Cook County Department of Corrections

It’s JAIL! Don’t ever ever go here… Even if you’re picking someone up, make them walk 5 blocks away to meet you! Stay away… It’s jail. THIS IS MY REVIEW

I have been coming into CCJ as a volunteer for a good number of years now and it is the high point of my week every week. As the weeks have added together into years it has walked away with my most prized experience year after year.
Coming here has taught me that I cannot receive but by giving. My years of trying to gain for myself by taking always availed less and less until I was left with little more than too much stuff and too many things. Nothing more.
I bring an AA meeting directly to offenders who sit in each other’s rot all day with no hope and no inspiration to break their cycles of relapse and failure. I bring hope to them and I can see it come back to me in their smiles and expressions of gratitude. There is nothing like it in the world!
I read a lot about the intolerance and ignorance of the guards but my extended experience has been the polar opposite. I get out of my relationships with them what I put into them. Nothing more and nothing less. They are exposed to extreme toxic behavior that comes down from the top and up from the bottom every single day. I might end up acting out my own hostilities if I had to experience the poisonous environment that they vocationally live in. I challenge any normal human to tell me they wouldn’t!
But when I leave my AA experience and am able to walk out the front door a free man, I experience the sensation of flight for a brief moment. A total free fall escape from the dungeons and back into my life which, for these few moments, seems so blessed and blissful by comparison to what I have just experienced.

The men and women who work in this place should be given credit for the service that they provide and the sacrifices that they have made. Ask yourself, would you work here?.

Good service, limited selection but better than other institutions. All in all not worth the trip.

First of all let me mention that I’m not a low life thug. I hold a Bachelor’s degree in business administration and two separate minors, film and marketing, from the University of Wisconsin. I had never been incarcerated before my experience with Cook County. Long story short, I was trying to get a tenant to pay his rent and we ended up getting into a physical altercation. The tenant, an ex gang banger, beat the tar out of me. CPD shows up, and I get arrested. The CPD charged ME with domestic assault! No, I’m not making this up. The dead beat tenant actually tried pushing the domestic charge through family court. The family court judge was disgusted the case was ever brought against me and tossed the whole thing out.
My three days in Cook County Jail was a learning experience. This place is the biggest money making scam ever! I met all sorts of individuals locked up there that were arrested over PETTY NONSENSE! It became clear to me that the top priority of Cook County is to lock up as many people as possible over any little nit pick item the CPD can come with. The judges, the lawyers, the deputies, the guards, the cooks, and the cleaners are making out good on this little racket… And yes there are obviously some dangerous people in Chicago that need to be incarcerated; but what I’m saying is that the CPD and the sheriff’s department are definitely involved in incarcerating non violent low level offenders in an attempt to help support their prison industrial complex.
They’re all making a killing at this jail! It’s all about the money. The real criminals are the Cook County Jail government employees sucking the Illinois budget dry with their fat cat salaries, benefits, and retirement packages. You should see the personal vehicles these jail guards are leaving work in. UNBELIEVABLE! The more people they lock up over nothing, the more money gets siphoned through their many making scam. The bottom line is this place is a crooked dishonest money making racket.
The treatment of visiting family and friends at this facility should also be an area of concern. Why is it necessary for the sheriff’s department to make it a miserable experience for visitors making an effort to help a loved one or a friend? I’m just astonished the federal government hasn’t investigated the abusive manner in which this facility is operated. What is the point of subjecting poor parents and family members to rude and hostile, over paid, ignorant sheriff’s employees’?
Also worth mentioning, was how nasty and ignorant and heartless the African American sheriffs and guards were. You’d think a group of people that had been subjected to such cruelty through the years would have some kind of compassion for the under privelaged and the poor. NOPE! How do these black guards get turned into such stupid bullies? They have no heart and even screw their own «brothers» over worse than the other non-​black inmates.
This joke of a facility is a money making scam falsely advertised as a jail. GREEDY HYPOCRITE LIARS! Every last one of these Cook County Jail employees parades around as if they’re some kind of community pillar; when in reality they’re scum sucking criminals, worse than the people they’re locking up. And I didn’t even get into how the local Chicago system is using this place to house mentally ill individuals that should be getting treatment in a mental health facility. The jail is a very dark place indeed.

