Cook County Department of Corrections

Horrible living conditions, dangerous, rude and inconsiderate staff, meals low in nutrition, depressing environment, do not recommend.

Not the best place in the world but I've seen worse. They try but it has like 12 different units or divisions and is bigger in population than most prisons are. If you are white, you are a small minority and, if you have any choice, you want to go into a Latin dorm like Division 8. If they stick you in a black dorm, life will be hard for you. The best thing you can probably do is shout "Kings rule- fk the Disciples!!" When you arrive and they'll put you in a People dorm with the Latinos. They won't bother you much. The food at breakfast really sucks. Lunch and supper are better but not real filling. They do feed you though. If you want anything besides the very basics, you have to go to commissary and you need money in your commissary account.

Best Escape Room in town! Very interactive. If you resort to taking the CO's keys, you get beat up. Five stars!

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.

My time working here was nice. The people were nice, the chips and salsa are pretty good.

Ok.Sooooo,today Im reviewing my stay at Cook County Jail.And I HONESTLY have to say it was the BEST experience THIS TIME.No,I didnt wanna go.lol.BUT I figured that as a former inmate that hasnt been locked up in 23 years I should do an HONEST review of what to expect in the unfortunate event that you should become an inmate in 2018.I HOPE YOU DONT BTW.Cook County jail was a NIGHTMARE of a facility years ago.And while I still DO NOT recommend you becoming a visitor I will say they got ALOT better.I did NOT see anyone recieving any PUMPKIN HEADS this time around.NOT ONCE.Cook County jail guards were very nice and respectful for the most part.HUUUUGE difference from what it was back in the 90's.Back then it was normal to see the guards walking up to someone and just straight SMACK THE FUCK out of an inmate just because.Not no more.Im guessing LAWSUITS??? Idk.But I lucked out.I was placed in the workers deck right off the bat due to my low charge.I had a DUI.Gang activity was at a huge low due to my minimum security placement.Although I still had the opportunity to be part of a LOCKDOWN cause an inmate managed to somehow bring a LOADED GUN into the jail.Idk how the fuck he did it.But HE DID.Im guessin' he got arrested and they didnt find the gun so he kept it on him and was PRAYING TO GOD nobody found it till he could get rid if it and not add a gun charge to whatever else he was facing.Either way GOOD FOR HIM!!! Cause HE GOT AWAY with it.Also,I had nooooo problem with the other inmates.Eveeyone was very nice and respectful to me.Addressed me as Don Oscar Im guessin' due to my age.I went in as a NEUTRON despite my past membership of the Insane Twenty Second Latin Folks Organization.Just dont go in there taking NO SHIT and being an asshole or a punk and you'll be ok.It sucks but if you are gonna screw up,DEAL WITH IT.Its gotten waaaaaaay better than in years past.I give them PROPS!!!!

The worst customer service. I call all the numbers I am able to find just to simply inquire about the online application to visit an inmate and no one answers the phone. Literally stay on a call for 5 minutes and it continues to ring. They're a bunch of lazy workers with rude attitudes. I can't stand this place.

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.

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.

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 26th 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.