MCC Chicago
| Location | 71 West Van Buren Street, Chicago, Illinois (two blocks from the Dirksen U.S. Courthouse) |
|---|---|
| Status | Active |
| Classification | Administrative (all security levels) |
| Capacity | not published |
| Population | approximately 553 (March 2026 snapshot) |
| Opened | 1975 |
| Managed by | Federal Bureau of Prisons |
The Metropolitan Correctional Center, Chicago (MCC Chicago) is an administrative-security federal pretrial facility at 71 West Van Buren Street in Chicago's South Loop — a 28-story triangular tower designed by Harry Weese, two blocks from the Dirksen U.S. Courthouse it was built to feed. It holds men and women of all security levels awaiting federal trial or sentencing in the Northern District of Illinois.
The building is architectural famous: slit windows five inches wide instead of bars, a rooftop exercise yard, and cells described as 'sailboat cabins.' It has been the holding address for some of the biggest federal defendants of the era — most recently the Guzmán López brothers.
Status Note (2026)
MCC Chicago remains open: its bop.gov page is live with current documents, a March 2026 snapshot showed roughly 553 inmates, and it was not on the BOP's July 1, 2026 closure list [1]. Some third-party tracker sites label it 'deactivated 2026' — no BOP announcement or major-news source supports that, and this page will update if the status changes.
The Guzmán López Brothers
Ovidio Guzmán López — 'El Ratón,' a son of El Chapo — was held at MCC Chicago after his September 2023 extradition and pleaded guilty at Dirksen in July 2025 to running the Sinaloa cartel's Chicago operations. His sentencing has been postponed repeatedly (now spring 2027), and the brothers were listed as not in BOP custody — itself a datapoint in the witness-cooperation speculation that followed their pleas. Joaquín Guzmán López pleaded guilty December 2, 2025.
The 2012 Escape
On December 18, 2012, bank robbers Kenneth Conley and Joseph Banks lowered themselves 17 floors on a bedsheet rope through a window they had widened — the first escape from a secure federal facility since 2006. Both were recaptured; both are now held at ADX Florence.
Facility and Visiting
Address: 71 West Van Buren Street, Chicago, IL 60605. Phone: (312) 322-0567. Opened 1975. Visiting runs Monday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday and federal holidays, 9 a.m.–3 p.m. (closed Tuesday–Thursday) — call ahead.
In the News
- Ovidio Guzmán López pleads guilty to federal drug charges — El Chapo's son, held at MCC Chicago, pleads at Dirksen. DOJ, N.D. Ill. (July 11, 2025). [2]
- Son of El Chapo set to change plea in U.S. drug prosecution — Joaquín Guzmán López guilty plea. Reuters (December 1, 2025). [3]
- Justice delayed in Chicago for El Chapo's sons — sentencing delays; brothers not in BOP custody. NBC Chicago (2026). [4]
- Remote Inspection of the Metropolitan Correctional Center Chicago — most recent facility-specific inspection. DOJ OIG (March 2021). [5]
Community Discussions
First-person threads from Reddit (r/prison and similar communities) — useful for what the official sources don't say:
- r/brutalism — the rooftop prison yard of the 28-story MCC — the building's signature photos
- r/chicago — MCC Chicago discussion — locals on the jail in the Loop
- r/evilbuildings — 'federal prison in downtown Chicago' — architecture thread
Notable Detainees and Residents
- Ovidio Guzmán López — El Chapo's son; pleaded guilty July 2025 while held here
- R. Kelly — held through his 2021–22 Chicago federal trial
- Piper Kerman — wrote Orange Is the New Black about her 13 months here (released 2005)
- Heather Mack — Bali suitcase murder case
- Ramon 'Hushpuppi' Abbas — Instagram-fraud case, held pretrial
See Also
References
- ↑ "Federal Bureau of Prisons Announces Facility Closures and Operational Changes". Federal Bureau of Prisons. Retrieved November 10, 2026.
- ↑ "Ovidio Guzmán López pleads guilty to federal drug charges". DOJ, N.D. Ill.. Retrieved November 10, 2026.
- ↑ "Son of El Chapo set to change plea in U.S. drug prosecution". Reuters. Retrieved November 10, 2026.
- ↑ "Justice delayed in Chicago for El Chapo's sons". NBC Chicago. Retrieved November 10, 2026.
- ↑ "Remote Inspection of the Metropolitan Correctional Center Chicago". DOJ OIG. Retrieved November 10, 2026.