DIXON Correctional Center

[Forevermah]

downtown, the inmate, if stated on the IDOC website for Dixon, can only have two visits per month on weekends, is only allowed two visits, whether one be from you and one from another friend/person.. he can only have two.

I just looked at Dixon's page on the IDOC site, and it does not state on there, they are limited to only two visits per month per weekend, they don't have anything listed, no limits...

**Visiting Hours - 9:00 a.m. - 9:00 p.m., 7 days a week.
However, no visitor will be allowed in after 7:00 p.m. except for
non-contact visits which will not be allowed in after 8:00 p.m. **

http://www.idoc.state.il.us/subsections/facilities/information.asp?instchoice=dix

I know at some prisons you can only visit 5 times a month and it is stated right on that prisons page on IDOC.

The best thing to do is call and ask for the visiting center and ask them how many visits are allowed.

Mah

[downtownchicago]

Thank you very much for the info.  I was there last Sunday and we agreed I will go out again this Sunday, but that will eat up his two weekend visits and I need to make sure he's aware of the rule !  He probably is but he never mentioned the rule to me, someone else did.

[downtownchicago]

I see what you're saying about visitation limits ... each individual prison's page has varying info.  Dixon hardly has any info, nothing about 2 weekend visits per month.  Shawnee has lots more info, "Visits limited to five per calendar month per offender."

Well, maybe I'll see if I can get (or at least read !) a copy of the visitation rules for Dixon next time I'm out there and post them here.

[snowbunny]

downtown, the inmate, if stated on the IDOC website for Dixon, can only have two visits per month on weekends, is only allowed two visits, whether one be from you and one from another friend/person.. he can only have two.

I just looked at Dixon's page on the IDOC site, and it does not state on there, they are limited to only two visits per month per weekend, they don't have anything listed, no limits...

**Visiting Hours - 9:00 a.m. - 9:00 p.m., 7 days a week.
However, no visitor will be allowed in after 7:00 p.m. except for
non-contact visits which will not be allowed in after 8:00 p.m. **

http://www.idoc.state.il.us/subsections/facilities/information.asp?instchoice=dix

Weekend visits are limited to 2 a month at 4 hrs each. Your best bet is weekdays as these are unlimited time wise and as to how many I go at noon and stay till 9 if I go during the week. Most do have time limite during the week but not Dixon. The play area however does have a time limit if there are children waiting to get in and that varies on how long the list of waiting children is can range from 30 minutes to  2 hours in the play area. Only 2 inamtes are allowed in the play area at a time also.

I know at some prisons you can only visit 5 times a month and it is stated right on that prisons page on IDOC.

The best thing to do is call and ask for the visiting center and ask them how many visits are allowed.
 
 

[downtownchicago]

My fiend is in Dixon.  Met him through a penpal web site in Feb and paid my first visit in May during the lockdown.  From all I've read and heard, Dixon is probably the best facility.  I hope the Dixon admins don't take away too many privileges after the hostage incident.

[downtownchicago]

I noticed people walking outside in that patio area last time I was there.  Just 2 couples.  I think they were brought back in by 4pm though, for count presumably, and after that nobody went out.  Not sure if 4pm is the latest you can be out there or it was just that nobody else wanted to go out after that.  I told my friend I'd like to walk out there if it's not too hot.  Is the number of people allowed to walk outside limited too, just like the play area ?  I'm assuming all you can do is hold hands, no arms around waists or smooching.

It was downright chilly in the visiting room last time I was there, nice to know they've got good air conditioning for those hot summer days coming up.  The lobby area was nicely AC'd too.

[Dazzler]

Yes, Downtown, Dixon is noted as one of the better places for inmates.  The inmate that created the statewide lockdown was mentally ill and that caused the rest of the Dixon population to suffer a long lockdown.  The psychiatric unit in now off lockdown also, as of Tuesday.  Hopefully Dixon can get back to normal now...but I'm sure there will be some lingering security changes following that hostage situation.  It's a shame that one can cause so much chaos for others and tightening of security measures...a step backwards....

[Jims]

In fact, the repercussions from the incident at Dixon have been felt at other prisons as well. At Menard, any inmate classified as a sex offender who had a job working around any female staff were fired. And of course, the c/o's are all, shall we say, on edge about this latest incident? They don't seem to be able to keep it in perspective - that this was one mentally ill inmate who did a very bad thing.

[Dazzler]

Perhaps this is the wrong forum to discuss this....but I have an issue with female non-DOC staff working with inmates.  I don't understand it.  I don't understand why these women take these jobs knowing the possibility of this happening.  I don't understand all the trouble at Dwight CC either.  So many male CO's have been fired in another sex scandal at Dwight, in the past few months.  Although this one hasn't been publicized like previous scandals.  I know this will cause a flurry of comment but I've seen many female staff members in prisons who flit around the inmates, flirt with them and dress in what I consider inappropriately for a prison setting.  Many dress in outfits that visitors would not be permitted to wear.  I'm certainly not saying they 'deserved' what happened to them...they were horrific incidents, but geez, don't the female support staff realize this is always a possibiltiy???  They are always at risk when working closely with male inmates.  Although we all agree that not every inmate is a danger to anyone, but there are those that are very dangerous and why are they interacting alone with female non-security staff?   Are there no male psychiatrists available? 

