Luzerne County Inmate Population Records
Luzerne County inmate population records are available through the Luzerne County Correctional Facility inmate search system, the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections statewide locator, and county court records. Located in northeastern Pennsylvania near Wilkes-Barre, Luzerne County maintains public records on individuals held at the county correctional facility as well as those committed to state correctional institutions. This guide walks through the inmate search tools, court docket access, and open records request procedures for Luzerne County.
Luzerne County Quick Facts
Luzerne County Correctional Facility Inmate Search
Luzerne County Correctional Facility is located at 99 Water Street, Wilkes-Barre, PA 18702. The main phone number is 570-501-7500. A warden oversees the facility, which houses pretrial detainees and individuals serving county-level sentences. The correctional facility provides inmates with access to medical care, mental health services, commissary, educational programming, work release opportunities, and release planning resources. Volunteer programs are coordinated through the facility's administration.
An online inmate search is available through the county government website at luzernecounty.org/176/Inmate-Search. You can search by first name, last name, booking number, or date of birth. Results cover currently housed individuals and may also include historical options. Booking date, charge information, and release date (when known) are displayed for each record. The system is updated daily, accessible without a login, and free to use. Mobile devices can access the lookup without additional software. Full correctional facility information, including visiting hours and mail procedures, is available at luzernecounty.org/176/Correctional-Facility.
If a name search returns no result, the person may have been released since the last daily update. A direct call to the facility at 570-501-7500 will confirm current custody status.
The Luzerne County Correctional Facility at 99 Water Street in Wilkes-Barre is the primary detention center for the county's pretrial and sentenced inmate population.
Luzerne County Sheriff and Inmate Records
The Luzerne County Sheriff's Office is located at 200 N. River Street, Wilkes-Barre, PA 18711. Sheriff Brian Zdan leads the office. The phone number is 570-825-1500 and the fax is 570-825-1650. The email address is sheriff@luzernecounty.org. The Sheriff's Office handles warrant service, civil process, concealed carry permits, jail transport, fingerprinting, sheriff's sales, and emergency response. Deputies are responsible for transporting inmates between the Luzerne County Correctional Facility and the courthouse for scheduled hearings.
The Luzerne County Sheriff's Office does not publish a live online warrant list. Warrant status tied to open cases can be verified through the Pennsylvania UJS court docket portal. The Sheriff's Office also manages concealed carry permit applications and provides fingerprinting services for background check purposes. Community programs and deputy recruitment details are available through the county website. RTK requests submitted to the Sheriff's Office are processed under the standard five-business-day timeline required by Pennsylvania's Right-to-Know Law.
The Luzerne County Sheriff's Office at 200 N. River Street in Wilkes-Barre coordinates warrant service, jail transport, and law enforcement support for the county's incarcerated population.
Pennsylvania DOC Inmate Search for Luzerne County
The Pennsylvania Department of Corrections inmate locator at pa.gov inmate and parolee locator covers all individuals serving state prison sentences at any of Pennsylvania's 24 state correctional institutions. Luzerne County residents convicted of felonies and given state sentences will be found through this tool rather than the county inmate search. The system is updated daily and does not require any login or payment.
Search by last name, first name, or inmate number. Using the committing county filter set to Luzerne returns all incarcerated individuals whose criminal cases originated in Luzerne County, no matter which state facility currently holds them. This is particularly helpful because northeastern Pennsylvania inmates may be transferred to SCIs anywhere across the state. Results show full name, date of birth, inmate number, current facility, and committing county. Clicking the inmate number opens a detail profile with a photo, physical description, and known aliases. Over 36,000 men and women are held across Pennsylvania's state correctional institutions daily. For DOC facility locations and general department information, visit cor.pa.gov.
Pop-up blockers may interfere with loading. Disable them for the site or try a different browser. Email ra-contactdoc@pa.gov for technical help.
Luzerne County Court Records and Docket Search
Court records for Luzerne County cases are available through the Pennsylvania Unified Judicial System case search portal. The Luzerne County Courthouse is located in Wilkes-Barre. The Court of Common Pleas handles felony criminal matters, civil cases, and appeals from lower courts. Magisterial District Courts across Luzerne County handle summary offenses, preliminary hearings, and minor criminal matters. The Pennsylvania Courts website at pacourts.us provides information on appellate courts and court rules.
The UJS portal is free and requires no account to use. Search by defendant name, docket number, or case number. Results show case status, charges filed, dispositions entered, and scheduled court dates. Docket sheets are a valuable supplement to the Luzerne County inmate search because they show what led to a person's custody, whether a plea was entered, and what sentence was imposed. New filings may take up to 72 hours to appear in the system. Certified copies of court records are available from the Luzerne County Clerk of Courts in Wilkes-Barre for a standard fee. Juvenile records are confidential under Pennsylvania law and are not accessible through the public portal.
