Philadelphia Jail Roster and Inmate Search
Philadelphia County operates one of the largest local jail systems in Pennsylvania. The Philadelphia Department of Prisons runs multiple facilities along State Road in the northeast part of the city. Families, attorneys, and the public can use the online Incarcerated Person Locator or call the department directly to search the Philadelphia jail roster. This page explains how to find someone in Philadelphia County custody, what the roster includes, and which resources are most useful for searching inmate records.
Philadelphia County Quick Facts
Philadelphia Department of Prisons Jail Roster
The Philadelphia Department of Prisons, known as the PDP, manages all county-level detention facilities in Philadelphia. The department operates several distinct facilities, all located in the 8000-block area of State Road in the Northeast. Each facility houses a different population of detainees and sentenced individuals. When someone is booked into PDP custody, they are assigned a PID number, which is a unique identifier used across all Philadelphia jail records.
The PDP facilities include the Curran-Fromhold Correctional Facility at 7901 State Road, the Philadelphia Detention Center at 8201 State Road, the Philadelphia Industrial Correctional Center at 8301 State Road, and the Riverside Correctional Facility at 8151 State Road. Each of these facilities can hold different categories of inmates. Knowing which facility holds the person you are searching for is helpful before you call or visit, though PDP staff can also direct you to the right location if you call the main line.
The PDP main contact line operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Call (215) 685-8394, (215) 685-8395, or (215) 685-8396 to reach the department. For Spanish-language assistance, call (215) 685-8392. Having the person's full name and date of birth ready will help staff locate them faster in the Philadelphia jail system.
The First Judicial District of Philadelphia Courts provides online access to criminal dockets and case information for anyone with a case pending in Philadelphia County.
The First Judicial District handles all criminal cases in Philadelphia County and maintains electronic docket sheets accessible to the public online.
| CFCF | Curran-Fromhold Correctional Facility 7901 State Road, Philadelphia, PA |
|---|---|
| PDC | Philadelphia Detention Center 8201 State Road, Philadelphia, PA |
| PICC | Philadelphia Industrial Correctional Center 8301 State Road, Philadelphia, PA |
| RCF | Riverside Correctional Facility 8151 State Road, Philadelphia, PA |
| PDP Phone | (215) 685-8394 / 8395 / 8396 (24/7) Spanish: (215) 685-8392 |
Using the Philadelphia Incarcerated Person Locator
The fastest way to search the Philadelphia jail roster online is the Incarcerated Person Locator tool. This tool is free to use and available around the clock. You can search by PID number if you have it, or by name combined with date of birth. The locator shows which PDP facility the person is housed in along with basic status information.
The Philadelphia Incarcerated Person Locator is the official online tool for searching the current Philadelphia jail roster and confirming whether someone is in PDP custody.
The locator is maintained by the City of Philadelphia and reflects current custody status for people held in any PDP facility. Use it before calling so you have a PID number or facility name ready.
If the online search does not return a result, the person may have been released, transferred to a state facility, or booked under a different name variation. In those cases, calling PDP directly or checking the Pennsylvania DOC inmate locator at inmatelocator.cor.pa.gov are the next best steps. The state locator covers individuals transferred to state prison after sentencing.
Note: The Philadelphia jail roster reflects county-level custody only. People who have been convicted and sentenced to two or more years are typically transferred to a Pennsylvania Department of Corrections state facility.
Visiting Inmates in Philadelphia County Jail
The Philadelphia Department of Prisons allows visits Monday through Friday from 9 AM to 4 PM at each facility. Visits are conducted at the specific facility where the inmate is housed. You cannot visit at one facility if the person is housed at another. Check the Incarcerated Person Locator first to confirm which building the person is at before traveling to State Road.
All visitors must present valid government-issued photo identification. You must be on the inmate's approved visitor list before you can visit. Getting added to the list is a process the inmate must initiate from inside the facility. New visitors should contact PDP in advance to confirm what documents or steps are needed before arriving for a visit.
The City of Philadelphia visitation information page explains the visit process, ID requirements, and scheduling details for all PDP facilities.
Review the visitation guidelines before your first visit to avoid delays at the facility entrance.
Philadelphia Jail Inmate Services and Contacts
The Philadelphia Department of Prisons provides a range of services to people in custody. These include medical and mental health care, educational programming, substance abuse treatment, and religious services. Inmates can also access re-entry support services designed to help with the transition back into the community after release from Philadelphia County jail.
The City of Philadelphia's page on finding and contacting incarcerated people covers how to send mail, make phone calls, and submit money to someone's account while they are in PDP custody.
This resource covers money transfers, mail rules, and phone account setup for people held in Philadelphia County facilities.
The PDP contact page lists direct numbers and addresses for each Philadelphia facility and provides guidance on who to call depending on your specific need.
Use the PDP contact page to find the right number for your specific facility or service question before calling the general line.
Philadelphia County Court and Criminal Records
Criminal cases in Philadelphia County are handled by the First Judicial District Court of Common Pleas. When someone is arrested in Philadelphia, their case is filed in the court system and a docket number is assigned. That docket is a public record. You can search Philadelphia County criminal dockets through the Pennsylvania Unified Judicial System portal at ujsportal.pacourts.us. Search by name or docket number to find charges, bail decisions, and hearing schedules.
Philadelphia Courts have maintained electronic records for many years. The court system at courts.phila.gov provides direct access to docket sheets and case status for Philadelphia County. This system is separate from the PDP jail roster but closely related. A person listed on the jail roster typically has a pending court case that you can find through the UJS portal.
For official criminal history records, Pennsylvania's PATCH system at epatch.pa.gov provides background record searches. Philadelphia has a long legal history, dating back to Eastern State Penitentiary, which was authorized in 1821 and received its first inmates in 1829. Modern Philadelphia County jail records are now fully digital and searchable through the systems described on this page.
Pennsylvania Statewide Jail and Inmate Resources
Several Pennsylvania state tools are useful when searching Philadelphia jail roster records or tracking someone whose case has moved through the system.
The VINE notification service at vinelink.com allows victims and concerned individuals to register for automatic alerts when someone's custody status changes. This covers Philadelphia County facilities and state prisons alike. The Pennsylvania Megan's Law sex offender registry is searchable at meganslaw.psp.pa.gov for address and registration status information. The Pennsylvania Board of Probation and Parole at pbpp.pa.gov oversees individuals released on parole from state facilities, which can include former Philadelphia County inmates who were sentenced to state time and later paroled.
Public records requests for Philadelphia government records, including jail-related documents, can be submitted under Pennsylvania's Right-to-Know Law at openrecords.pa.gov.
Nearby Counties
Philadelphia County borders several other Pennsylvania counties. Cases that originate near county lines may be handled by a neighboring jurisdiction depending on where the arrest took place.