Cook County overview

Use the Sheriff’s live custody locator with the person’s first and last name or booking ID. Enter the ID without its hyphen. Save the booked name, booking ID, division and tier together; the same identifiers are needed for visits, mail and money.

A housing label can contain both a division, such as DIV2 or DIV08, and a tier, such as 2B or Q1. A move within the jail can change the destination even when the booking ID stays the same. Check again before leaving home.

Sources: Sheriff: custody locator and visitor approval · Sheriff: suspended timetables and housing help

The main jail address is 2700 S. California Avenue, Chicago, IL 60608. It is not a universal entrance for every appointment. Match the division on the current booking record to the appointment’s instructions.

The Sheriff also lists Division II, Division III Annex and Division XVI as active housing. Division III Annex is distinct from inactive Division III. Division I is listed inactive and Division IV closed. Some older video contact lists still name Division IV; that listing does not establish that it has reopened. Ask Visitor Information to resolve any conflicting division label.

Sources: Sheriff: active and inactive divisions · Sheriff: authorized property pickup · Sheriff: deposits, commissary and cash-out · Cook County Health: Cermak and release prescriptions

1. Find the person’s locator entry. Use its registration option to submit a visitor application for each adult visitor. Match your legal name and address to your identification.
2. Allow for the background review. The Visitor Information Center says to wait seven business days before asking about status. Submission alone is not approval.
3. Schedule after approval. Open the in-person appointment system, enter the booking ID and current division, select the available date and time, and retain the confirmation. The published allowance is one visit per week.

Do not plan from an old division timetable: the Sheriff expressly says those tables are not being followed. A division transfer does not require a new application; release followed by a new incarceration does.

Visitor Information: 773-674-8225 or 773-674-8194. The FAQ lists Monday–Friday, 10 a.m.–9 p.m. The scheduler lists DOC.visitation@ccsheriff.org for assistance. Ask about unavailable appointments, late arrival, long-distance needs or a denied application before making a nonrefundable trip.

Sources: Sheriff: custody locator and visitor approval · Visitor Information Center FAQ · Sheriff: current appointment instructions · Sheriff: suspended timetables and housing help

Save your booking and appointment details where you can retrieve them before storing belongings. Ask the center about storage, necessary infant supplies, medical items and any identification mismatch in advance. The reviewed rules do not give a dependable universal infant-item list or a fixed early-arrival allowance; follow your confirmation and obtain an answer for your circumstances.

Sources: Sheriff: current appointment instructions · Sheriff: custody locator and visitor approval

Cook’s published family video process uses an active Microsoft Teams account with an email address. The person in custody must add you to the visiting list; division staff then contact you to schedule. Creating a Teams account does not itself reserve a visit.

1. Give the person the same name and email you will use in Teams.
2. Before the appointment, sign in and test your camera, microphone and internet connection. Choose a quiet, private setting and keep the invitation available.
3. If staff do not contact you or the connection fails, call the current division’s video contact with the booking ID and appointment details. Ask whether another session can be arranged.

Drinking, smoking, nudity and other prohibited conduct can end the visit or privileges. Cook’s reviewed page does not publish a universal session length or rescheduling guarantee. Division IV’s older contact is omitted here because the housing directory identifies that division as closed.

Sources: Sheriff: family video visits · Sheriff: active and inactive divisions

For jail disability accommodations, call 773-674-7768 or email CCSO.ADA@ccsheriff.org. Advance notice may be needed. Provide the division, appointment date, your contact information and the specific assistance needed: for example an accessible entrance, mobility-device screening or communication support.

Ask where to meet staff and what confirmation to bring. A bus or station marked accessible does not establish an accessible path through every jail entrance. If a medical item, service animal or infant supply affects screening, raise that with the accommodation contact and Visitor Information before traveling.

Court access is a separate arrangement. Leighton’s interpreter office is in Room 4B02, 773-674-3210. The courthouse currently lists its children’s room as closed; plan childcare rather than relying on that service.

Sources: Sheriff: current appointment instructions · Sheriff: suspended timetables and housing help · Circuit Court: Leighton courthouse, parking and access

Before sending money, name the task: receiving calls, sending a message or buying commissary. A successful deposit to one service does not prove money reached another. Keep the amount, date, transaction number and provider support number together so a failed or misdirected payment can be traced.

