Bucks County Women's Correctional Facility Inmate Bail & Bonds

A magisterial district judge sets it. Each of the county's 18 district courts has one of these judges. Right after booking, the person has a short hearing called a preliminary arraignment. It often happens over video from the jail. Late at night and on weekends, whichever district judge is on duty takes these hearings.

At this hearing, the judge (Pa.R.Crim.P. 540):

• hands the person a copy of the complaint, which lists the charges
• sets bail or another type of release
• gives a date for the preliminary hearing

The county Public Defender says some people are not held at all. Police may let them go and mail the court papers. Others are released on their own promise. Some must finish a step first, such as a check of their home address or a drug, alcohol or mental health screening. Anyone not released goes to the county jail.

The District Court office in the Justice Center, 100 North Main Street, Doylestown, PA 18901, can find which court is handling the case. Call the court system's main line at 215-348-6000.

Pennsylvania gives judges five choices (Pa.R.Crim.P. 524). Just one of them requires cash before release.

• ROR (release on recognizance). The person goes home after signing a written promise to appear.
• ROR with rules. The same promise, plus rules such as no contact with someone or reporting in.
• Unsecured bail. No cash changes hands now. A fixed sum comes due only if the person misses court.
• Nominal bail. Only a token sum, like $1, gets posted. A person or group agrees to stand behind them. That backer is called a surety.
• Monetary bail. Release waits until cash, property or a bond is posted.

Rule 523 lists what the judge weighs. That includes the charge, past record, work history, ties to the area and whether the person showed up for court before.

Pennsylvania has no single price list. The district judge picks an amount for each person. Under Rule 528, any cash amount has to be reasonable, and the judge looks at the person's finances. The charge's grade still matters, since it sets the most a court could order. Here are the limits under state law (18 Pa.C.S. §§ 1101, 1103-1105):

• F1, the top felony grade: as much as 20 years and $25,000
• F2 felony: as much as 10 years and $25,000
• F3 felony: as much as 7 years and $15,000
• M1, the top misdemeanor grade: as much as 5 years and $10,000
• M2 misdemeanor: as much as 2 years and $5,000
• M3 misdemeanor: as much as 1 year and $2,500
• Summary offense, such as many traffic tickets: up to 90 days and $300
• Murder: death or life in prison for first degree, and life for second degree (18 Pa.C.S. § 1102)

The exact bail for a case prints on its docket sheet in the free UJS case search. The phone lookup at 267-915-4072 also reads it out.

Jail bail is paid in the lobby of the Main Correctional Facility, 1730 South Easton Road, Doylestown, PA 18901. It takes bail on weekday evenings from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. After 10 p.m., and on weekends and holidays, you must phone first to learn if the lobby is taking bail at that time. Follow these steps:

1. Call 215-345-3700. Spell out the name, then share the birth date.
2. Ask for the bail amount and whether every case is covered.
3. Bring cash or a certified check for the full amount, plus the county bail fee.
4. Bring your photo ID. Real estate can't be used here.
5. Get a receipt, and keep it until the case is over.

The jail lobby does not take payments for support arrears or traffic fines.

Not sure which building has the person? Everyone just arrested, man or woman, is booked and classified in the main building. Men stay there at medium or maximum security. Women move to the connected Women's Correctional Facility at the same address. Men in work release live at the minimum-security Men's Community Corrections Center, 1270 Almshouse Road, Doylestown, PA 18901. Ask on your call which building holds the person.

Yes. Two other places take bail during the day.

Clerk of Courts. The Clerk's office is in the Justice Center, 100 North Main Street, Doylestown, PA 18901, 215-348-6389. It is open weekdays from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., not counting holidays.

1. Call ahead with the docket number or the person's name.
2. Bring cash or a certified check, and your photo ID.
3. For property bail, bring the papers listed under payments.
4. Keep the itemized receipt the clerk gives you.

The district court of record. This is the magisterial district court that has the case. It also takes bail, including property bail. Its number and address are on the docket sheet. For help finding it, call the Court Administrator at 215-348-6700.

Bail in this county can be posted with:

• Cash. Bring the exact amount if you can.
• A certified check. When paying the Clerk, an official bank check works too.
• Real estate. Only at the Clerk or the district court. Bring a certified copy of an appraisal, a certified copy of a title search and a copy of the deed. The owner's equity must equal the full bail.
• A bail bondsman's bond. The bondsman pledges the full amount for a fee.

Personal checks are not on the list. The county's card and online options cover fines and costs. When paying is a condition of getting out, the Clerk takes only cash or an official bank check.

The county also keeps a bail fee. Since September 12, 2022, it has been $25 plus 3% of the first $1,000 and 2% of the rest. On $5,000 bail, that comes to $135. Ask the Clerk at 215-348-6389 about the 10 percent deposit that Rule 528 lets some courts allow.

