Locate Detention Center Inmates

Detention Center Jail Role

The Detention Center, or DC, is one of the Philadelphia Department of Prisons buildings on State Road. Philadelphia's local jail system is a city department, not a sheriff jail, so custody questions for DC go to PDP. The official locator app maps the code DC to Detention Center, which makes the facility code important when a search result gives only the person's name, PID, current facility, and last updated time.

DC serves the Philadelphia jail population according to classification and operational needs. The research materials did not locate a current official per-building rated capacity for DC. That absence should not be filled with an estimate. The best public population context is the systemwide Philadelphia jail population reporting, while a current DC assignment should be confirmed through the locator or Classification, Movement, and Registration.

The official PDP facilities page places DC within the State Road jail complex, near Curran-Fromhold, PICC, Riverside, and Alternative and Special Detention.

The State Road cluster can be confusing because several buildings are close together, but a DC result is not the same as CFCF, PICC, RCF, or ASDCU.

Detention Center Inmate Search

The correct lookup route for DC is the Philadelphia Incarcerated Person Locator. It covers current people in the Philadelphia Prison System. The public app can be searched by a six or seven digit PID, or by full first name, full last name, and date of birth. The result does not show public booking photos, charges, bail, court events, arrest details, or housing pod data.

If the locator returns DC, use the Detention Center address and visit schedule. If it returns CFCF, PICC, RCF, ASDCU, or OJ, follow that specific code instead. If it returns no record, the person may not yet be booked, may have been released, may have transferred to state or federal custody, or may require a phone check. The full roster workflow is covered on the Philadelphia County inmate records page.

The official locator screenshot shows why precise search data matters.

Because the locator requires either PID or full name and birth date, broad browsing by last name is not a public Detention Center roster option.

Detention Center Address

The Detention Center address is separate from CFCF even though both are on State Road. For custody-location questions, PDP lists Classification, Movement, and Registration as a 24/7 contact path. Spanish assistance is available through the separate language line. For general help during business hours, Community Justice and Outreach may help route questions, but the facility assignment should be checked with Classification when travel or release timing is involved.

Records that are not available through the locator should be requested through the City of Philadelphia Open Records Policy when a formal record is needed. The request should identify the person, PID if known, dates, facility, and the specific record type.

Detention Center Visit Schedule

The official PDP visitation page lists DC visits Monday through Friday. The captured table shows 9-10 a.m., 1-2 p.m., and 3-4 p.m., with 6 visits per slot. That lower slot count makes confirmation important, especially if a visitor is traveling from outside Philadelphia County.

Visitors should bring government identification and assume screening rules for phones, bags, food, property, and dress. The research set did not include a DC parking rate or SEPTA route, so those details should be confirmed before travel.

Detention Center Mail Rules

Mail, commissary, phone, and money rules for DC follow PDP systemwide instructions. Use the PDP mail page before sending correspondence because rejected mail delays contact and may not be returned quickly. Include the person's full name and PID when available. Do not rely on an old address format if the official page has changed.

Because the Detention Center is part of a multi-building jail campus, a search result should be read as a current assignment rather than a permanent location. A person can move between DC, CFCF, PICC, Riverside, and ASD as classification, court transport, medical review, safety status, or release processing changes.

Detention Center Court Status

The DC locator result is a custody record, not a court docket. For charges, scheduled events, bail changes, and disposition, use Pennsylvania UJS Case Search. Philadelphia Municipal Court initially processes every criminal arrest in the city. Some felony matters begin as MC-51 Municipal Court cases and later connect to CP-51 Common Pleas cases through the cross-court docket field.

Release from the Detention Center can be delayed by several lawful holds. A person may have cash bail on one case, denied bail on another, revoked bail, a Philadelphia probation detainer, a hold from another jurisdiction, a federal matter, or an immigration detainer. PAePay can help when electronic bail is available, but release still depends on court and PDP processing.

Classification

PDP's process for assigning a person to a facility or housing status after intake.

Detainer

A hold that can keep a person in custody even when bail is paid on one case.

Municipal Court

The Philadelphia court that initially processes every criminal arrest.

Detention Center Programs

PDP describes systemwide services that can include education, counseling, behavioral-health therapy, substance-abuse services, parenting classes, workforce development, and vocational training. DC-specific access depends on PDP operations, classification, safety status, staffing, and the person's housing assignment. Do not assume a program is available for a specific person until PDP confirms it.

Population and conditions context should be tied to dated official sources. The May 2026 population report gives the Philadelphia jail system count and confinement categories, while Remick monitor reports provide a dated conditions source. Those reports are system materials, not a guarantee that one Detention Center unit has a particular program or capacity.

For records work, keep the systems in order. PDP confirms the Detention Center custody location. UJS shows the Municipal Court or Common Pleas case. The City Right-to-Know process is the formal route for non-online jail records, subject to Pennsylvania exemptions and redactions.