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Harrisburg, IL / Community Profile / Current News
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{{ Illinois Youth Center Harrisburg }}
Opened: July 1983
Capacity: 276
Level 2: High Medium-Security Juvenile Male
Average Daily Population: 326
Total Average Daily Population: 326
Average Age: 17
Average Annual Cost Per Inmate: $52,545.00
Business Mail:
1201 W. Poplar
P.O. Box 300
Harrisburg, IL 62946
Phone: (618) 252-8681
Inmate Mail:
1201 W. Poplar
Harrisburg, IL 62946
The Illinois Youth Center-Harrisburg serves as one of the secure medium-security Level 2 institutions for the Juvenile Division of the Illinois Department of Corrections (IDOC), currently housing an average daily population of 326 male offenders.
IYC-Harrisburg is located in southeastern Illinois, approximately 45 miles east of Carbondale. The center was initially constructed as a children's mental health residential facility. It closed as a mental health facility in July 1982 when renovations began for conversion to a juvenile correctional facility. The facility, which is located on approximately 80 acres of land, officially opened in July 1983 when 56 youth from IYC-Dixon Springs transferred to IYC-Harrisburg.
IDOC has completed extensive renovation since that time, converting dormitory-style residential buildings into 276 individual rooms. The gymnasium, mechanical and horticulture buildings have been constructed and several other projects have been developed allowing for expanded program opportunities.
On Oct. 1, 2000, a Reception and Classification (R&C) Unit was established at IYC-Harrisburg to provide better access for juvenile commitments from the southern counties to IDOC. The unit consists of 16 double cells and two safety cells. The unit receives on average 35 new commitments each month, which include parole violators.
IYC-Harrisburg provides a broad range of services to youth incarcerated at the facility. These services include remedial, secondary and college level education courses, a GED program, library services, vocational training, guidance and work training programs. Diagnostic and evaluative services and special education programs are also provided.
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"The Vicious Circle: Race, Prison, Jobs, and Community in Chicago, Illinois and the Nation" / Chicago Urban League
"A Portrait of Prisoner Reentry in Illinois" / The Justice Policy Center