Cook’s old cash-bond instructions concern a different purpose. Illinois ended monetary bail in September 2023; read the court and release section before paying anyone who claims a current criminal release requires an old-style cash-bail deposit.

Sources: Sheriff: phone accounts and blocking · Sheriff: electronic messaging · Sheriff: deposits, commissary and cash-out · Illinois Supreme Court: pretrial changes

For prepaid calls to your number, create a ConnectNetwork AdvancePay account, select the facility and fund the receiving phone number. Follow the call’s acceptance prompt. Provider support is 877-650-4249; requests to block custody calls go to 866-516-0115.

The Sheriff currently posts call rates of 5¢ per minute for local, intrastate and interstate calls, 8¢ for Mexico/Canada and 13¢ for other international calls. Review the provider’s current rate and fee disclosures before paying. The posted per-minute rate is not a promise that every payment method is fee-free.

Messages: the Sheriff links family messaging to GettingOut and posts 6¢ for an outgoing family message, with replies from the person in custody free. Messages are reviewed; blocked prohibited messages are not refundable. Do not send privileged attorney communication through ordinary family messaging. Attorneys should follow the Sheriff’s separate non-recorded-number registration instructions.

Sources: Sheriff: phone accounts and blocking · Sheriff: electronic messaging · ConnectNetwork: AdvancePay

The Sheriff's mail FAQ still gives this address for personal letters, checked September 28, 2026. Match the booking record rather than a nickname; obtain the booking number from the locator or 773-674-5245. Add your complete return address and keep copies of important contents.

Before changing addresses: the Sheriff links an additional mail-process notice, but its instructions and linked service could not be verified in this review. No offsite processor, compulsory scanning requirement, effective date, or original-mail retention/destruction period was established. The published physical address remains the verified option; do not substitute an address from another county or prison.

Legal correspondence and publications: a separate current delivery address and complete legal-envelope/inspection procedure were not established. Before sending confidential originals, counsel should ask the Mailroom about attorney identification, required envelope wording, protected opening/handling and the proper destination; the published Legal Office number is 773-674-7683. Do not use ordinary family messaging as a substitute for the confirmed confidential channel. Before ordering books or magazines, ask the Mailroom to confirm the seller, address and recipient's restrictions; the general quantity rule is explained below.

Sources: Sheriff: mail address and rejection appeals · Sheriff: additional mail-process notice · Sheriff: Mailroom menu and Legal Office contacts

Ordinary mail cannot contain clothing, food, hygiene products, medications, medical supplies, identification cards, jewelry, stamps or writing implements. The Sheriff's restrictions also cover metal/wood/glass objects, adhesive materials, pictures showing weapons, money or gang signs, double-backed Polaroids, plastic sentiment cards, musical cards and very large cards. No universal photo-size or photo-count limit was verified; ask the Mailroom before paying for prints.

The published limit is 3 paperback books or magazines per mailing. Daily newspapers are prohibited, but the rule expressly excludes clippings, articles and other material printed on newsprint from that newspaper ban. This exception does not override other content or security restrictions. The quantity ceiling does not approve every title, seller or shipping method: confirm with 773-674-5245, option 9, before ordering.

Writing to someone in another correctional institution: the Sheriff requires prior approval from both wardens. Do not forward correspondence to bypass that approval.

A current approved family-package catalog and the request procedure for supplies for people without funds were not established. Ask the person to raise essential hygiene or writing-supply needs with housing staff or the Correctional Liaison. Individual in Custody Services also includes law and public librarians who help with legal research and finding reading material. Families can call 773-674-1979 to locate the appropriate service. A retail package is not a verified substitute for these channels.

Sources: Sheriff: prohibited items and correspondence restrictions · Sheriff: Mailroom menu and Legal Office contacts · Sheriff: custody services and liaison staff

Use the exact booked name and booking ID. The Sheriff lists these electronic options:

Mail accepts postal money orders up to $100 and cashier’s checks up to $1,000 per instrument, payable using the booked name and booking ID. Send to the Cook jail address above; do not send cash. The Sheriff allows up to five business days after receipt for processing. Retain the purchase receipt before mailing.

