Mail and Photos to FDC Philadelphia

Mail goes directly to the facility, unlike Pennsylvania's state prison system.

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Overview

Unlike Pennsylvania’s state prisons, which route mail through a third-party scanning center, mail to FDC Philadelphia goes directly to the facility’s own address. Include the inmate’s full name and BOP Register Number on every piece, and use the separate PO Box only for account correspondence, not for letters or photos.

Quick Facts

Address mail to [Inmate Name, Register Number], FDC Philadelphia, 700 Arch Street, Philadelphia, PA 19106.
Mail goes directly to the facility, there's no third-party scanning processor involved.
Account correspondence (not letters or photos) goes to a separate address: Inmate Accounts, PO Box 572, Philadelphia, PA 19105.
Include the inmate's full name and BOP Register Number on every piece.
As a detention center holding many pretrial inmates, transfers and court trips are common, recheck his status before mailing.
Books need to ship from a publisher or approved vendor, not from your own shelf.
Legal mail from an attorney follows different handling rules.

The Correct Mailing Address

Address letters, cards, and photos like this:

[Inmate's Full Name, BOP Register Number]
FDC Philadelphia
700 Arch Street
Philadelphia, PA 19106

Every piece needs the inmate’s full name and BOP Register Number so it reaches the right person. This is different from Pennsylvania’s state prison system, where mail routes through a third-party scanner in Florida, at FDC Philadelphia, mail goes straight to the facility’s own street address.

Don’t Confuse the Account Correspondence Address

FDC Philadelphia has a separate address, Inmate Accounts, PO Box 572, Philadelphia, PA 19105, or fax (215) 521-4039, but that’s only for questions about an existing account, not for sending letters, cards, or photos. Use the main facility address above for all personal correspondence.

Why Mail Doesn’t Arrive Instantly

Every letter addressed to 700 Arch Street gets opened and checked by mailroom staff before it reaches him, a process that runs at every BOP facility, not just this one. At a busy urban detention center with a constantly shifting population, that screening step can take a bit longer than at a smaller institution, so build in extra time rather than expecting next-day delivery.

Photographs

Standard photo prints move through screening without much trouble as long as the content stays appropriate, nothing explicit, nothing gang-related, nothing threatening. Oversized prints, collages glued onto cardstock, and laminated pictures slow things down since staff have to check each item individually. Instant-film prints sometimes draw extra scrutiny too, their backing has occasionally been used to conceal contraband, so call ahead if that’s what you’re planning to send.

Reading Material Has to Come From a Vendor

He can’t get a book from your own shelf through the mailroom, not even a new one still shrink-wrapped. It has to ship directly from a publisher, bookstore, or approved distributor to the 700 Arch Street address, with his name and Register Number included in the order.

Legal Mail Runs on a Different Track

Correspondence from an attorney is handled separately from personal mail, opened only in his presence and only to check for contraband, not read through. This matters more here than at most facilities, FDC Philadelphia holds a large population still actively fighting their cases, so legal correspondence volume tends to run higher, and the envelope needs to be clearly marked as legal or privileged mail with the attorney’s name, bar information, and return address to get that protection.

CorrLinks for Quicker Contact

When a letter feels too slow, CorrLinks fills the gap. It’s the Bureau’s monitored messaging system, and once he adds your email from his end, exchanges move faster than physical mail, text-only though, no photo attachments, so it works best alongside letters rather than instead of them.

Basic Mail Etiquette

Skip glitter, stickers, and heavily scented paper, decorative extras like that tend to slow mailroom review rather than brighten anyone’s day. Write your return address clearly, an envelope staff can’t trace tends to get held for extra scrutiny.

If Mail Is Rejected

Call FDC Philadelphia directly at (215) 521-4000 if you’re unsure why something didn’t reach the person you sent it to. Ask specifically what happened, that answer tells you whether resending in a different format is worth it.

If Your Mail Doesn’t Seem to Be Reaching Them

BOP mail can take longer than expected if something gets flagged during the standard inspection process. Allow at least a week or two before assuming something is lost, then call FDC Philadelphia at (215) 521-4039 to check whether anything was held up. Given how often pretrial detainees move between court appearances and even facilities, it’s also worth rechecking the Inmate Locator to confirm he’s still here before you assume mail is just running late.

Sending Photos and Letters Without Mailing Anything

You can also send photos and letters digitally through Pigeonly, which skips mailing and delivery time entirely, a useful option when a court date is approaching and physical mail might not arrive in time.

What Isn’t Allowed

Never mail cash directly to an inmate, use one of the approved deposit methods (MoneyGram, Western Union, or a USPS money order) instead. Avoid including anything that could be mistaken for a prohibited substance, since it risks the entire mailing being rejected and can create legal exposure for the sender. Personal books and packages outside the approved vendor process don’t make it through either, and anything laminated, scented, or covered in glitter tends to get flagged regardless of what’s actually inside.