The Pennsylvania State Prison System

Pennsylvania has prisons located in various counties across the state. The Pennsylvania Department of Corrections manages these correctional facilities, and they cater to different classes of convicts which include defective delinquents, lesser security risk prisoners, adult female offenders, juvenile offenders, adult male offenders, capital case inmates, and terminally ill inmates. Pennsylvania Department of Corrections permits and even encourages visitation by coming to the prison or by phone. It is also possible for victims of crime or residents in general to get updates on an inmate's status in any correctional institution via Pennsylvania Statewide Automated Victim Information and Notification (PA SAVIN). Additionally, crime victims may register at the Office of Victim Advocate (OVA) to understand their rights with respect to Pennsylvania law.

What Is The Difference Between Jail and Prison in Pennsylvania?

In Pennsylvania, a county-run correctional facility is called a jail, while the state operates prisons. A person charged with a crime awaiting trial are typically held in county jails. Furthermore, sentenced defendants are kept in jail before being transferred to the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections. Again, a county jail generally house inmates with less severe offenses or a short jail term. Pennsylvania prisons, on the other hand, host convicts with longer sentences, and their facilities generally serve more inmates than a county jail. Provision for programs to aid the wellness or improve the lifestyle of a convict is only present in the state prisons.

How Many Prisons Are In Pennsylvania?

Pennsylvania currently has 24 correctional facilities. Each of these facilities has a special function and is classified into:

Maximum Security

There are maximum-security prisons for young adult offenders, female adults, and male adults. The maximum-security prison for young adult inmates houses offenders between ages 16 to 25. The male and female adult maximum prison is for those with capital punishment or with challenges that call for special care like mental illnesses.

Close Security

Closed security prisons have medical facilities for the care and treatment of convicts. Hence, they detain house inmates with medical conditions.

Medium Security

Medium security prisons are for detainees with cases of defective delinquents and substance abuse. Some of these medium-security prisons host programs to help inmates suffering from addiction.

Minimum Security

Some minimum security prisons house aged inmates and mentally ill convicts. While some other host prisoners with short jail terms.

How Do I Search For An Inmate In Pennsylvania State Prison?

To search for information about an inmate that is presently incarcerated in the state prison in Pennsylvania, interested persons may make use of the Inmate/Parolee Locator. The Inmate/Parolee Locator is managed by the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections and it contains details of prisoners and parolees as well as the facility they are detained in. To utilize this option, details of the prisoners such as name, inmate number, gender, race, the county where the offense was committed, and date of birth are required. The Pennsylvania Department of Corrections refreshes this repository every day to ensure that it is as precise as possible. In addition, to know about any change in the status of a convict, an online tool has been provided called the Pennsylvania Statewide Automated Victim Information and Notification (PA SAVIN). However, the use of these online channels is only for detainees that have been incarcerated within the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

Are Incarceration Records Public in Pennsylvania?

Pennsylvania detainee records contain the official data of people confined and imprisoned in correctional facilities in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, and this information is available to the public In pursuant to the Pennsylvania Right-to-Know Law, records maintained by the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections or any other office within its jurisdiction are public records, and may be obtained by the public. However, restricted incarcerated records may not be obtained by residents because they are either sealed or expunged. To have access to sealed records, send a request to the court where the case was heard stating the reason the record should be accessible.

Records that are considered public may be accessible from some third-party websites. These websites often simplify the search process by aggregating information from various jurisdictions and providing it to record seekers via a single database. Users are generally required to provide the following information to facilitate a search:

• The name of the person involved in the record, unless said person is a juvenile
• The location or assumed location of the record or person involved. This includes information such as the city, county, or state where the person resides or was accused.

Third-party sites operate independently from government sources and are not sponsored by these agencies. Therefore, the accuracy and validity of the information they provide may not be guaranteed.

How to Look Up Jail Records in Pennsylvania?

In Pennsylvania, it's simple and most importantly, free to obtain a criminal history record online through the Inmate/Parolee Locator. The Inmate/Parolee Locator is an online repository for persons incarcerated in Pennsylvania. The Pennsylvania Department of Corrections makes sure the information online is updated regularly to help ensure accuracy. For records that cannot be found on the online database, a request to access jail information may be sent to the facility's Corrections Superintendent's Assistant (CSA) where the individual was or is imprisoned. Notwithstanding, jail records are regarded as open records and may be accessed by the public per the Right-to-Know Law, except they contain sensitive information and have been sealed. Sealed records may be obtained only with a court order.

Can Jail Records be Expunged in Pennsylvania?

Jail records may be destroyed in accordance with the law in Pennsylvania, which permits crime records to be erased only if the individual has been dead for a long time, or if the individual is 70 years or above and has not been indicted for another offense after 10 years of completing their sentence. Majorly, the offenses currently qualified to be erased/expunged are substance-related and 1st and 2nd-degree minor offenses. For example, possession of drugs, DUI/DWI, controlled substances, larceny, imprudent endangerment, fraud, and identity theft.

The expungement process in Pennsylvania involves printing and completing form SP 4-170 as well as paying a fee of $20. Once this is done, applicants may send the form via mail to the Pennsylvania State Police, along with proof of payment, a photocopy of a government-issued ID, and a letter of presentation or legal affidavit. When the request has been received by the central repository, which is the State Police, full details of the arrest records will be sent to the requestor. The requestor may then take the arrest documents to the Clerk of Courts in the county where the arrest took place for further direction on how to petition the court for expungement. The petition should be submitted, alongside a Pennsylvania State Police historical verification (arrest record) to the court, and it comes with a $167 charge. Usually, for a case to be expunged in Pennsylvania, it takes about three months to half a year.