Joliet Correctional Center

Built in 1857, Joliet Correctional Center was opened to replace Alton, an area prison with a reputation for appalling conditions, a problem this prison also became notorious for. Over the years, it housed some famous inmates, including John Wayne Gacy, James Earl Ray, Baby Face Nelson, and Richard Speck. It's also notable for being featured in Blues Brothers as the prison one of the titular characters was released from. Joliet closed in 2002 and today, the area museum and historical society gives tours of the prison, which is at the start of historic Route 66.

Before Joliet opened, the only area prison was Alton, which became infamous for its horrendous, inhumane conditions. The state legislation ordered a new prison to replace the old one, with inmates from Alton who would eventually be held at Joliet quarrying the limestone and constructing the building. Joliet ran through the Civil War, and by 1872 there were more than 1000 prisoners there, a record at the time for any one prison. Even then, the prison was slow to modernize, not receiving toilets or running water until 1910. When nearby Statesville Correctional Center opened in 1925, Joliet was meant to close and transfer out its prisoners, but this did not happen, and both prisons served the state together for the rest of the twentieth century. In 1980, Joliet became famous for being featured in the movie Blues Brothers as the prison to hold Jake Blues at the beginning of the film, earning him the nickname Joliet Jake.

Over the years, the prison struggled, receiving thousands of complaints about appalling conditions. Reports of everything from rats and cockroaches to overpopulation and lack of opportunities for the inmates to improve themselves. After struggling for years, Joliet closed in 2002 thanks to budget cuts and an obsolete, deteriorating building. All prisoners were transferred to Statesville. In 2018, the Joliet Area Historical Museum began running tours of the prison to travelers following the historic Route 66.

Joliet Prison, Atlas Obscura. Accessed April 15th, 2023. https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/joliet-prison.

Joliet Correctional Center, Wikipedia. Accessed April 15th, 2023. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joliet_Correctional_Center.