The published weekly commissary spending limit is $100. For a missing deposit, have the receipt available and call trust-account staff at 773-674-6864, 8 a.m.–4 p.m. Released people can collect remaining funds with government photo ID at Division V, 9 a.m.–8:30 p.m. For mailed funds or a transfer to another facility, call the same office; forwarding follows the address-on-file and written-request rules. These hours differ from property pickup.

Sources: Sheriff: deposits, commissary and cash-out

The Circuit Court lists a parking garage at the southeast corner of 26th Street and California Boulevard. Its listed users include jurors, attorneys, subpoenaed witnesses and their family, police and court employees. That is not confirmation of free or unrestricted parking for a jail visit.

Before entering, check eligibility, closing time, the full charge and whether you can retrieve your vehicle after the appointment. No reliable current public visitor rate or evening/weekend access guarantee was established for that garage. Ask Visitor Information at 773-674-8225 about parking serving your division and accessible drop-off.

California Avenue and California Boulevard appear separately in official addresses and bus-stop lists. Keep the complete street name in your directions. A courthouse destination at 2600 S. California is different from Division V at 2700 S. California and the divisions nearer 31st Street.

Sources: Circuit Court: Leighton courthouse, parking and access · Sheriff: active and inactive divisions · Visitor Information Center FAQ

CTA’s published stop lists identify these approaches. The route 60 list is dated August 18, 2026; routes and stop directions were reviewed September 26. These are stop locations, not live arrival predictions.

CTA lists all buses as accessible. Check elevator and route alerts for the day of travel and plan the return trip around your likely finish time. For trip planning, RTA assistance is 312-836-7000. The stop table does not certify curb, sidewalk or jail-entry accessibility.

Sources: CTA: route 60 stop list · CTA: route 94 stop list · CTA: California Pink Line station · CTA: route 60 service and accessibility · Circuit Court: Leighton courthouse, parking and access

The hotel lists accessible and van-accessible self-parking. Arrange any needed transportation directly; this guide does not establish a jail shuttle or a guaranteed accessible trip. Keep a flexible booking if the visit has not yet been approved.

Sources: Los Comales: location directory · Hyatt: property information and accessibility

For a medical or mental health concern, call the 24-hour CARE line: 773-674-2273. Tell the person answering if the concern involves immediate danger, suicidal statements, withdrawal, missed medication or a sudden change in behavior. Give the booked name, booking ID, housing, what happened, when it happened and your callback number.

Prepare a concise medication history with the drug name, dose, prescribing clinician, pharmacy and allergies. This helps explain the concern; it is not a direction to bring medications through jail security. Ordinary mail cannot contain medication or medical supplies. Ask CARE how records, glasses or another necessary item can reach the responsible clinical staff.

For difficult news such as a death or serious injury, the Sheriff recommends coordinating with CARE so support can be available. A family member can report information even when clinical staff cannot disclose the person’s protected health details. Ask what consent or release is needed for further discussion.

For non-health service coordination, Individual in Custody Services is 773-674-1979. Cermak is the custody health provider; its general number is 773-674-7488. Use CARE for an urgent custody concern rather than waiting for a routine records request.

Sources: Sheriff: 24-hour CARE line · Cook County Health: Cermak and release prescriptions · Sheriff: communicating difficult news · Sheriff: prohibited mail enclosures

Ask the person to use the housing grievance process and request help from a Correctional Liaison. Liaisons assist with grievances, requests, legal paperwork and property matters. Keep copies or dates of submissions; a family phone call and an internal grievance are different records.

For staff misconduct, the Office of Professional Review takes complaints at 773-674-7580 and through its official complaint page. Its published address is 3026 S. California Ave., Building 2, Fourth Floor, Chicago, IL 60608-5110. State who was involved, the date, location, witnesses and the specific issue; retain any reference number.

The Sheriff’s PREA policy accepts sexual-abuse and harassment reports from family and other third parties, including reports about past incidents. Staff must accept reports made by a person in custody. Use the official PREA reporting contacts or ask OPR to route the report. If there is a current medical or self-harm danger, also call CARE and describe the urgency.

A dependable current internal grievance deadline was not established in the family pages reviewed. Ask the liaison for the applicable procedure promptly rather than borrowing another jail’s deadline.

