Pennsylvania State Departament Of Corrections Inmate Search

County jails and state prisons in Pennsylvania incarcerate thousands of inmates each year. The state has twenty-three state prisons and seventy-three county jails. There are also ten federal prisons and five federal prison camps. Each of the prisons is managed by the Northeast Regional Office.  

The state prisons are managed by the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections, while the county sheriff's office runs the county jails. The county jails can hold around forty-nine thousand offenders. Pennsylvania Department of Corrections oversees nearly nineteen thousand offenders on probation or parole.  

County jails and state prisons provide the inmates with basic necessities such as shelter, clothing, and food. They are also provided with education programs and medical care. The prisons provide educational programs such as GED preparation, adult basic education, and vocational training. These programs aim to assist the offenders to be ready to re-enter society.  

The county jails don't provide the quality of amenities the state prisons provide. However, some do offer substance abuse treatment and basic education programs.  

The correctional facilities are classified into four levels: minimum, medium, close and maximum. The categories are based on the risk levels that the inmates pose to public safety.  

Pennsylvania State Inmate Search

The Pennsylvania Department of Corrections is responsible for managing records of offenders held in facilities run by the state. The agency updates the details on the platform daily to show changes in the inmate status and state registry. You can use the inmate search tool, not offenders in the prisons.  

Besides you can also use the state inmate search tool to get information on offenders on parole and probation. The tool provides information about the parolee's or inmate's name, date, race, and county of residence. You can also sort out the searches by parole number, name, race, and other details.  

Another option is to use Vinelink or Pennsylvania Statewide Automated Victim Information and Notification (PA SAVIN). Here, you will find information, including the offender's status in county jails or state prisons.  

To search for an inmate in Pennsylvania county jails, you can use the inmate details provided by the facilities through an online search tool. The search tools are available on the specific county jail website. Another option is to contact the specific sheriff's office or the local city police department to search for the inmate.  

Contacting an Inmate  

The Department of Corrections (DOC) allows inmates to make calls. You should create a calling account with Securus to receive calls.  You can also create an account at securustech.net. Calls are recorded and monitored by the authorities.    

Another option is to send a letter to an inmate. The letter should have a plain white envelope. Only cards, letters, and postcards are allowed. Send the mail to with this format: 

Sending Money  

Jpay handles all the money sent to inmates in Pennsylvania. Thus, you should register with the provider to send money to your inmate over the phone or through online transactions. You can also deposit the money into the inmate account in the lobby kiosk located at the correctional facility. The acceptable methods for kiosk deposits include debit cards, cash, and credit cards.  

When sending money, you should fill out a deposit slip with the inmate's name, ID number, your name, and contact information. You cannot send more than $999.99 with a money order. For the walk-in transactions, the limit to send is $5,000. 

Visiting an Inmate  

Visiting rules differ from one correctional facility to the other, but there are some general rules in all of them. The duration of the visit is based on space availability and the inmate's security level. You must schedule the visit three days before the visiting day. Inmates in the state are allowed for in-person visits every month. In-person visits are allowed for at least an hour. Before accessing the facility, you should undergo all the security procedures and comply with all the rules.   

All inmates are allowed to participate in video visitation. All the video visits are monitored and recorded. Note that electronic devices are not allowed in all correctional facilities during visitation.