Commercial bail bonds are allowed in Pennsylvania. For a fee, the company guarantees the full bail. Know these rules first:

• Each bondsman needs an Insurance Department license (42 Pa.C.S. § 5742).
• The bondsman must also file papers in each county where they work. These include the license and a power of attorney from an insurer (42 Pa.C.S. § 5743.1).
• No state law caps the fee. The old cap ended in 2015. Get the price in writing.
• The fee does not come back, even if the case is dropped.
• Nobody may bill you simply for steering you to a bondsman (42 Pa.C.S. § 5749).

To ask whether a bondsman may write bonds in this county, call the Clerk of Courts at 215-348-6389. If someone signs for the person and they skip court, the signer can owe the whole amount.

Yes. Bail covers only one case. Before you pay, call the jail at 215-345-3700 and ask about each of these:

• A second case or warrant. Each one needs its own release.
• Outside warrants. If a second county or another state has a warrant, staff there may arrange a pickup.
• Probation or parole holds. The county's probation office sits in the Courthouse, 30 East Court Street, Floor 2, Doylestown, PA 18901, 215-348-6634.
• A support warrant. The county's Domestic Relations office issues these for unpaid child support.
• Steps the judge ordered. These include an address check or a screening that must be done first.
• A federal or ICE hold. State bail does not end either one.

The jail's Main Correctional Facility is at 1730 South Easton Road, Doylestown, PA 18901.

The state constitution gives almost everyone a right to bail (Pa. Const. art. I, § 14). Refusal is allowed in just two situations:

• the charge carries a possible death or life sentence, or
• release conditions of any kind would leave others in danger.

Even then, the prosecutor must prove it with real evidence at a hearing. In Commonwealth v. Talley (2021), the state Supreme Court said an accusation alone is not enough. The prosecutor carries the burden.

Cases in this county are prosecuted by the District Attorney's Office, 100 North Main Street, Doylestown, PA 18901, on the second floor of the Justice Center, 215-348-6344.

The defense lawyer files a written motion. Under Rule 529, the district judge can change bail before the preliminary hearing. After that, a Court of Common Pleas judge decides.

1. If the person has no lawyer, the Public Defender helps. Its staff work inside the county jail. They meet new inmates and fill out a bail reduction request when it is needed.
2. Collect proof the person has roots here: a job, a lease, relatives close by. Add what the family can pay.
3. Suggest rules that answer the judge's worries, such as check-ins or a no-contact order.

Rule 600 adds one more path. Once the person has spent more than 180 days in jail since the complaint, the defense may seek release on nominal bail. Delays the defense caused don't count toward those days. The Public Defender is at 100 North Main Street, Doylestown, PA 18901, 215-348-6473.

Anyone facing charges who can't afford a lawyer may apply. The office is on the first floor of the Justice Center, 100 North Main Street, Doylestown, PA 18901, 215-348-6473. Here is how it works:

1. Call the office if there is an open case and no lawyer. Ask for an application.
2. The form comes by email. Sign it and email it back.
3. A paralegal calls to decide if the person qualifies.
4. The person is not represented until every step is done.

State law requires a public defender in each county outside Philadelphia (16 P.S. § 9960.1 and following). The applicant swears to their income in a signed statement. Each county sets its own income test. Act 34 of 2023 brought the first state money for county defenders.

Felonies and misdemeanors end up at the Justice Center, 100 North Main Street, Doylestown, PA 18901, 215-348-6000. This is the Court of Common Pleas of the 7th Judicial District. The first hearings take place at one of 18 magisterial district courts:

• 07-1-01: 2404 Byberry Road, Bensalem, PA 19020, 215-638-1040
• 07-1-02: 501 Bath Street, Bristol, PA 19007, 215-785-3521
• 07-1-03: 3030 Bath Road, Bristol, PA 19007, 215-788-5561
• 07-1-04: 7325 New Falls Road, Levittown, PA 19055, 215-943-9414
• 07-1-07: 142 Centre Street, Penndel, PA 19047, 215-757-6761
• 07-1-08: 2661 Trenton Road, Levittown, PA 19056, 215-946-5450
• 07-1-09: 567 Newtown Road, Warminster, PA 18974, 215-672-5853
• 07-1-10: 9187 New Falls Road, Fallsington, PA 19054, 215-736-0231
• 07-1-11: 31 East Cleveland Avenue, Morrisville, PA 19067, 215-736-1121
• 07-1-12: 3101 Bristol Road, Suite 7, Bensalem, PA 19020, 215-741-3501
• 07-2-01: 60 Township Road, Richboro, PA 18954, 215-322-0144
• 07-2-02: 1277 Almshouse Road, Warrington, PA 18976, 215-343-7961
• 07-2-05: 281 California Road, Quakertown, PA 18951, 215-536-9650
• 07-2-07: 28 North State Street, Newtown, PA 18940, 215-968-1657
• 07-2-08: 962 Town Center, New Britain, PA 18901, 215-230-7265
• 07-3-01: 4001 Durham Road, Doylestown, PA 18902, 215-345-7516
• 07-3-02: 1720 Kendarbren Drive, Suite 711, Jamison, PA 18929, 215-343-0627
• 07-3-03: 276 Tabor Road, Ottsville, PA 18942, 610-847-5164

For a federal charge, the court is in Philadelphia: the Byrne federal courthouse, 601 Market Street, Philadelphia, PA 19106, 215-597-7704.

