Westville isn't just a dot on the map in LaPorte County. If you’ve ever driven past the massive perimeter of the Westville Correctional Facility Indiana, you know the feeling. It’s imposing. It’s a place that houses thousands of men, and for the people living nearby or those with a loved one behind those fences, it’s a constant source of questions, anxiety, and—honestly—a fair bit of confusion.
The facility has a weird history. It wasn't always a prison. Back in the day, specifically starting in 1951, it was the Beatty Memorial Hospital, a state psychiatric facility. You can still feel that architectural shift when you look at the older parts of the campus. It didn't fully transition into a Department of Correction (IDOC) facility until the late 1970s. Today, it stands as one of the largest prisons in the state, often hovering around a population of 3,000 to 3,400 individuals.
Navigating the IDOC system is a nightmare. It's bureaucratic. It's slow. And if you’re trying to figure out how to send five dollars for a commissary snack or why a scheduled visit was canceled at the last minute, the official websites often leave you more frustrated than when you started.
The Massive Scale of Westville Correctional Facility Indiana
Westville is categorized as a level 2 and level 3 facility. This means it’s a mix of medium security and what people used to call "close" security. It’s a sprawling complex. We are talking about over 1,500 acres. Because of its size, the logistics are mind-boggling. Think about the sheer volume of food, laundry, and medical care required for a population larger than many Indiana small towns.
One thing that surprises people is the Therapeutic Community (TC). Westville has a heavy focus on substance abuse treatment through a program called Purposeful Living Units Serve (PLUS). It’s not just about locking people in cells; there is a genuine, albeit often strained, effort to address the high rates of addiction that land men in the Indiana prison system in the first place. These programs are often the only way inmates can earn "good time" credit to shave days off their sentences.
The staffing situation is a perennial headline. Like most prisons in the Midwest right now, Westville struggles with a massive shortage of correctional officers. This isn't just a "business" problem for the state. When staff is low, the prison goes into "restricted movement." That means no gym, limited showers, and delayed mail. For the families on the outside, it means the phones stay silent for days. It creates a pressure cooker environment that both the staff and the incarcerated men have to navigate daily.
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Security Levels and the Reality of Life Inside
What does "Level 2" or "Level 3" actually mean for someone at Westville Correctional Facility Indiana? Basically, it dictates how much freedom of movement a person has within the walls. Level 2 is lower security, often dormitory-style living. Level 3 is more restrictive, involving cells and much more controlled movements.
The facility also houses a specialized unit for the mentally ill, a nod back to its origins as a hospital. This is the Psychiatric Unit, and it’s one of the most intense environments in the state. Handling mental health crises in a prison setting is incredibly complex. Critics and advocacy groups like the ACLU of Indiana have frequently looked at Westville, specifically regarding how long men with severe mental illness are kept in isolation. It’s a messy, difficult conversation with no easy answers.
- The Commissary System: Everything is expensive. If you want a specific brand of soap or a bag of coffee, you pay a premium.
- GTL/Viapath: This is the service provider for phone calls and tablets. It’s a lifeline, but the fees are a constant point of contention for families living on a budget.
- Mail Rules: You can't just send a letter anymore. Most mail is scanned and delivered digitally on tablets to prevent "paper soak" (contraband chemicals on paper).
Education and Working for the State
Westville is big on "PEN Products." This is the state-owned brand where inmates manufacture goods used by other state agencies. They make things like office furniture or janitorial supplies. Some see it as valuable vocational training. Others see it as incredibly cheap labor. Regardless of where you fall on that debate, these jobs are highly coveted inside because they get you out of your unit and give you a sense of routine.
They also offer GED (HSE) programs and some vocational certifications. Grace College has historically been involved in providing higher education opportunities here. Honestly, the waitlists for these programs are often miles long. You’ve got guys who want to learn a trade—welding, for example—but they might spend two years on a list before they ever touch a torch.
The New Construction: A Massive Change is Coming
If you've checked the news lately, you know the State of Indiana is spending hundreds of millions of dollars to basically rebuild Westville. The old Beatty Memorial buildings are literally crumbling. They are inefficient, dangerous to navigate, and expensive to heat.
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The state is building a new, consolidated facility on the same grounds. This isn't just a fresh coat of paint. It’s a complete structural overhaul designed to make the prison easier to manage with fewer staff. For the surrounding community, this means Westville isn't going anywhere. It’s a permanent fixture of the regional economy, providing hundreds of jobs to people in Westville, Michigan City, and LaPorte.
Visitation: The Logistics of Seeing Someone
If you are planning a visit to Westville Correctional Facility Indiana, do not just show up. You will be turned away. You have to be on the approved visitors list, which involves a background check that can take weeks.
- Check the IDOC website for the current "COVID" or "Emergency" status. They still shut down visitation for various health outbreaks.
- Schedule your visit through the online portal.
- Dress code is strict. No underwires, no specific colors that might look like inmate scrubs, no ripped jeans. If you're in doubt, bring a change of clothes in your car.
- Arrive early. The processing time at the front gate can take 45 minutes on a busy Saturday.
The visiting room at Westville is a strange place. It’s loud, crowded, and filled with the smell of vending machine popcorn. It’s where you see the human side of the statistics—grandkids sitting on laps, wives holding hands across a table, and the heavy presence of guards watching every interaction.
What People Often Get Wrong About Westville
There is a myth that it’s all "hardened criminals." While there are certainly people there for violent offenses, a huge chunk of the population at Westville Correctional Facility Indiana is there for drug-related crimes or technical parole violations. It’s a cross-section of Indiana’s societal failures.
Another misconception is that the "guards are the enemy." If you talk to the families of people working there, they’ll tell you it’s a terrifying job for relatively low pay. They are locked in for 12-hour shifts, sometimes 16 hours if they get "mandated" to stay because someone else called in sick. The tension isn't just between inmates and staff; it’s between the people in the building and the system that manages them.
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Actionable Steps for Families and Advocates
If you have a friend or family member currently at Westville, staying informed is your only defense against the "black hole" of the prison system.
First, get familiar with the IDOC Offender Locator. This is the only way to track if someone has been moved, which happens without notice. Second, join a support group. There are several Facebook groups specifically for families of Westville inmates. These groups are often faster at reporting a facility lockdown than the official state channels.
Third, keep meticulous records of your communication. If a loved one is reporting a medical issue that isn't being addressed, you need dates, times, and names. The medical provider at Westville (currently Centurion) is a private contractor. They respond to pressure, but only if that pressure is backed by specific details.
Lastly, understand the "Remonstrance" and legislative process in Indiana. If you want to see changes in how Westville is run—whether that’s better food, more air conditioning in the summer, or better pay for the staff—you have to talk to the Indiana House and Senate members who control the Department of Correction budget. They are the ones who ultimately decide if Westville is a place of rehabilitation or just a warehouse for human beings.
The reality of Westville is that it’s a city within a city. It’s a place of immense struggle, both for those living inside and those working there. It’s a pillar of the community that most people prefer to ignore, but for thousands of Hoosiers, it is the center of their world. Keeping an eye on the new construction and the staffing levels will tell you more about the future of Indiana's justice system than any press release ever could.