Kankakee Co Jail in Kankakee, IL is a county detention facility operated by the Kankakee County Sheriff's Office. Most people here are awaiting trial or sentencing - this is not a prison, and most stays are measured in days or months, not years. If someone you care about was just booked here, you have questions. Start with the one that matters most right now.
If you are not certain they are there, the fastest way to confirm is the Kankakee County inmate search or InmateAid's inmate locator, which searches across Illinois facilities by name.
Booking takes time - sometimes several hours after arrest. If the search comes back empty, wait a few hours and try again before assuming they have been transferred somewhere else. You can also pull their arrest record and booking details to confirm the charges and facility assignment. For the most direct answer, call Kankakee Co Jail at 815-802-7272.
Most people booked at Kankakee Co Jail appear before a judge within 24 to 48 hours. At that first appearance the judge sets the bail amount - or denies bail - based on the charges, the person's history, and whether they are considered a flight risk.
If bail is set, your family member can be released by paying the full amount or by using a bail bondsman, who typically charges 10 percent of the total as a non-refundable fee. If bail is denied or the amount is unaffordable, they remain at Kankakee Co Jail until the case resolves. InmateAid's bail and bond guide walks through every option including what to do if you cannot afford a bondsman.
Right after arrest, your family member goes through intake at Kankakee Co Jail - identity verification, medical screening, property inventory, and classification. Classification places them in a housing unit based on the charges, prior record, and intake behavior. It is not a punishment. It is how the facility manages a population that ranges from people picked up on minor warrants to individuals facing serious charges.
For the first 24 to 48 hours, phone access and visitation are typically unavailable while booking completes. Once they are assigned to a housing unit, those channels open up. InmateAid's what happens in jail guide covers the full intake process step by step so you know what to expect.
Your family member calls you - you cannot call them. Calls from Kankakee Co Jail go through Securus Tech® and all calls are recorded except attorney calls. Set up a Securus Tech® account before the first call so the connection goes through without delay.
Phone contact is more important than most people realize going into this. A regular call - even a short one - makes a measurable difference in how someone holds up inside. Do not let the setup friction stop you. Visit InmateAid's jail calls page for step-by-step account setup, current rate information, and tips for keeping funds available.
Visitation hours at Kankakee Co Jail are set by the facility and can change without much notice. Before making the trip, call 815-802-7272 to confirm current hours, any advance registration requirements, and what you are allowed to bring.
The most common mistake families make is showing up without confirming first - and that results in a wasted trip and a missed visit for your family member. General rules across most Illinois county jails: dress conservatively, avoid colors that resemble inmate uniforms, leave your phone in your car, and bring valid government-issued ID. Children may be permitted with specific requirements depending on the facility. InmateAid's visitation guide has a full checklist you can run through before you go.
Jerome Combs Detention Center - Visitation
Visitation Hours
Sunday and Monday: Closed
Tuesday: 8:30 am through 4:00 pm (12:15 pm to 1:15 pm – No Visitation)
Wednesday: 8:30 am through 4:00 pm (12:15 pm to 1:15 pm – No Visitation)
Thursday: 12:30 pm through 8:00 pm (4:15 pm to 5:15 pm – No Visitation)
Friday: 8:30 am through 4:00 pm (12:15 pm to 1:15 pm – No Visitation)
Saturday: 8:30 am through 4:00 pm (12:15 pm to 1:15 pm – No Visitation)
Visitation Rules
- Each visitor is subject to search. No Exceptions
- The Sheriff’s Department Corrections Division reserves the right to refuse visitors based on any disruption to the safe and effective operation of the jail. No weapons of any type. No large items that could be used as a weapon or tool may be attached to key rings.
- Visitors who appear to be under the influence of alcohol or drugs will not be permitted to visit.
- Visitors are required to be fully dressed including shoes. Visitors in revealing attire that is considered to be inappropriate will not be admitted. This includes, but is not limited to transparent or extremely short pant, dresses, skirts, cutoff pants and bare midriff attire. If at any time the inmate or visitor lifts their tops or drops their bottoms exposing themselves, the visit will be terminated and the visitor will not be allowed to visit for a time to be determined by jail administration.
- Absolutely no electronic communication devices are allowed in the public visitation areas. These include but are not limited to, cell phones, pagers, cameras, and recording devices. Those who violate this will be banned from visitation for a period of time to be determined by jail administration. All items of that nature must be left outside. It is up to the visitor to secure items in their own vehicle or any other way they can. Items are not to be left with JCDC Personnel to secure. No Exceptions
- Purses, handbags, fanny packs or large containers of any type are not allowed in the visitation area. Items are not to be left with JCDC Personnel to secure. No Exceptions
- No diaper bags are allowed. If an infant is brought in, the parent or guardian may bring one (1) bottle.