These are common ways people use the Luzerne County court records portal:
- Finding charge details for someone on the correctional facility roster
- Confirming a scheduled hearing date before visiting the jail
- Looking up a case number before requesting certified copies
- Checking whether a sentence has been imposed and its length
- Researching prior cases tied to a person in the inmate database
Luzerne County Right-to-Know and Open Records
Pennsylvania's Right-to-Know Law, codified at 65 P.S. sections 67.101 through 67.3104, gives the public the right to request government records from Luzerne County agencies. Open records requests are processed through the Luzerne County Right-to-Know Office at luzernecounty.org/177/Right-to-Know-Office. Requests can be submitted online. The standard fee for paper copies is $0.25 per page. County agencies must respond within five business days of receiving a complete request.
If a request is denied in whole or in part, you may appeal to the Pennsylvania Office of Open Records at openrecords.pa.gov. The RTKL covers most administrative records held by the Luzerne County Correctional Facility, the Sheriff's Office, and other county agencies. Criminal history record information protected under CHRIA (18 Pa.C.S. Chapter 91) is not subject to disclosure under the RTKL and must be accessed through separate channels. Records sealed under the Clean Slate Act (Act 56 of 2018) are also limited in their availability. For state DOC records, contact the RTK Law Office at (717) 728-7763 or RA-docrighttoknow@pa.gov. Fee waivers may be available in cases of financial hardship. Extensions are permitted for large or complex requests.
The Luzerne County Right-to-Know Office processes public records requests for county government documents, including administrative records from the correctional facility and Sheriff's Office.
Luzerne County DOC Reports and Prison Population Data
The Pennsylvania Department of Corrections publishes population reports and interactive dashboards that include data broken down by committing county. The DOC reports and dashboards page includes an interactive map showing inmate releases by county and year. Filtering by Luzerne County shows how many incarcerated individuals from this county have been released from state facilities over a given period. The dashboard is produced in partnership with Recidiviz and is updated on a regular schedule.
Annual statistical reports from the DOC Bureau of Planning, Research and Statistics cover offense types, sentence lengths, demographics, and recidivism data. These reports are free to access without a login. Because Luzerne is a larger northeastern Pennsylvania county, its share of the state prison population is substantial. Tracking this data over time reveals trends in the Luzerne County prison population committed to state facilities and outcomes after release. Reviewing this data alongside local jail statistics provides a comprehensive picture of incarceration in the Wilkes-Barre area. The DOC operates 24 SCIs and Community Corrections Centers throughout Pennsylvania. Full department information is available at cor.pa.gov.
Federal Inmates and Parolees From Luzerne County
Individuals convicted of federal offenses are housed at federal Bureau of Prisons facilities, not at Luzerne County Correctional Facility or Pennsylvania SCIs. The Federal Bureau of Prisons inmate locator at bop.gov is the correct resource for finding a federally sentenced person. Pennsylvania federal prisons include USP Canaan, FCI Allenwood, FCI Schuylkill, and FCI McKean. Search by name or federal register number for free, without any login required.
For Luzerne County residents under state parole supervision, the Pennsylvania Board of Probation and Parole manages cases through regional district offices. Visit pbpp.pa.gov for contact information. The PADOC parolee locator at cor.pa.gov/parolee-locator/ allows searches for individuals currently on parole from state prison. The Pennsylvania Justice Network at jnet.pa.gov provides authorized law enforcement and public safety agencies with access to statewide criminal justice records, including inmate information, court data, and digital mug shots. Public access to JNET is not available, but the network supports all 67 Pennsylvania counties.
The Luzerne County online inmate search provides daily-updated records for the county correctional facility's current inmate population and booking history.
PATCH Background Checks in Luzerne County
Pennsylvania's official criminal background check system is PATCH, which stands for Pennsylvania Access To Criminal History. It is managed by the Pennsylvania State Police and available at epatch.pa.gov. Each search costs $22 as authorized under CHRIA. Results cover state-level convictions on file with the PSP, including those from Luzerne County cases. No-record results are returned immediately. Cases with a conviction on file may require additional processing time.
PATCH is governed by the Criminal History Record Information Act under 18 Pa.C.S. Chapter 91. The Act directs the Pennsylvania State Police to manage and release criminal history data as allowed by law. Court docket sheets from the UJS portal are useful for research but do not substitute for a formal PATCH check when a certified record is needed. Records sealed under the Clean Slate Act (Act 56 of 2018) will not appear in PATCH results. Requests for notarized copies of criminal records must be submitted by mail to the PSP Central Repository at 1800 Elmerton Avenue, Harrisburg, PA 17110-9758. Additional guidance on PATCH and criminal history access rules is available at the Pennsylvania State Police website at psp.pa.gov.
Nearby Counties With Inmate Records
If the person you are searching for may be held in a neighboring county, these counties near Luzerne all maintain public inmate population records accessible online or by phone.