Berks County Inmate Population Records
Berks County inmate population records are available through several public resources, including the Berks County Prison roster, the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections inmate locator, and county court systems. Whether you need to look up someone held at Berks County Prison in Leesport or search for a state-sentenced individual at a Pennsylvania SCI, this guide walks you through the tools available. Finding current jail roster data, court docket information, and open records requests for Berks County is straightforward when you know where to look.
Berks County Quick Facts
Berks County Prison Inmate Roster
Berks County Prison sits at 1281 County Road, Leesport, PA 19533. The phone number for general information is 610-478-3200. The prison houses pretrial detainees and sentenced inmates serving county-level terms. Current inmate rosters are posted online in PDF format through the Berks County Sheriff's Office website. These documents are updated on most business days and list inmates alphabetically by last name. Each entry typically shows booking data, current charges, and scheduled court dates when available.
The Berks County Sheriff inmate roster page is the starting point for jail-level searches in the county. Work release inmates appear in a separate section of the roster, and female inmates are identified by their housing unit. Juvenile detainees are not included because they are housed at a separate facility. Federal inmates may appear on the roster if they are housed at the county facility under an intergovernmental agreement. Historical rosters are available by request through the open records process. You can also call the Sheriff's Office at 633 Court Street, Reading, PA 19601 for verbal confirmation of current housing status.
The PDF roster format makes it easy to print or download for reference. Mobile devices can open the files without any special software. If someone you are searching for does not appear on the current roster, it is possible they were released since the last update. In that case, a direct call to the prison at 610-478-3200 can confirm current custody status.
Pennsylvania DOC Inmate Locator for Berks County
The Pennsylvania Department of Corrections maintains the official state inmate locator at pa.gov inmate and parolee locator. This tool covers state-sentenced inmates held across all 24 SCIs in Pennsylvania. It does not include individuals held only at county jails like Berks County Prison. If someone received a state sentence after conviction on a felony charge, they will be in this system rather than the county roster.
The locator is updated every day. You do not need an account or login to use it. Search by last name, first name, or inmate number. For common last names, adding a first name narrows results quickly. The system also lets you filter by committing county, which is useful for finding individuals whose crimes originated in Berks County but who are now housed at a state facility elsewhere in Pennsylvania. Results show the full name, date of birth, inmate number, current facility, and committing county. Clicking the inmate number opens a detail page with a photo, physical description, and any known aliases.
The state locator is accessible around the clock except during scheduled maintenance windows. If you experience a technical problem, try a different browser or clear your pop-up blocker, since the system requires pop-ups to be enabled. For technical support, email ra-contactdoc@pa.gov. The DOC houses more than 36,000 incarcerated individuals across its 24 facilities on any given day.
The screenshot below shows the PA DOC inmate locator portal, which provides daily-updated records for all Pennsylvania state correctional institutions.
Using the committing county filter set to Berks narrows the prison population results to individuals whose cases originated locally.
Berks County Court Records and Docket Search
Court records for Berks County are available through the Pennsylvania Unified Judicial System case search portal. The Berks County Courthouse is located at 633 Court Street, Reading, PA 19601. The Court of Common Pleas handles felony criminal cases, while Magisterial District Courts manage traffic citations, summary offenses, and preliminary hearings. Reading Municipal Court handles offenses arising within the city of Reading.
The UJS portal provides free public access to criminal docket sheets. You can search by the name of a defendant, case number, or docket number. Results show current case status, charges filed, dispositions, and upcoming court dates. This is a useful tool when searching for someone in the Berks County inmate population because the docket will show whether a case is pending, if a conviction occurred, and what sentence was imposed. Document images are not always available online, but the docket text provides most essential details. Certified copies of records can be obtained from the Clerk of Courts at the courthouse for a fee.
Note: Juvenile Court records in Berks County are confidential and are not accessible through the public UJS portal under Pennsylvania law.