Maybe I'm naive about this but I was shocked to learn from my ex-inmate the physical things that female officers are allowed to participate in...strip searches,  watching male inmates in the showers, etc...isn't prison life degrading enough.... but to be further subjected to this humiliation??? 

[downtownchicago]

I wasn't aware that there were non-officer females working in the prisons except maybe medical staff, and now that you've enlightened me I completely agree with you.  It seems to me to be a safety issue if nothing else ... an untrained female not carrying the standard defensive equipment could no doubt be easily be overcome by any adult male !

Regarding female officers watching strip searches and showers ... if we don't tolerate male officers watching female inmates in such situations, we shouldn't tolerate female officers watching male inmates.

[Jims]

We could probably have a whole new topic here, but I'll reply anyway. I absolutely agree about the female staff members. I'll go one step further and say how I disagree with female officers being able to work in a male facility. The only reason they do so is for the money. Most of the time, it's easy money at that. There's one female officer on J's gallery who always comes to his cell and asks to borrow his magazines, because she knows (from passing them out) that I send him good magazines - including Cosmo and other magazines marketed to women if they have something in them I want him to read. She sits in the office for hours reading!! I know they have the right to work as officers, but why oh why would they want to? And if they answer that question with, "because it pays well" then I can only assume they have assessed the risks and have decided it's worth it. Same with non-c/o staff. The risks have to include rape! Some of these guys haven't had sex in years. Many are mentally unstable, and not just the ones who are in psych units. Assault, hostage situations, or even just being flirted with can all put both staff and inmate at risk. J says some of the female c/o's are very chatty, very friendly and he goes out of his way to not make eye contact or give more than cursory responses IF a response is absolutely necessary because any comment can be taken the wrong way. It isn't fair to the inmates. But the bigger problem has to be the very real risk that these female staff members are taking.

I wouldn't care if they'd accept the risk and handle it when the inevable happens. The same goes for anyone working at any risky job: the guy working with gators really can't complain and cry about being bitten now can he?

[Dazzler]

Oh Downtown, I guess I failed to mention that yes, the reverse situation with male guards and female inmates also applies within the DOC.  There have been many, many stories out of Dwight CC...regarding inappropriate behavior of males guards.  There are males guarding females in all Illinois' women's prisons.

Thanks Jims, I thought maybe I was outta line here...but it's something that's bugged me for a long time....I guess my thoughts aren't that unusual then...

[downtownchicago]

Wow, going to an inmate's cell to borrow magazines ???  That seems like a total breach of conduct.  And what position does that put the inmate in ?  If the inmate declines, I can only imagine the treatment to come.

In another prison-related forum, a very young woman (early 20's) who seemed horribly flakey to me claimed she'd become a CO at a DR unit at a male prison.  She made a joke about watching the inmates showering, and I was aghast.  I'd like to think that COs are highly trained professionals, but if this woman is a CO, well, let's just say I'm not feeling too good about the situation.  :-/

[Jims]

I don't know what to think about male guards and female inmates. I think they're probably necessary -- but, they shouldn't be able to do strip searches or watch them in the showers. I think having them in the general vicinity in case help is needed should be good enough. Most of the time, I have to assume the female officers would be able to handle any problems with female inmates. But, at the risk of sounding sexist, it is probably a necessary evil to have male officers there for security purposes as well.

Why is it that the problems with sexual assaults between male guards and female inmates don't make the news, but if a male inmate so much as touches a female staffer inappropriately she cries rape? I'm currently reading a book called "Prison Madness" by psychiatrist and professor Terry Kupers. Here is an excerpt from the chapter about rape:

"While incarcerated at Dwight Correctional Center in Illinois, Zelda was raped repeatedly by a correctional officer. The first time, he entered her cell at night, hit her in the face, handcuffed her to her bed, and raped her vaginally and anally. Then he took off the handcuffs and left her cell. She was taken to the emergency room of a local hospital where a physical exam revealed she had been raped. She was returned to her cell and raped twice more by the same guard. No real investigation ever occurred, and he was never punished."

[Jims]

Wow, going to an inmate's cell to borrow magazines ???  That seems like a total breach of conduct.  And what position does that put the inmate in ?  If the inmate declines, I can only imagine the treatment to come.

The acting warden has now put out a directive to the officers saying "no reading" while on duty. Can you imagine having such a directive at any other job? Doesn't that sort of go without saying???

[snowbunny]

I do not know about the patip as our son has asthma and needs to be in the air but I will ask Officer Thomas tonite he will let me know.

[Dazzler]

LOL...oh my, you really don't know about IDOC CO's then.  I don't mean to laugh, but they are not highly trained to do much of anything...except maybe babysit.  The position only requires a high school diploma and a few weeks training in the academy.  Most of our prisons are in very economically depressed areas of the state and the CO's who apply are usually not employable at other trades.  They receive an excellent benefit package from the state and are definately well-paid for doing little work.  It's certainly not rocket-science.  I heard one CO in visiting say he makes $42,000 to just sit on his ass all day....I don't mean to sound derogatory...but most of the CO's come from farm communities and they have that mentality.  We are in a private forum, aren't we...LOL???

[downtownchicago]

I'm certainly getting an education this year.  I knew nothing at all about prisons prior to February.  This definitely gives me an entirely new perspective.

[Scout]

Didn't it say in the article for Thomson that only a 10th grade education was required?

[Dazzler]

Oh, so they're lowering their standards?