Came in for the first time to visit a friend, & I let me just say some of these correctional officers are the most ignorant employees I’ve ever met. When I arrived, no one knew the number to call the cell block where my friend was at. It took them 20 minutes just to locate the number. I then asked if they had any information on how to put money on my friend’s books & one employee answered with «No we don’t, but the inmate can tell you».
The jail itself has no visitor signs along the wall, so it’s easy to get lost or open the wrong door and sound the alarm! When I finally saw my friend, I asked him about his books and he said he didn’t know or have any information on that. He apparently also tried to get answers for his questions, but every employee also dodged his questions. It’s almost as if they purposely make your visit as a visitor just as horrible as if you were an inmate. I’ve visited a much more larger prison/​penitentiary in California where the employees there know how to be amicable, yet firm when need be.
I am not & never have been arrested or in jail. My review is solely based as a civilian visitor and not a biased employee or inmate.

People always come back so i guess its nice.
When u visit your treated as a criminal but the inmates hootin and hollering boosts your self esteem a bit.
Parking sucks. Expect to sit around forever to pick up the loved/​hated one you posted bail for.

My criminal history consists only of a few speeding tickets. But in the middle of winter of 2006 – 2007, I kept trying to call my boyfriend’s cell until it wouldn’t go to voicemail anymore. Convinced I’d done something to piss him off, I called his home phone and was told by his dad, «M’s in jail.» He went onto explain that he’d met up with a friend, they bought some drugs in the city, and they got busted. Somehow, the buddy got away…
I had the money, but I wasn’t going to bail the jerk out of jail. Instead, I called CCJ to find out the visitation hours. I wanted to verbally rip him a new one when I arrived. Learning about visitation hours, and prisoner locations, was easy with the automated phone system.
I arrived with a friend on a weekday evening. Two twenty-​something girls off of 26^th and California, we walked around the premises for awhile before finding where we needed to be. Come on, CCJ, put up some signs! One labeled «VISITORS» wouldn’t hurt. Do they really want people wandering around the compound and surrounding city blocks?
Getting through security was somewhat time-​consuming, but it wasn’t excruciating. We were directed to another building, and I could not believe we had to walk across the compound to find a building. It seemed unsafe, even with prisoners behind bars, to wander around jail property. Take someone with you if you’re visiting.
The man in the building who checked in visitors was your typical stonefaced employee, but didn’t seem too irate with our presence.
Here’s the disappointment: Visitation is nothing like the movies. I really just wanted to talk on one of those cool phones. Did I? No. There’s a big plexiglass window, and a metal speaker like in a currency exchange, to converse with each other. Boring!
3 stars for the automated system and low hassle on visitation. I would’ve liked to be escorted to visitation though. Doesn’t feel safe in the surrounding area, despite police presence.

After being arrested and spending 48hours in various jails, courtrooms police cars and buses, and finding out you haven’t the means to post bail, Cook County Jail is the WORST place you can end up going to. Before receiving your cell, you go through a rigorous test of endurance with about 150 other people (10% of which are on the ground seizing from delirium tremens). You go through 3 or 4 x ray machines, some fast paced interview which decides whether you get strapped to a padded cell or released into gen. pop., multiple chain link cages with telephones that only call land lines and (through word of mouth I have discovered) cost $ 25 a call. Some obese guy yells a lot, more people puke, you get a professional portrait taken, free health check up– the whole thing takes about 8 hours. You get some clothes, some cops make fun of you and give you a XXXXL when you wear a small (yes that happened), you sit on a pile of dirty towels, its great.
Then they push you in a cell. You have a great conversation with your cell mate about guns, drugs, beating wives, gangs and money. You climb up to your vinyl lined, feces filled mattress oozing with some shit that you don’t spend enough time looking at or you’ll get sick and try and sleep, but someone is screaming and being taken away to the psych ward. They feed you starch and sugar with a little mustard.
Overall, the chef’s treatment of the sandwiches is repulsive. These meals were the most expensive meals i’ve ever eaten and they come to me WRAPPED IN CELOPHANE??? DROPPED THROUGH A SLIT IN A DOOR? Where’s the humanity? Who are these people cooking the food, convicted felons!!!
The wait was RIDICULOUS! Not only did i wait 8 hours to get that goddamn meal, it took me 8 hours to leave the goddamn joint!
Furthermore the atmosphere was unappetizing. I’m not paying for a meal in a joint that looks like my elementary school; but hell, at least the patrons were dressed appropriately.
The waitstaff were mongrels! Not once was I check up on during my stay, no roomservice, no concierge, NOTHING. WHAT IS THIS… RUSSIA!!!
FUCK, I’m never going back.

