Search by name to confirm someone is at SCI Chester and start sending letters, photos, and money.
Find your loved one and start staying in touch - photos, letters, and calls.
Reasons that come up often: he’s still in county custody waiting on sentencing, he’s been released or finished parole, his case was federal, or the name doesn’t match PA DOC’s records letter for letter. In Delaware County there’s one more. Anyone held at George W. Hill Correctional Facility, the county jail, is in a county-run system that PA DOC’s results don’t reach.
Start with the name: middle names, hyphenated last names, and spellings that get mangled. If he hasn’t been sentenced yet, check Delaware County’s own records instead. And if you believe he’s at SCI Chester and the search says otherwise, call (610) 490-5412 and ask whether he’s been received.
5 of 5 questions
No. It's in the city of Chester, which is in Delaware County. Chester County is a different county, and this is the most common wrong turn families make when they plan a first visit. SCI Chester's number is (610) 490-5412 and its address is 500 E. 4th Street.
Inmate SearchNo. George W. Hill Correctional Facility is run by Delaware County and keeps its own records, separate from PA DOC's. A PA DOC result appears only after a state sentence, and it often names SCI Camp Hill first, since that's the intake center for men. SCI Chester's number is (610) 490-5412.
Inmate SearchHe may have been sentenced too recently to finish intake, been released, gone to a federal facility, or the name may not match PA DOC's spelling. Try the variations first, then call (610) 490-5412.
Inmate SearchNo. It gives the institution, inmate number, admission date, and sentence information. PA DOC built SCI Chester as its 24th state prison around substance abuse treatment, inside the facility and out in the community, and one housing unit was redesigned with a communal kitchen for reentry programming. None of that shows in a search result, so call (610) 490-5412 to ask.
Inmate SearchSearch again before anything that costs you money or a trip: a JPay deposit, an envelope of photos, or a drive to 500 E. 4th Street. Results can lag a few days behind a transfer, and money and mail both follow whichever prison the record names that day.
Inmate SearchOnce you've confirmed their location, schedule a visit through IVS.
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All information on this page comes directly from official government and facility sources. How we verify information › Last verified August 18, 2026.