The Cook County Department of Corrections, Division XI, Maximum Security Facility (jail) houses approximately 1,600 inmates in 800 cells. This new jail complex is a maximum security facility located on approximately 17.5 acres, on the northeast corner of California and 31st Boulevards, in the City of Chicago
The jail facility is unique in that it has been designed to function as four separate 400-bed mini-jail "pods," with a central "core," which is the nerve center of the facility.
The "core" holds all centralized activities for the four mini-jail pods, as well as a central control system which monitors inmate and non-inmate activities without penetrating the individual pod inmate security areas
This prototype modular design lends itself to decentralization of routine, daily inmate activities, and yet efficiently centralized all scheduled inmate functions, resulting in reduced staffing.
Each mini-jail "pod" consists of two, two tier units. Both tiers function as decentralized areas, with activities taking place within the individual housing pods. Each tier is made up of four housing pods (48 inmates each), has its own control center, and is accessible to a separate visitors wing, which allows secure authorized visitation.
The "core" houses the centralized services for all users including the inmates, the staff and the public. Each group's activities are distinctly separated so that they do not interfere with one another.
Scary!
Some Facts...
Cook County is the largest jail in the country with 9,000-11,000 inmates there on any one day. There are 11 divisions. The Cook County Jail web site describes each division which may hold 500 to 1500 or so inmates each. There are some dormitories for min security, and high security almost supermax divisions and Cermak which house the medical and mental health infirmiries each with about 10-30 inmates per unit.
Division 11 is the newest Division in CCDOC (Built in 1995). Originally built to be part of the Illinois Department of Corrections but the plan was scrapped because of community outrage over a prison being built in such a densly populated urban area. Division 11 is a state-of-the-art, 640,000 square-foot, Super Maximum security facility.
The divisions?
Division 1 (Max)
Division 2 (Minimum)
Division 3 (Female)
Division 4 (Female)
Division 5 (Medium)
Division 6 (Medium)
Division 8 (Minimum) Hospital Unit and Drug Unit
Division 9 (Max)
Division 10 (Max)
Division 11 (Super Max)
Division 14 (Minimum) Drug Unit.