The Lawrence Correctional Center is a maximum security adult male prison of the Illinois Department of Corrections in Sumner, Illinois, approximately north of Evansville, Indiana. The prison opened in November 2001 and has an operational capacity of 2,458 prisoners. Lawrence Correctional Center. Illinois Department of Corrections. Retrieved 6 December 2015.
In July 2026, two guards at the prison pleaded guilty to federal charges of conspiring to violate an incarcerated person's civil rights. A press release issued by the U.S. Attorney's Office in the Southern District of Illinois reported that the unnamed prisoner was shackled to a chair and was struck in the face, head, and body by guards. His injuries were extensive and later required reconstructive surgery. U.S. Attorney Steven D. Weinhoeft said that "By their own admissions, these two officers crossed the line into vigilantism." The previous year, a guard had been sentenced to local jail after pleading guilty to bringing drugs into the prison.
In August 2026, about two dozen men went on hunger strike at the prison to protest poor conditions. They claimed that prison staff had failed to provide them with adequate mental health care or out-of-cell time. A Chicago-based civil rights lawyer who had recently visited the prison told the press, "I was talking to one individual today who was placed in a cell in restrictive housing, and there was writing on the wall in someone else’s feces."
Notable inmates Inmate NameRegister NumberStatusDetailsJeffrey S. PeloR73018Ex-police sergeant serving 440 years for raping 4 women.Jury convicted the 17-year police veteran of 35 counts, including 25 counts of aggravated sexual assault in 2008 - in custody since 2006. Diego Uribe Y54915 Serving a life sentence without parole. Main perpetrator of the 2016 Gage Park murders in which Uribe murdered six of his relatives.Nicholas SheleyK77192 Serving a life sentence without parole.Murdered eight people in Illinois and Missouri in 2008.Alphanso TalleyY38853Being held before trial.Accused in the 2026 Chicago Endeavor Swedish Hospital shooting.
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