Philadelphia County Inmate Population Records
Philadelphia County operates its own city jail system, separate from the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections, through the Philadelphia Department of Prisons. If you need to find an inmate held in Philadelphia, the city runs multiple facilities that house pre-trial detainees, sentenced individuals, and those awaiting transfer. This page covers how to search the Philadelphia County inmate population, which facilities hold inmates, and how to access official records through the Philadelphia Department of Prisons and related agencies.
Philadelphia County Quick Facts
Philadelphia Department of Prisons Overview
Philadelphia County is unique in Pennsylvania. It is a consolidated city-county, meaning the city and county governments are the same. Because of this, Philadelphia runs its own jail system called the Philadelphia Department of Prisons (PDP), which is entirely separate from the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections. The PDP holds people charged with crimes in Philadelphia, those serving shorter sentences, and those awaiting court dates.
The Philadelphia Department of Prisons is headquartered at 7901 State Road, Philadelphia, PA 19136. The main phone number is 215-685-8000. The department operates several facilities across the city, each with a different purpose and population. Inmates in Philadelphia County are held at one of these city facilities unless they have been sentenced to state prison and transferred to a Pennsylvania Department of Corrections facility.
The Philadelphia Department of Prisons provides information about all city facilities, visiting rules, inmate services, and how to contact inmates. The department website is the first place to check when looking for someone in the Philadelphia County jail system.
Note: Inmates sentenced to more than two years typically transfer to state custody under the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections, so they would not appear in Philadelphia city jail records.
Philadelphia County Jail Facilities
The Philadelphia Department of Prisons operates multiple facilities in Philadelphia County. Each serves a different segment of the inmate population. Knowing which facility holds a person can help you contact them, send mail, or arrange a visit.
The Curran-Fromhold Correctional Facility (CFCF) is the main intake facility for Philadelphia County. Most new inmates are processed here first. The Detention Center (DCC) holds pre-trial detainees. The Riverside Correctional Facility (RCCF) houses female inmates in Philadelphia County. The Philadelphia Industrial Correctional Center (PICC) holds sentenced males. The Philadelphia Community Corrections Center (PCC) handles work release. The Modular Unit (TMP) is a minimum security location.
Each facility has its own visiting schedule and mail procedures. Contact the specific facility or call 215-685-8000 to confirm current visiting hours before you make the trip. Rules can change, and confirming ahead of time saves you from a wasted visit to a Philadelphia County jail facility.
The Philadelphia Inmate Locator shows which facility currently holds a person. You can search by last name and first name or by the PPN (Philadelphia Prison Number). The locator displays the current housing facility, the inmate's intake date, bail information, next court date, and charge details. It is free to use and available around the clock.
How to Find Philadelphia Inmates
The easiest way to search the Philadelphia County inmate population is through the city's online locator. Go to phila.gov/departments/prisons/inmate-locator and enter the person's name. The system searches all active Philadelphia County jail facilities at once. You do not need an account to search, and there is no charge to use the basic name search.
The locator shows current inmates only. If the person was released or transferred, they may not appear in real-time results. For historical Philadelphia County inmate records, contact the Philadelphia Department of Prisons Records Division at 7901 State Road, Philadelphia, PA 19136, or call 215-685-8000. The Records Division handles past inmate files, certified record copies, and written record requests.
If someone in Philadelphia County received a state prison sentence, they would be in the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections system, not the city system. Use the PA DOC inmate locator at pa.gov to search state prison inmates. The PA DOC holds over 36,000 inmates across 24 state correctional institutions throughout Pennsylvania.
The Unified Judicial System Portal is another resource for Philadelphia County. It shows court case records, which include criminal charges and case status. If you want to know whether someone has an open criminal case in Philadelphia County, a UJS search by name can show that information. The UJS portal covers all Pennsylvania counties and is free to use.
Note: The Philadelphia city inmate locator is separate from the PA DOC locator. A single search on one system will not show results from the other system.
Philadelphia County Inmate Population Records Access
The Philadelphia Department of Prisons maintains official records for all inmates held in Philadelphia County city jails. The image below shows the PDP website, which is the main starting point for inmate searches and facility information.
The Philadelphia Department of Prisons website provides direct access to the inmate locator, visiting guidelines, and facility contact information for all Philadelphia County jail locations.
Philadelphia County criminal court matters are handled by both Philadelphia Municipal Court and the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas. The Municipal Court handles preliminary hearings and misdemeanor trials. The Court of Common Pleas handles felony trials and appeals. Court records for Philadelphia County criminal cases are accessible through courts.phila.gov, where you can look up dockets, case status, and scheduled hearings. Criminal court records connect directly to the inmate population in Philadelphia County by showing the charges an inmate faces and the status of their case.
Philadelphia County Inmate Records Requests
Records about the Philadelphia County inmate population are governed by Pennsylvania's Right-to-Know Law, 65 P.S. Sections 67.101 through 67.3104. Most basic inmate information is public. This includes name, facility, charges, intake date, and bail status. Some records may be exempt if they pose a security risk or contain sensitive personal information.
To request records from the Philadelphia Department of Prisons, contact the Records Division at 7901 State Road, Philadelphia, PA 19136. You can make an in-person request or submit a written request by mail. Bring a valid ID for in-person requests. For third-party requests, you may need to provide written authorization. Copy fees apply for printed records, typically $0.25 per page for standard copies.
The Philadelphia City Right-to-Know Office handles formal public records requests for city departments, including the Department of Prisons. You can submit a request online through the city's portal. The city has five business days to respond. If your request is denied, you can appeal to the Pennsylvania Office of Open Records. This process applies to Philadelphia County inmate records that are not immediately available through the online locator.
For federal inmates housed in Philadelphia County at a federal facility, use the Federal Bureau of Prisons locator at bop.gov/inmateloc. Federal inmates are not part of the Philadelphia city or Pennsylvania state systems.
Criminal History and Parole in Philadelphia County
Philadelphia County inmate records connect to broader criminal history information available through state systems. The Pennsylvania State Police maintains criminal history records under the Criminal History Record Information Act, 18 Pa.C.S. Chapter 91. You can request a criminal history check through the PA State Police at psp.pa.gov. This covers arrests and convictions statewide, including those originating in Philadelphia County.
When a Philadelphia County inmate is released on parole from a state sentence, supervision falls under the Pennsylvania Board of Probation and Parole. The PBPP website at pbpp.pa.gov has information about parole supervision in Pennsylvania, including how to contact parole officers and report violations. For city-sentenced inmates released from Philadelphia Department of Prisons facilities, probation supervision may fall under the Philadelphia County Adult Probation and Parole Department.
Note: Philadelphia County has its own adult probation department separate from state parole, so supervision after release depends on the type of sentence and which system held the inmate.
Nearby Counties
Philadelphia County borders several counties in southeastern Pennsylvania. If you are searching for an inmate and are not sure which county holds them, check the bordering counties. Each county maintains its own jail and inmate population records separate from Philadelphia County.