Sources: Sheriff: custody services and liaison staff · Sheriff: Office of Professional Review · Sheriff: PREA and third-party reporting · Sheriff: 24-hour CARE line

The Sheriff lists educational, religious, substance-use, vocational and enrichment programs, including SMART, THRIVE, the Mental Health Transition Center, veteran services, parenting, recovery groups, welding, urban farming and Recipe for Change culinary training. Placement depends on the program and housing; a program appearing in the directory is not a promise of an available place.

Ask the person to tell the Correctional Liaison which need should be addressed first: reading or education, recovery, mental health, veteran benefits, employment skills or release planning. Ask how to submit the request, whether a screening is required and what happens if the person transfers divisions.

Custody services also include law-library and public-library support and liaison help with matters such as family services and paperwork. Families can call Individual in Custody Services at 773-674-1979 to identify the correct contact. Do not send original legal documents or approved-property items until the receiving process is confirmed.

Sources: Sheriff: rehabilitative programs · Sheriff: custody services and liaison staff · Sheriff: 24-hour CARE line

Illinois ended monetary bail on September 18, 2023. Release or detention now follows the court’s pretrial decision and any conditions or other holds. An old Cook County bond-payment page does not establish that a current criminal case requires a cash-bail payment. Confirm the order with counsel and the court; do not infer immediate physical release from a hearing result.

For Leighton Criminal Courthouse matters, the address is 2600 S. California Ave., Chicago, IL 60608. The Criminal Division clerk is in Room 526, 773-674-3140. Have the case number, full name and date of birth available; ask for the assigned courtroom and next hearing rather than treating a custody-locator entry as the complete court record.

For someone still in police custody anywhere in Cook County, the Public Defender’s free 24-hour arrest hotline is 844-817-4448; a family member may call to request police-station representation. Existing court-appointed cases should go to the assigned attorney or Public Defender’s office. Court appointment and police-station assistance are different processes.

Sources: Illinois Supreme Court: pretrial changes · Circuit Court: Leighton courthouse, parking and access · Public Defender: arrest hotline · Public Defender: representation FAQ

The release starts with the person in custody’s authorization. Bring valid identification and use the division-specific sequence below. Cook warns that collecting property can involve a one- to two-hour wait.

Confirm that your name on the authorization matches your ID, what items are included and whether the form is complete before making the trip. Trust funds use a separate cash-out process; a property authorization does not by itself transfer money. If the housing record has changed, ask which division holds the paperwork.

Sources: Sheriff: authorized property pickup · Sheriff: deposits, commissary and cash-out

1. Confirm the current order and custody status. Ask counsel about release conditions, other cases or holds. A court decision and the end of jail processing are separate events.
2. Confirm the pickup point. Ask jail information at 773-674-5245 where the person will exit and how the family will know. This review did not verify one universal release door or a dependable processing duration.
3. Arrange a flexible ride. Choose a reachable contact, an alternative if processing runs late, weather-appropriate clothing and a charged phone. Do not reserve a tightly timed onward trip on an assumed release hour.
4. Separate the errands. Property pickup at Division V runs 9 a.m.–7 p.m.; trust cash-out for a released person with government photo ID runs 9 a.m.–8:30 p.m. Ask what must be done that day and what can follow later.
5. Keep the papers together. Retain the court conditions, next date, medication plan, supervision instructions and contacts. Ask questions about unclear instructions before leaving the responsible office.

For mental health discharge coordination, contact CARE at 773-674-2273 before the expected release and ask about the discharge unit. Planning ahead does not guarantee a particular release time or placement.

Sources: Sheriff: suspended timetables and housing help · Sheriff: authorized property pickup · Sheriff: deposits, commissary and cash-out · Sheriff: discharge coordination · Sheriff: 24-hour CARE line

Cermak says it sends 30-day release prescriptions to Stroger Pharmacy, 1969 W. Ogden Ave., Room 1130, first floor, Chicago, IL 60612. Check prescription status at 312-864-1608 before traveling. Ask about the specific medication, pickup requirements and any gap between release and collection; do not assume medicine will be handed over at the jail exit.

Make one practical plan with the person: where to sleep, how to get prescriptions, when to attend court or supervision, and who can help with transport. Resource referrals are not confirmed appointments or reserved housing; call the receiving service before sending someone there.

Sources: Cook County Health: Cermak and release prescriptions · Sheriff: 24-hour CARE line · Sheriff: discharge unit