I have had multiple experiences at the «county hotel». Ranging from 2 – 35 days. More often for silly grievances such as driving without license and insurance, posession, and pubilic drinking, etc. If you’ve ever said to yourself «I wonder what it is like to be handled like a peice of meat in the stockyard?» First they cart a paddy wagon full of then to the county court house. Then you’re actually herded into large open holding pens. THen you’re marked with bright brilliant colors on your forearm and upper arm. Just like cattle! Given a ration of bologna and bread with a packet of mustard (this is the only part that really differs from a slaughter house because i heard they fatten the beef up a little bit before they cut their heads off).
For most misdemeanors you’re given either minimum or medium security. It’s a little safer in there than in maxium security, obviously. There several things you will come to understand though. #1 Street gangs really run Chicago. #2 If you’re not in a street gang you’re not going to have the best of time there. Gangs dictate where you sleep, where you eat, what you watch on the television, what you do during yard breaks, when you use the phone, etc. I am fortunate to be large enough to get past most of the gang bang knucklhead sh! t, but even the biggest guy is no match for a group of street gangs in county jail. Keep to yourself, but remember this don’t let anyone punk you. It is a sure sign of weakness and they’ll move in. They’re like dogs oonce they smell fear, they go crazy but, stand your ground and you won’t run into many problems.
Once I was in max security for awhile that sucked. It’s bad because while you’re case may not actually carry a lengthy prison stay, someone else might be looking at going away for along time, and had nothing to lose. I was lucky to have the charges dropped so I didn’t have to stay for that long. If you go here you’re probably already in deep sh! t. You should worry about a good lawyer at that point.
Bottom line is this is the worst by far, it’s even worse than state prison. The only caviat is you can smoke cigarettes in there.
Lesson learned; Keep the license clean, have insurance, drink out of sight of police, don’t start fights, or finish them.

One of my all time favorite place to shank someone.

I also highly recommend this facility for a quick get-​a-​way from your daily job or routine. You will meet some of Chicago’s finest group of folks. I had a very similar experience as the gentleman below however could not give it a 5 star rating due to the only very brief examination given by the doctor, they could have been a little more thorough.

A unique and memorable lodging and dining experience in Chicago can be found here. The personal service and hospitality I received here are second to none.
They will come and pick you up anywhere in Chicago and personally escort you to the front desk to be sure that you find it OK and arrive safely as you are dropped off in front of most places.
Guest services took a while to check me in but the personal attention that I received was outstanding. They held on to all my personal items and kept them securely stored. The person who took my personal items was carrying a weapon so I knew that anyone who tried to mess with my stuff would really have it coming. They gathered as much personal information from me as they could in order to fine tune my experience. They loudly spoke to the group of people waiting to check in with short easy to understand terms probably for those who may have been hard of hearing.
I was able to wait in a glass enclosed room with about 30 other guests who were waiting to have their rooms prepared for them. The glass enclosure gave the room a stylish look that complimented the concrete walls nicely making for a stylish effect. The glass was also bullet proof for our safety and security. I must have been surrounded by some of the top legal minds in Chicago as they were all very concerned with their upcoming court cases.
Since it was taking so long to have our rooms prepared for us they offered us a complimentary meal. The waiter delivered individually wrapped sandwiches to us. I was impressed that they placed such a high regard on sanitation by individually wrapping each sandwich. The meat was nothing like I have ever tasted before. It was not hot or cold but at room temperature where it was perfect for eating. The portion could have been larger but I can forgive this as it was nothing like I have ever tasted before in my life. They must enjoy striving on uniqueness.
We have just been told that our rooms are ready. I am looking forward to reviewing the rest of my experience in 3 – 5.