20 Things You Didn't Know About Prison Break
5. Fox River
For authenticity, the first season was predominantly shot in the defunct Joliet Correctional Center in Illinois, which closed down in 2002.
But how did the name of Fox River State Penitentiary come about? Since the show referenced that the lead characters were in fact detained in Joilet, Illnois, the writing team took influence from the surrounding areas.
The penitentiary is in fact named after the 202 mile long Fox River, which flows between Wisconsin and Ottawa, and is a tributary of the Illinois River. Fox River is located approximately 30 miles west of the old prison.