Cameron County Jail Roster and Inmate Records
Cameron County is one of Pennsylvania's smallest counties by population, but it maintains a functioning county jail and an active inmate population. The Cameron County Jail in Emporium serves as the primary detention facility for individuals arrested within the county. This page explains how to search the Cameron County inmate population, contact the jail and Sheriff's Office, access state-level DOC records, and submit Right-to-Know requests for public documents related to incarceration in Cameron County.
Cameron County Quick Facts
Cameron County Jail Inmate Population
The Cameron County Jail is located at 2950 Turnpike Avenue, Emporium, PA 15834, and can be reached at 814-486-1536. As a small county facility, it has limited capacity compared to larger Pennsylvania county prisons. Because of this limited space, Cameron County sometimes relies on inter-county cooperation to house overflow inmates in neighboring facilities when the local jail reaches capacity. This is a common arrangement among smaller Pennsylvania counties and does not affect the legal status of the individuals held.
Inmate information for those held at the Cameron County Jail is primarily handled through the Sheriff's Office. Visitation at the jail is conducted by appointment, and interested parties should call ahead to confirm scheduling. Basic inmate services are available, including medical care coordination, mail procedures, and property procedures for personal belongings. Release coordination is managed by staff and may involve state parole supervision for some individuals.
For full details about the facility and current procedures, the official Cameron County Jail page is maintained at cameroncountypa.com. If you are trying to confirm whether someone is currently in Cameron County custody, calling the jail directly at 814-486-1536 is the fastest method.
The image below shows the Cameron County Jail, the primary detention facility for the county's inmate population.
The Cameron County Jail in Emporium holds individuals awaiting trial and those serving short sentences within the county correctional system.
Cameron County Sheriff and Inmate Information
The Cameron County Sheriff's Office is located at 20 E. 5th Street, Emporium, and can be reached at 814-486-3355. Because Cameron is a small county, the Sheriff's Office operates with a limited staff whose duties span many roles. Deputies handle warrant service, civil process, court security, prisoner transport, emergency response, and community policing. In a small county setting, these responsibilities often overlap and require deputies to coordinate closely with state agencies.
The Sheriff's Office is your main point of contact for inmate lookup in Cameron County. When a person is booked into the county jail, that information flows through the Sheriff's Office. Deputies also coordinate with the Pennsylvania State Police, which maintains a presence in rural areas like Cameron County where municipal police coverage is minimal. This coordination is important for the transfer and tracking of individuals in the local inmate population.
Right-to-Know requests for records held by the Cameron County Sheriff's Office can be submitted in writing. Pennsylvania's RTKL (65 P.S. §§ 67.101-67.3104) provides the legal basis for such requests. Copies cost $0.25 per page, and the agency must respond within five business days. Denied requests can be appealed to the Pennsylvania Office of Open Records at openrecords.pa.gov.
State Inmate Search for Cameron County Residents
Cameron County residents who are convicted of serious felonies and sentenced to more than two years are transferred from the county jail to a Pennsylvania Department of Corrections state facility. The DOC operates 24 SCIs across the state and houses more than 36,000 incarcerated individuals at any one time. Once transferred, these individuals no longer appear in county jail records and must be found through the PADOC inmate locator.
The PADOC Inmate Locator is free, requires no login, and is updated daily. You can search by name or inmate number. Filtering by committing county allows you to narrow results to those whose charges originated in Cameron County. The system shows the person's current facility, inmate number, and date of birth. Note that some identifying information is self-reported by inmates and may not be independently verified by the DOC.
Access the state inmate locator at PA Official Inmate and Parolee Locator or directly at PADOC Direct Inmate Locator. The PA DOC website at cor.pa.gov also provides information on all 24 state correctional facilities, visitation rules, and inmate services available at the state level.
The image below shows the official Pennsylvania DOC inmate locator portal used to find state-sentenced individuals from Cameron County.
The PA Official Inmate and Parolee Locator is the go-to tool for finding Cameron County residents who have been sentenced to state custody.
Cameron County Court Records and Criminal Cases
Criminal charges that contribute to the Cameron County inmate population are processed through the Court of Common Pleas and the Magisterial District Judge courts. The courthouse in Emporium handles felony matters at the Common Pleas level, while MDJ courts manage preliminary hearings, traffic violations, and summary offenses. Because Cameron is a small county, limited court staff handle all matters, and the court calendar may be less frequent than in larger counties.
All public court records for Cameron County are accessible through the UJS Case Search portal. This free, statewide tool lets you look up criminal dockets by name or case number. Docket entries include the charges filed, hearing outcomes, and sentencing information. Certified copies of court records must be requested in person or by mail from the Clerk of Courts office in Emporium. Juvenile records are sealed and not available through the public portal.
Court records are an important cross-reference when conducting an inmate lookup. A docket entry can confirm the charges underlying a person's incarceration, the sentence imposed, and any probation or parole conditions attached to the case. For parolees from Cameron County now under state supervision, the Pennsylvania Board of Probation and Parole at pbpp.pa.gov can provide additional information.
Cameron County Right-to-Know and Public Records
Pennsylvania's Right-to-Know Law gives residents the right to request public records from county agencies, including documents related to the county jail and inmate population. Requests must be submitted in writing to the Open Records Officer at the relevant Cameron County department. Agencies have five business days to respond, and copies are available at $0.25 per page.
Records that may be available through RTKL include jail population reports, policy documents, contracts, and budget data. However, individual inmate records may be restricted under CHRIA (18 Pa.C.S. Chapter 91), which governs criminal history record information in Pennsylvania. This law limits the release of certain investigative data and detailed criminal histories to authorized parties. Basic custody and booking information is generally considered a public record.
If a RTKL request is denied, the requester may appeal to the Pennsylvania Office of Open Records within 15 business days of the denial. The OOR acts as a neutral arbiter and issues binding decisions. For federal inmates with ties to Cameron County, use the Federal BOP Inmate Locator at bop.gov/inmateloc.
Background Checks and Criminal History in Cameron County
For a verified criminal background check on a Cameron County individual, use the PATCH system operated by the Pennsylvania State Police. PATCH is available at epatch.pa.gov and costs $22 per search. The result reflects fingerprint-verified records from the state's criminal history database. PATCH is widely used for official purposes and provides a more complete picture than name-based searches alone.
The Clean Slate Act (Act 56 of 2018) automatically seals certain older misdemeanor and non-violent convictions from public view after an eligible waiting period. If a PATCH result shows no record, it is possible that eligible records have been sealed under this law. The act was designed to give people who have completed their sentences a path forward without the permanent burden of a criminal record on standard searches.
The Pennsylvania Justice Network, or JNET, at jnet.pa.gov, serves law enforcement agencies and authorized users with access to more complete criminal justice databases. JNET is not a public tool but plays a role in how law enforcement agencies, including Cameron County's Sheriff's Office, access and share criminal justice information across the state.
Nearby Counties
If the person you are searching for is not found in Cameron County records, they may be held in a neighboring county jail or a state facility. The counties below border or are near Cameron County.