If your child has been taken to the River Valley Justice Center in Joliet, you are likely frightened and looking for answers fast. This page explains what the River Valley Justice Center is, how visitation and contact work, and how we move to get your child released. For the full picture of how a juvenile case proceeds in Will County — charges, hearings, dispositions, and expungement — see our Joliet juvenile crimes page. As a former Will County prosecutor and former Illinois Assistant Attorney General, attorney Jack L. Zaremba has handled these cases from both sides.
If your child is currently detained, do not wait. Call (815) 740-4025 for a free consultation.
What Is the River Valley Justice Center?
The River Valley Justice Center is the juvenile detention facility that serves Will County and Kankakee County. Located at 3200 West McDonough Street in Joliet, it is a temporary placement center — not a prison, and not a place where a child serves a sentence. It holds young people, generally between the ages of 10 and 17, who have been taken into custody and are awaiting decisions in their juvenile court cases.
It is just as important to understand what River Valley is not. It is a separate, juvenile-only facility, distinct from the adult Will County Jail. Third-party “inmate search” directories routinely confuse the two and publish incorrect information about the facility’s capacity, who operates it, and who is held there. River Valley is a juvenile temporary-detention center operated jointly by Will and Kankakee Counties, focused on the short-term, pre-adjudication custody of minors. Most young people held there are waiting for a judge to decide what happens next — not serving time.
Visiting Your Child and Staying in Contact
For a parent, the first question is usually how to see and reach your child. Families are generally able to visit a young person held at River Valley, and detained youth have the right to contact their attorney. Visitation days, hours, and rules are set by the facility and change periodically, so confirm the current policy directly with the River Valley Justice Center before you go, and bring a valid government-issued photo ID.
One important caution: calls and visits at a detention facility are generally monitored and recorded. Your child should not discuss the details of the allegations over the phone or during visits. Those conversations belong with your attorney, where they are protected by privilege. The single most useful thing you can do is get a defense lawyer involved before the detention hearing — which, as explained below, can come within hours.
Getting Your Child Released: The Detention Hearing
Illinois law does not allow a child to sit at River Valley indefinitely without judicial review. Under 705 ILCS 405/5-415, a detained minor must be brought before a judge within 40 hours — excluding Saturdays, Sundays, and court-designated holidays — for a detention hearing. At that hearing, the judge decides whether to release your child to a parent or guardian, order home confinement with electronic monitoring, or continue detention at River Valley.
To keep a child detained, the court must find probable cause and an “immediate and urgent necessity” to hold the child (705 ILCS 405/5-501), or that the child is a flight risk. This is the first real opportunity to fight for release, and it comes fast. A prepared lawyer can present the court with a concrete release plan, challenge the State’s claim of immediate and urgent necessity, and argue for the least restrictive alternative to detention. Having argued these hearings as a Will County prosecutor, attorney Zaremba knows how the State’s Attorney’s juvenile division builds its case for detention — and how to take it apart.
The detention hearing is only the first stage. To understand everything that follows — the petition, the adjudicatory hearing, possible transfer to adult court, disposition, and expunging the record afterward — see our Joliet juvenile crimes page.
What We Do While Your Child Is Detained
When a child is held at River Valley, the priority is to move quickly. We work to:
- get to the detention hearing prepared, with a concrete release plan the judge can say yes to;
- challenge whether there was a lawful basis to take your child into custody in the first place;
- contest the State’s argument that continued detention is an immediate and urgent necessity;
- propose alternatives to secure detention, such as release to a parent with conditions or electronic monitoring; and
- begin building the defense to the underlying allegation right away.
Getting your child home does not end the case — but it relieves enormous pressure on your family and lets the defense prepare from a position of strength. If your child was questioned by police, our page on police questioning and Miranda rights explains what should and should not have happened.
Why Families in Will County Choose a Former Prosecutor
When your child’s freedom is on the line, local experience matters. The Law Offices of Jack L. Zaremba, P.C. is based in Joliet, steps from the Will County Courthouse, and serves families throughout Will, Grundy, and Kendall Counties. Jack Zaremba is a former Will County prosecutor and former Illinois Assistant Attorney General who now devotes his practice to defense. He knows the judges, the local procedures, and how the Will County juvenile division approaches detention and delinquency cases — insight that a firm handling cases across dozens of counties cannot match.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the River Valley Justice Center the same as the Will County Jail?
No. River Valley is a separate, juvenile-only temporary detention facility serving Will and Kankakee Counties. It is not the adult Will County Jail, despite frequent confusion on third-party “inmate search” websites.
What ages does River Valley hold?
River Valley generally holds young people between the ages of 10 and 17 who are awaiting decisions in their juvenile court cases.
Can I visit my child at River Valley?
Usually, yes. Visitation is set by the facility and the rules change periodically, so confirm the current days, hours, and requirements directly with the River Valley Justice Center, and bring a valid government-issued photo ID. Your child also has the right to contact their attorney.
How long can my child be held before seeing a judge?
Under Illinois law, a detained minor must be brought before a judge for a detention hearing within 40 hours of being taken into custody, not counting Saturdays, Sundays, and court-designated holidays (705 ILCS 405/5-415).
Can I get my child released from River Valley?
Often, yes. At the detention hearing, a defense attorney can argue against continued detention and present a release plan. The court must find an immediate and urgent necessity to keep a child detained (705 ILCS 405/5-501).
If your child has been taken to the River Valley Justice Center in Joliet, every hour counts. Contact the Law Offices of Jack L. Zaremba, P.C. at (815) 740-4025 for a free consultation. We represent juveniles throughout Will, Grundy, and Kendall Counties.