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United States · IL · Tamms

Tamms Correctional Center

State prisonMinimum - SupermaxClosed 2013LowMedium
Verified
Aging · 4mo ago
Sources last reviewed on

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[ Former prison in Illinois, United States Tamms Correctional Center Tamms Correctional Center was an [Illinois Department of Corrections prison located in Tamms, Illinois.[\[1\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tamms_Correctional_Center#cite_note-1) Prior to its 2013 closure, the prison housed people in two sections: a 200-bed minimum security facility, opened in 1995, and a separate 500-bed supermax facility known as the Closed Maximum Security Unit ("CMAX"), opened in 1998. Prior to the March 9, 2011 abolition of the death penalty in Illinois,[\[2\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tamms_Correctional_Center#cite_note-2) the State of Illinois conducted executions by lethal injection in an execution chamber located within the CMAX section of Tamms Correctional Center.[\[3\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tamms_Correctional_Center#cite_note-3)[\[4\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tamms_Correctional_Center#cite_note-4) Andrew Kokoraleis, the last person to be executed in the state before Illinois suspended capital punishment, was executed at Tamms in 1999.

Capacity

753

Current population

—

Occupancy

—

Year opened

1998

Closed 2013

Figures from official sources · verified 3 Jul 2026 · methodology

Facility profile

Population held

Mixed/unknown

Opened

1998

Region

IL

Security level

Minimum - Supermax

Death-row facility

No

Conditions

No conditions summary available yet.

Visiting

No visiting information available.

Mailing

No mailing information available.

Practical info

Contact the operator's website for inmate-specific procedures.

Known issues

Tamms Correctional Center was a notorious supermax facility in Illinois that utilized solitary housing practices and extreme circumstances for detainees before its closure in 2013.

Contact & address

Supermax Rd, Tamms, Illinois, Tamms

No public contact details available.

Conditions Risk Score

Derived signal — not a judgement. How it's calculated

5/100
Low concern5/100
Overcrowding
0/30
Oversight reports
0/30
Structural flags
5/15
Death signals
0/15
Conditions text
0/10

What the score is responding to:

  • · Substantial documented known-issues record

This facility scores 5. The national average across 7,437 scored United States facilities is 2 — 3 points above national average.

Related facilities

All in United States →

Same country, matched on type + security level where possible.

Compared to other facilities in United States

7436 peers
Capacity (beds)this: 753 · peers avg: 547 (+38%)

Reports

  • marshall-project24 Mar 2016

    rectly to my cell and view the body if you believe this all to be a joke." Fox pleaded guilty to the murder and received a second life sentence. He also received a single cell at Tamms Correctional Center, a supermax prison in Illinois. When Tamms closed in 2013, he was moved back to a single cell at Pontiac. Daczewitz’s mother won a $13 million lawsuit against Fox and settled a separate lawsuit

    source

  • marshall-project23 Dec 2014

    finement of detainees to extreme circumstances. ILLINOIS Jan. 4: Following years of legislative debate surrounding solitary housing practices at the notorious supermax facility, Tamms Correctional Center, Gov. Pat Quinn closes the facility . NEVADA June 1: After a legislative review of the issue, Gov. Brian Sandoval approves a bill restricting solitary confinement in juvenile facilities,

    source

Data completeness

60%

How many of our profile fields are populated. We surface this so families and researchers know the limits.

Sources

Cite this page

Under CC-BY-4.0. Include the URL and access date; the site is a living reference and entries can change.

APA
World Prisons. (2026). Tamms Correctional Center. Retrieved October 22, 2026, from https://worldprisons.com/prisons/tamms-correctional-center
Chicago
"Tamms Correctional Center." World Prisons. Accessed October 22, 2026. https://worldprisons.com/prisons/tamms-correctional-center.
BibTeX
@misc{worldprisons-tamms-correctional-center,
  author = {{World Prisons}},
  title = {Tamms Correctional Center},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://worldprisons.com/prisons/tamms-correctional-center},
  urldate = {2026-10-22}
}