 Interactive map of Lawrence Correctional Center | |
| Location |
|
|---|---|
| Status | Open |
| Security class | Maximum |
| Capacity | 2458 |
| Opened | 2001 |
| Managed by | Illinois Department of Corrections |
The Lawrence Correctional Center is a maximum security adult male prison of the Illinois Department of Corrections in Sumner, Illinois, approximately 65 miles (105 km) north of Evansville, Indiana. The prison opened in November 2001 and has an operational capacity of 2,458 prisoners.
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."
