Philadelphia County Inmate Lookup
Philadelphia County released inmate records are managed by the Philadelphia Department of Prisons, a city agency that operates separately from most county sheriffs in Pennsylvania. Philadelphia is a consolidated city-county, meaning the city and county are the same jurisdiction. With over 1.6 million residents, Philadelphia County is the most populous in the state, and its jail system processes a high volume of bookings and releases each year. This page explains how to search Philadelphia County released inmate records, how to use the city's official locator, and which state tools can help when you need broader criminal history information.
Philadelphia County Quick Facts
Philadelphia Department of Prisons
The Philadelphia Department of Prisons administrative offices are at 100 South Broad Street, Philadelphia, PA 19110. The main phone is (215) 685-7711. The department operates several facilities that hold people detained or sentenced in Philadelphia County.
Philadelphia County's jail system includes the Curran-Fromhold Correctional Facility (CFCF), the Riverside Correctional Facility (RCF), the Philadelphia Industrial Correctional Center (PICC), and the Alternative and Special Detention Central (ASD Central). Each facility holds different populations within the Philadelphia County system. Pretrial detainees, sentenced inmates, and those in alternative detention programs are distributed across these sites.
The Incarcerated Person Locator at incarceratedperson-locator.phila.gov is the official online tool for searching Philadelphia County inmate records. Enter a name to see whether someone is currently in custody and which facility holds them. This tool is free and publicly available. It is the fastest way to start a Philadelphia County released inmate search.
| Administration |
Philadelphia Department of Prisons 100 South Broad Street Philadelphia, PA 19110 Phone: (215) 685-7711 |
|---|---|
| Inmate Locator | incarceratedperson-locator.phila.gov |
| Contact Page | phila.gov — Dept. of Prisons Contact |
| Police Dept. | phillypolice.com |
Released Inmate Search in Philadelphia County
Start with the Incarcerated Person Locator at incarceratedperson-locator.phila.gov. Search by name to confirm current custody status and which Philadelphia facility holds the person. If the search returns no results, the individual may have been released. For confirmation of a release date, contact the Department of Prisons directly at (215) 685-7711.
The PA DOC Inmate Locator at inmatelocator.cor.pa.gov covers people serving state sentences. It does not include Philadelphia County jail records. Use it when someone was convicted in Philadelphia County and received a sentence of two or more years, which transfers them to a state prison. The locator shows current location and projected release date. It is free and updated daily.
Court records for Philadelphia County are available through the UJS Portal at ujsportal.pacourts.us. Search by name or case number to find charges, bail status, and sentencing information. Philadelphia Municipal Court and the Court of Common Pleas both file records that appear in this system. These records are free and public.
The PATCH system at epatch.state.pa.us provides certified criminal history reports for $22 each. Call 1-888-783-7972 for help. PATCH covers all Philadelphia County arrests, charges, and dispositions going back through the full history of contact with Pennsylvania law enforcement. It is useful when you need a complete certified record rather than a current custody check.
The Philadelphia Police Department at phillypolice.com handles arrests and booking in Philadelphia County. Arrest records originate with the police department before detainees are transferred to Department of Prisons custody. For questions about a specific arrest, contacting the Police Department's records division is a useful step.
Note: The Philadelphia Incarcerated Person Locator shows current custody status only. It does not show past releases, so a formal Right-to-Know request may be needed for historical Philadelphia County released inmate data.
Right-to-Know Requests in Philadelphia County
Pennsylvania's Right-to-Know Law, 65 P.S. §§ 67.101-67.3104, applies to the Philadelphia Department of Prisons and other Philadelphia County agencies. You can request released inmate records, booking logs, and other non-exempt public documents. Submit a written request to the Philadelphia County Open Records Officer. Use the standard form at openrecords.pa.gov.
Philadelphia is a consolidated city-county, so many records requests go to city agencies rather than a separate county government. The Department of Prisons has its own open records contact. Review the contact page at phila.gov for the current records officer information. The agency has five business days to respond. Copy fees are $0.25 per page under the RTKL.
If the agency denies your request, the written denial must state the legal basis for the exemption. You can appeal to the Pennsylvania Office of Open Records at (717) 346-9903 or at openrecords.pa.gov. Criminal investigative records may be withheld. Booking records and general released inmate information are typically public under Pennsylvania law.
CHRIA, 18 Pa.C.S. § 9121 et seq., governs how Philadelphia County handles criminal history data. The Clean Slate Act (Act 56 of 2018) and expungement under 18 Pa.C.S. § 9122 can seal or remove certain records from public view after qualifying waiting periods. Sealed records will not appear in standard Philadelphia County released inmate searches.
PA SAVIN and Philadelphia County
PA SAVIN provides free victim notifications when a Philadelphia County inmate's custody status changes. This covers releases from any Department of Prisons facility, transfers between facilities, and escapes. The system runs 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Register at pavictimhelp.org or call 1-866-972-7284. Choose your preferred notification method: phone call, text message, or email. You can register for any person currently in Philadelphia County custody. Once registered, alerts go out automatically each time that person's status changes. You do not have to check the locator yourself.
PA SAVIN follows the offender's record across facilities and systems. If someone transfers from a Philadelphia County facility to a state prison, your registration stays active. This is important in Philadelphia County cases where pretrial detention at a city facility is followed by a state sentence after conviction.
State Resources for Philadelphia County
Several state-level tools supplement Philadelphia County's local records. The Pennsylvania Department of Corrections at cor.pa.gov tracks all state prison inmates. Anyone convicted in Philadelphia County and sentenced to two or more years goes to a state facility. The DOC locator shows current location, projected release date, and parole eligibility.
The Pennsylvania State Police at psp.pa.gov maintains the Megan's Law sex offender registry. You can search for registrants anywhere in Philadelphia County by name or address. The Pennsylvania Board of Probation and Parole at pbpp.pa.gov supervises people on parole in Philadelphia County following release from state prison.
The Office of Open Records at openrecords.pa.gov handles appeals of denied RTK requests and publishes guidance on Pennsylvania public records law as it applies to Philadelphia County. The UJS Portal at ujsportal.pacourts.us provides access to all court records in Philadelphia County, including Municipal Court and Court of Common Pleas filings.
Cities in Philadelphia County
Philadelphia County is a consolidated city-county. All released inmate records are held by the Philadelphia Department of Prisons, which serves the entire county from multiple facilities across the city.
Philadelphia is the only municipality in Philadelphia County. As a consolidated city-county, the city government and county government are one and the same. All released inmate records for Philadelphia residents are held by the Philadelphia Department of Prisons.
Nearby Counties
Philadelphia County borders four other Pennsylvania counties. If you are not sure which county holds the records you need, check the address where the person lives or was arrested.