- No food or drinks are allowed in the visitation area.
- All persons visiting an inmate must have a valid picture I.D., and are required to show that ID at the time of the visit. No Exceptions
- All visitation is done by video monitor and by appointment only
- Inmates must fill out a visitation list before any visits can be scheduled.
- Inmates receive one (1) ON-SITE visit per week.
- Your name must be on the list (anyone NOT on the list will not be allowed back to visit. If you go back anyway, your visit will be canceled and suspended for some time.
- All children visiting must be on the inmate’s visitation list.
- All persons under the age of eighteen (18) must be with a parent or legal guardian on the visitation list.
- Please remember other families are visiting. If children are running or yelling, you will be asked to take them to the lobby. Children cannot be left unattended in the lobby so your visit will be cancelled if you do not have another adult to stay with them in the lobby.
- Inmates may put up to 10 people on the list. Only 3 people including children will be allowed to visit during your appointment. If more than 3 people go back, your visit will be suspended.
- Appointments must be made 24 hours in advance. No Exceptions
- If you have a scheduled appointment and cannot make it, you must call to cancel. If you do not call before your appointment starts, this is considered a NO CALL, NO SHOW and this is the visit for the week.
- The person visiting must arrive at least 15 minutes before the visit. No one will be allowed back until that person arrives.
- If you arrive later than your appointment time, you will receive the remainder of your visit.
Home Visitation Rules
- The person who scheduled the visit must appear on the visit.
- There will be NO drugs or alcohol present on the visit.
- NO illegal activity may be present during the visit.
- All visitors (including children) will be fully dressed at all times while visible on the visit. This includes shirts and pants. If at any time the attire of ANY visitor is deemed inappropriate, the visit will be terminated and the person whose name the visit was scheduled under may have their visitation privileges suspended. As a basic rule of thumb, if you would not be permitted to wear something into the facility for an onsite visit it is not permitted in an at-home visit. This includes but is not limited to: transparent or extremely short pants, dresses or skirts. Bare midriff attire or halter tops.
- If at any time a visitor or inmate lifts their tops or drops their bottoms the visit will be terminated.
- Photographing or video recording visits will NOT be permitted.
- No electronic devices of any type (cell phones, tablets, computers, etc) or weapons of any type will be permitted on the visit. If any of these items are seen the visit will be cancelled immediately.
- Visits must be scheduled at least 30 minutes before closing the previous visitation day to be accepted for the following day.
- At-home visits are UNLIMTED.
- The person scheduling the at-home visit must be on the inmate’s visitation list.
- If at any time any behavior by the visitor or the inmate is deemed inappropriate or unacceptable the visit will be terminated.
- If at any time a visit is terminated, visitation privileges may be suspended for an extended period.
- There will be NO warnings given. It is your responsibility to know and obey the rules!
Money on the books - also called the commissary or trust account - gives your family member access to hygiene items, snacks, phone time, and postage. It is one of the most practical things you can do and it has a direct effect on their daily comfort.
Kankakee Co Jail accepts deposits through approved channels that typically include online deposit, phone deposit, or a kiosk at the facility. Use your family member's full legal name and booking number exactly as they appear in the jail's system - any error in the name or number will delay or reject the deposit. InmateAid's send money page lists the specific deposit methods accepted at Kankakee Co Jail and walks through the process.
A letter or a printed photo costs almost nothing to send and means far more than most people outside appreciate. Kankakee Co Jail accepts incoming mail addressed to your family member at 3050 S Justice Way. Put their full legal name and booking number on every piece of mail.
Standard rules at most Illinois county jails: plain white paper only, no staples, no glitter, no stickers, no colored ink. Photos should be standard print size with nothing written on the back. Mail that does not meet the facility's standards will be rejected - and the facility may not notify you that it was. Keep it simple.
InmateAid's send mail service lets you write and send directly from your phone or computer. We print on approved stock and mail it for you, so rejection for formatting is not a risk.
Books and magazines must come new, ordered directly from the publisher or through an online retailer - not shipped from your home address. Facilities require this to prevent contraband. Order through Amazon or directly from the publisher. Anything shipped from a personal address will be turned away.
County jail procedures, visitation rules, phone rates, inmate search tools, bail processes, and what happens at release all vary by state. Illinois has its own rules and its own agencies, and what applies in one state does not always apply here.
InmateAid's Illinois prison resources hub covers all of it - written specifically for families navigating the Illinois system. Start there when you need answers that go beyond what this facility page covers.
County jail time is hard in a way that is different from anything else. The uncertainty - not knowing how long, not knowing what comes next - wears on everyone. What you can control is the connection. Calls, letters, visits, money on the books. Every one of those things tells your family member that someone out here is paying attention and is not going anywhere.
InmateAid was built for exactly this. Use us.