Sumith Prasad
Towards the end of the second season of Paramount+’s procedural series ‘Criminal Minds: Evolution,’ Elias Voit gets transferred to the Federal Correctional Institution in Collymore. The move unsettles the agents of the Behavioral Analysis Unit (BAU), who are well aware that the prison is known for giving adequate freedom to prisoners within its walls. The last thing they want is the serial killer to enjoy such privileges after murdering several individuals. The penitentiary also features in the installment’s finale as David Rossi visits the inmate to confirm the identity of Pete/Peter B. Even though there are numerous FCIs in the country, we cannot find the one in Collymore among them!
The Nuances Behind the FCI Collymore
FCI Collymore is a fictional low-security prison created for the last two episodes of the second season of ‘Criminal Minds: Evolution.’ In the series, Elias Voit sees the establishment as his final stop before attaining freedom. After manipulating Gold Star’s Pete and Jade into believing that the BAU killed the brother of the group’s fifth member, the serial killer awaits to make a deal with the FBI to garner his freedom. Until then, he needs to be in a place where his release can be processed swiftly and noiselessly. The criminal does not want to be freed from the Stoneward Penitentiary as a serial killer.
Elias instead prefers getting released from Collymore as Lee Duval, an identity that will not help others identify him as a murderer. ‘Criminal Minds’ and ‘Criminal Minds: Evolution’ generally use the names of real places to establish the narrative’s setting. However, in the case of Collymore, the writers had to create a fictional setting altogether to present the prison as an unsatisfactory establishment where a criminal like Elias can enjoy various privileges. The second installment of the show also ends with his fellow inmates learning about his crimes and stabbing him for the crimes he has committed.
The procedural drama seemingly cannot present a real federal correctional institution and depict a murder that happens within its walls. It can be perceived as an act that defames the particular prison and the guards who ensure law and order within the establishment. Thus, a fictional establishment is a safer choice for the writers of these two episodes. However, the building shown as the FCI Collymore to establish the setting can be a real prison. As the establishing shot of Stoneward, the production department used an image of the Joliet Correctional Center, also known as the Illinois State Penitentiary, in Joliet, Illinois.
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