Keep the receipt. Rule 535 returns the deposit to whoever is listed as the depositor once the case is fully over, minus fees. Here, the Clerk sends any refund after the 30-day appeal period ends. The county keeps its bail fee.

• If the defendant posted in their own name, the court may use the money for fines and costs.
• The defendant or the surety can also agree to put it toward court costs. The Clerk has an Assignment of Bail form for that.
• A missed court date can lead to a bench warrant and forfeiture, meaning the full bail amount is lost.
• Anyone who signed as surety may then owe the whole sum.

For a refund, call the Clerk of Courts at 215-348-6389, or visit the Justice Center at 100 North Main Street, Doylestown, PA 18901.

Before leaving the jail, the person should ask about their cash and their things. The jail stores whatever was taken from the person at booking. The Correctional Facility is at 1730 South Easton Road, Doylestown, PA 18901. The Business Office runs inmate accounts on weekdays from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., except county holidays.

1. Call 215-345-3700 and ask for the Business Office.
2. Ask how the balance in the person's account will be refunded.
3. Ask when and where to pick up property, and what written OK from the person you must show to collect it.
4. Bring a photo ID.

For deposit tips, see our guide to jail accounts.

A judge of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania decides. Hearings take place in Philadelphia, inside the Byrne courthouse at 601 Market Street, Philadelphia, PA 19106, 215-597-7704.

• A detention hearing comes with the first court date. There the judge chooses between jail and home until trial (18 U.S.C. 3142).
• Background checks for the judge come from federal Pretrial Services, 600 Arch Street, Philadelphia, PA 19106, 267-299-4400.
• The Marshals Service, a federal agency, keeps watch over defendants before trial. Reach it at 601 Market Street, Room 2110, Philadelphia, PA 19106, 215-597-7272.
• Many are kept at FDC Philadelphia, 700 Arch Street, Philadelphia, PA 19106, 215-521-4000. Ask the Marshals where the person is.
• After a sentence, use the Federal Bureau of Prisons inmate locator.

It cannot. Paying the state bail leaves the ICE request in force. This is how it usually unfolds:

1. ICE delivers a detainer to the jail. The paper, Form I-247A, asks the county to keep holding the person.
2. Federal rules let the jail hold them for up to 48 hours after they would otherwise be released (8 CFR 287.7(d)).
3. Pennsylvania falls under the Third Circuit, whose Galarza v. Szalczyk decision (3d Cir. 2014) labeled a detainer a mere request. Counties holding a person on one alone can be held responsible for doing so. As a result, every county jail picks its own detainer policy. Ask the jail about its policy at 215-345-3700.
4. Once ICE has the person, its Philadelphia office runs the case from 114 North 8th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19107, 215-656-7164.
5. Look the person up on the ICE Online Detainee Locator. An A-number works best. Otherwise try the name with the birth country.

Pennsylvania sentences have a low end and a high end. The high end, called the maximum, decides the place (42 Pa.C.S. § 9762):

• Maximum under 2 years: a county jail stay.
• A maximum of five years or longer: a state prison.
• Maximum between 2 and 5 years: most often a state prison. Serving it in the county jail instead takes a yes from the jail, the DA and the judge.

The state's first stop for new prisoners is a reception and classification center. Assessment there lasts weeks or months. A permanent prison is chosen after that.

• Search the Department of Corrections inmate locator.
• The Pennsylvania Department of Corrections is at 1920 Technology Parkway, Mechanicsburg, PA 17050, 717-728-2573.
• Our Pennsylvania state prisons page holds a profile of each prison.

The Juvenile Act sends most people under 18 to juvenile court (42 Pa.C.S. § 6301 and following). Youths who need to be locked up are taken to a secure detention center instead of the adult jail. This county runs its own:

• Youth Center, 1750 Easton Road, Doylestown, PA 18901, 215-340-8300
• Juvenile Probation, 30 East Court Street, Floor 3, Doylestown, PA 18901, 215-348-6514

Call juvenile probation first, since it guides many of the next steps. Adult court is where a 15 to 17 year old starts if the charge is murder, or one of certain violent crimes done with a deadly weapon. Adult bail rules then apply, though a defense motion may shift the case back to juvenile court. Juvenile cases stay off the public UJS portal.