Berks County Open Records and Right-to-Know Requests
Pennsylvania's Right-to-Know Law (RTKL), codified at 65 P.S. sections 67.101 through 67.3104, gives the public the right to request government records from county agencies. Berks County has a designated Open Records Officer and accepts standard request forms through its website at berkscounty.gov RTK page. Requests can also be submitted online through the county portal.
Once a request is submitted, the agency has five business days to respond. The fee for standard copies is $0.25 per page. If your request is denied in whole or in part, you may appeal to the Pennsylvania Office of Open Records. Appeals can also be filed with the OOR in Harrisburg through its online portal at openrecords.pa.gov. Each county department has its own Agency Open Records Officer (AORO), so directing your request to the correct department speeds up the process. The RTKL applies to most inmate-related administrative records held by the county, though records protected by CHRIA (18 Pa.C.S. Chapter 91) may be exempt from disclosure.
Criminal history record information maintained under CHRIA has specific access rules. Certain records may be sealed or limited under the Clean Slate Act (Act 56 of 2018), which allows for the automatic sealing of some lower-level criminal convictions after a set period of time. RTK phone support for state-level DOC questions is available at (717) 728-7763.
Pennsylvania DOC Reports and Berks County Prison Data
The Pennsylvania Department of Corrections publishes population reports and dashboards that include data broken down by committing county. The DOC reports and dashboards page offers an interactive map of inmate releases by county and year. This data helps researchers and families understand trends in the Berks County prison population over time. The dashboard is produced in part by Recidiviz and covers parole board interviews, pending releases, and parole violations.
The image below illustrates the DOC reports and dashboards portal, which tracks the Pennsylvania prison population including data sourced from Berks County commitments.
Reviewing these reports over multiple years can show whether the Berks County inmate population held at state facilities has grown or declined.
The DOC's Bureau of Planning, Research and Statistics produces annual statistical reports covering offense types, demographics, sentence lengths, and recidivism rates. These reports are available without login at no cost. The department operates 24 SCIs and additional Community Corrections Centers across Pennsylvania. Data from state prisons can be filtered to show only Berks County commitments using the online dashboard tools. For general DOC inquiries, visit cor.pa.gov.
Federal Inmates and Parolee Lookup in Berks County
Individuals convicted of federal crimes are housed in federal facilities, not at Berks County Prison or Pennsylvania SCIs. The Federal Bureau of Prisons inmate locator at bop.gov is the correct tool for finding federally sentenced individuals. Search by name or federal register number. The BOP locator is free and does not require a login.
For individuals under state parole supervision in Berks County, the Pennsylvania Board of Probation and Parole oversees cases through its regional offices. Visit pbpp.pa.gov for contact information and resources. The PADOC also maintains a separate parolee locator at cor.pa.gov/parolee-locator/, which allows searches for individuals currently on parole under DOC supervision. The Pennsylvania Justice Network at jnet.pa.gov provides law enforcement and authorized agencies with deeper access to statewide criminal justice data.
Note: The state parolee locator and PADOC inmate locator are updated daily, but they reflect custody status as of the most recent update and may not show same-day changes.
PATCH Background Checks and Criminal History in Berks County
Pennsylvania's official criminal history background check system is called PATCH, short for Pennsylvania Access To Criminal History. It is managed by the Pennsylvania State Police and accessible at epatch.pa.gov. A PATCH check costs $22 per search and covers state criminal history records. This tool returns conviction data for individuals with records in Pennsylvania, including those with Berks County cases.
The screenshot below shows the Pennsylvania State Police PATCH portal used for official criminal background checks in Berks County and statewide.
PATCH results reflect convictions on file with the state police and may not include arrests that did not lead to conviction or records sealed under the Clean Slate Act.
CHRIA governs who may access criminal history records and what information can be shared. It applies to all agencies in Pennsylvania, including the Berks County Sheriff's Office, Berks County Prison, and the state DOC. Records protected under CHRIA are not available through the RTKL process. The Pennsylvania State Police website at psp.pa.gov provides additional guidance on criminal history access rules and law enforcement resources.
Nearby Counties With Inmate Records
If the person you are searching for may be held in an adjacent county, the following counties near Berks also maintain public inmate population records and jail rosters.