Old Joliet Prison, officially the former Joliet Correctional Center, is a historic prison in Joliet, Illinois. Opened in 1858 and closed in 2002, it is one of the most recognisable prison sites in the American Midwest. Its limestone walls, gatehouse, cellblocks, and decaying industrial interiors have made it a natural location for crime films and prison dramas. The site later reopened for tours as the Old Joliet Prison Historic Site.
Old Joliet Prison appears in The Blues Brothers (1980), Prison Break (2005–2006), Let’s Go to Prison (2006), Derailed (2005), and Empire (2015–2020). It is most closely associated with The Blues Brothers and Prison Break, where the prison is used not just as a backdrop but as a defining part of the story world.
In The Blues Brothers (1980), Old Joliet Prison is used in the opening sequence where Jake Blues is released from prison and picked up by Elwood. That scene established the site as one of the film’s best-known locations and gave the character his nickname, “Joliet Jake.”
In Prison Break (2005–2006), Old Joliet Prison was used as Fox River State Penitentiary, the central prison in the first season and part of the second. The real prison’s exterior and interior spaces gave the series much of its visual identity in its earliest episodes.
In Let’s Go to Prison (2006), Old Joliet Prison is used directly as the main prison setting. Its abandoned condition suited the film’s exaggerated prison-comedy tone while still giving the production a real correctional environment.
In Derailed (2005), the prison appears in smaller scenes rather than as the main setting. It is one of several productions that used the site for its authentic prison atmosphere.
In Empire (2015–2020), Old Joliet Prison was also used for smaller scenes. By that stage, the prison had already become a familiar Illinois filming location for productions needing a real, weathered correctional site.
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