Illinois Department of Corrections at 5835 State Route 154 in Pinckneyville. It opened in October 1998 and is led by a warden the state lists as John Barwick. Everyone here is in state custody after sentencing, which sets it apart from the county jail that handles new arrests and pre-trial cases.
The prison is large. State records describe 19 buildings totaling 434,000 square feet on 148 acres, with five housing units. Four are dedicated to general population, and one combines two general-population wings with two restrictive-housing wings. Pinckneyville also serves as the parent institution for the Du Quoin Impact Program and the Murphysboro Life Skills Re-Entry Center, which ties several state programs in the area back to this facility.
Pinckneyville Correctional Center Capacity and Population
By raw head count, Pinckneyville Correctional Center holds far more people than the county jail, but they are a different population entirely. The state lists an operational capacity of 2,827, based on an August 2022 bed-space census, and a population of 1,756 as of June 30, 2024. The state also reported an average annual cost of $30,227 per individual for an earlier fiscal year.
That 1,756 figure is the prison count alone. It should not be added to the county jail's much smaller inspection count, because the two describe separate systems, as the Perry County inmate population overview explains.
Who Is Held at Pinckneyville Correctional Center
Everyone at Pinckneyville Correctional Center is an adult man serving a sentence in state custody. This is a medium-security facility, so its population is sentenced individuals rather than the mix of newly arrested and pre-trial people found at a county jail. The distinction is the single most useful thing to understand before searching for someone, because looking in the wrong system wastes time.
The prison's layout reflects that role. Four of its five housing units are dedicated to general population, and the fifth combines two general-population wings with two restrictive-housing wings. Sentencing in Perry County does not by itself send a person here, since the state assigns facilities through classification, and a person sentenced locally could end up at any state prison.
How to Look Up an Inmate at Pinckneyville Correctional Center
A person at Pinckneyville Correctional Center is searched through the state locator, not the county jail channels. The state system works by name or by the assigned state identification number, and it covers people in state custody across all of its prisons.
- Open the IDOC Individual in Custody Search on the state corrections website.
- Search by the person's name, or by their IDOC number when you have it.
- Confirm the result shows Pinckneyville Correctional Center as the current facility.
- Open the profile for custody status, offense and sentence information, and facility contact.
Searches run through the IDOC Individual in Custody Search, the statewide locator for sentenced people in state custody.
A newly arrested person in Perry County will not appear here unless they have been sentenced and transferred into state custody.
Pinckneyville Correctional Center Inmate Contact
The prison sits outside the downtown area on State Route 154. General questions about custody, visitation, and facility operations go through the numbers below, while inmate lookups stay on the state locator.
Pinckneyville Correctional Center
5835 State Route 154
Pinckneyville, IL 62274
618-357-9722
Fax: 618-357-2083
Visiting Someone at Pinckneyville Correctional Center
Prison visitation is more structured than a county jail visit. The state says visitors must sign up in advance through an online scheduling link, and it lists set video visitation windows each day of the week. Visitors should log on to the video system about 15 minutes before the scheduled start, and the state provides links for visitor accommodations and its visitation rules.
| Day | Hours | Type |
|---|---|---|
| Sunday - Saturday | 8:00 a.m. - 9:00 a.m. | Video |
| Sunday - Saturday | 1:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m. | Video |
| Sunday - Saturday | 6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. | Video |
Note: Advance signup is required, so arrange a visit ahead of time and confirm current rules with the prison, since schedules and accommodations can change.
Inmate Mail and Money at Pinckneyville Correctional Center
State prison mail follows a strict format that differs from county jail mail. Mail to a person in custody should carry the individual's name and IDOC number, then the facility address. Money for people in state custody runs through the state's deposit services and approved vendors, not the county jail commissary, and the state has its own incoming-mail and publication rules.
| Service | Provider / Detail |
|---|---|
| Mail address | Individual name and IDOC number, 5835 State Route 154, Pinckneyville, IL 62274 |
| Video / phone | State-contracted video visitation and phone services |
| Money deposit | IDOC deposit services and state-approved vendors |
Do not use county jail booking-number language for a person at Pinckneyville. Once someone is in state custody, the IDOC number is the key identifier for mail, money, and the locator.
Inmate Reception at Pinckneyville Correctional Center
People do not arrive at Pinckneyville straight off a street arrest. A person enters state custody after being sentenced, then goes through reception and classification, where the state assesses security level, programming needs, and facility placement. Sentencing in Perry County does not guarantee placement at Pinckneyville, because classification can send a person to any state facility. A county jail booking record is event based, tracking arrest, intake, and release, while a state record is sentence based, built around the IDOC number, the current facility, and the sentence itself.
The move from the county jail to a state prison is the dividing line for searches. While a case is pre-trial, the person is reached through the Perry County Jail channels. Once sentenced and transferred, the search shifts to the state locator, and the facility may be Pinckneyville or another prison.
From the Perry County Jail to State Prison
The path into Pinckneyville runs through the courts and the county jail first. A person stays a county jail and court case while pre-trial. If they are convicted and sentenced to state time, they are transferred from the county jail into state custody, and only then does the state locator become the place to look.
Several things change at that handoff. The person picks up a state identification number that becomes the key for the locator, mail, and money. Mail shifts to the state format with that number, and visitation and deposits move onto state systems. If a person disappears from the county jail channels after sentencing, the state locator is almost always the next search, and the facility shown there may be Pinckneyville or another state prison.
About Pinckneyville Correctional Center
The state describes the prison's mission as protecting the public through humane and secure incarceration of adult men in custody, based on legislative and judicial decisions, while encouraging responsibility and mature decision making. A recent state annual report highlights sustainability work at the facility, including energy conservation, waste reduction, recycling, and efficient supply management.
The capacity figure has a specific basis worth noting. The state says the operational capacity of 2,827 reflects a bed-space capacity census conducted in August 2022, and it counts health care, crisis, restricted housing, protective custody, isolation, and reception beds, along with future beds down for repair. That is why the operational capacity is much higher than the June 2024 population, and why the two numbers are not a simple measure of crowding. Read together, they show a large facility running below its full bed space on that date.
For families and friends, the practical point is that this is a state prison, not the county jail. A person arrested by the Perry County Sheriff's Office normally starts at the county jail, not here, unless they are already in state custody or were transferred after sentencing. The Du Quoin Impact Program, a state program tied to this prison, is covered on the Du Quoin Impact Program page.
The prison also anchors a small network of state programs in the area. As the parent institution for the Du Quoin Impact Program and the Murphysboro Life Skills Re-Entry Center, decisions about those programs trace back to Pinckneyville. That structure is part of why the state locator, rather than a single facility address, is the dependable way to confirm where a person actually is at any given time.
Note: Confirm custody and visitation with the prison or the state locator before traveling, since transfers and scheduling rules can change a visit on short notice.