Centre County Correctional Facility Inmate Bail & Bonds

The call belongs to a magisterial district judge, or MDJ. This judge runs a small local court that handles the first steps of every adult criminal case outside Philadelphia and Pittsburgh.

Bail is set at the preliminary arraignment. That is a short first hearing, and the state's victim guide puts the usual wait at roughly six hours after an arrest. Often the judge and the person talk over a two-way video link, and at night or on a weekend an on-call district judge usually covers it. Three things happen there: the arrested person is handed the written complaint, the judge names the bail, and the next hearing gets scheduled (Pa.R.Crim.P. 540).

The county has six district court offices, and the case normally stays with the office for the place where the arrest happened. Release times can stretch out. The jail says evenings, weekends and holidays are its busiest hours, and a person who is upset or fighting may wait in a holding cell until calm. To learn which office set the bail, call the jail at 814-355-6794.

State court rules hand the judge five options (Pa.R.Crim.P. 524). All but the last need little or no money:

• Release on recognizance (ROR). The person signs, promising to appear each time court calls.
• ROR with conditions. The same promise, plus terms like calling in on schedule or staying away from a named victim or witness.
• Unsecured bail. The judge writes in an amount, but nothing is paid yet. It turns into a debt only after a missed hearing.
• Nominal bail. Just $1 or so is deposited. A relative, friend or agency signs on as surety, which means promising the court the person will return.
• Monetary bail. The door stays locked until cash, land or a bond covers the amount.

The judge picks after weighing the offense, the person's job, family and local ties, past convictions and any earlier missed court dates (Pa.R.Crim.P. 523).

The district judge sets every figure case by case. Money bail cannot go past what is reasonable, and ability to pay is part of the judge's thinking (Pa.R.Crim.P. 528). Two neighbors charged with the same thing may walk away with quite different numbers.

Much still depends on how the charge is graded. Here are the state's ceilings for each grade, from smallest to largest (18 Pa.C.S. §§ 1101, 1103-1105):

• Summary offense, such as a disorderly conduct citation: 90 days at most, fine capped at $300
• M3, the lowest misdemeanor: a year at most, $2,500 fine cap
• M2: two years and $5,000 at the top end
• M1, the highest misdemeanor: five years, $10,000
• F3, the lowest felony: seven years, $15,000
• F2: ten years, $25,000
• F1, the most serious felony grade: twenty years, $25,000
• First-degree murder: life in prison or death (18 Pa.C.S. § 1102)

Quick math helps. On $10,000 bail where a 10 percent deposit is permitted, the family posts $1,000. To see the real figure, open the docket sheet for the case in the UJS Web Portal case search, or ask jail staff at 814-355-6794 to read it out.

The Correctional Facility sits at 700 Rishel Hill Road, Bellefonte, PA 16823, and its main line is answered by a phone menu. Work through these steps in order:

1. Call 814-355-6794. Say you want to post bail and ask for the right staff member.
2. Read off the person's legal name letter by letter, and their birthday.
3. Find out the amount, the type, and if this case qualifies for a 10 percent deposit.
4. Ask exactly where the money must go right now, the hours, and which payment forms that window takes.
5. Bring a photo ID. Read every form before you sign it.
6. Keep the itemized receipt. The official who takes a deposit must give you one (Pa.R.Crim.P. 535).

One warning. If you sign as the depositor on a 10 percent bail, you become a surety. That means you could owe the full bail amount if the person misses court.

Often, yes. Here the Prothonotary and the Clerk of Courts share one office, and that office collects bail money and pays it back to the surety when the court action wraps up.

• Prothonotary and Clerk of Courts: 102 South Allegheny Street, Bellefonte, PA 16823, 814-355-6796. Open Monday to Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Pennsylvania rules also allow the district judge's office, or another official, to accept a deposit, as long as a receipt is handed over (Pa.R.Crim.P. 535). Which window is right can change with the hour and the kind of case. Before you drive anywhere, call the jail at 814-355-6794 and ask where this bail should be paid tonight.

Pennsylvania rules list what counts toward the full amount of money bail (Pa.R.Crim.P. 528):

• Cash, or something treated like cash where the local court says so
• Government bearer bonds, whether federal, state or local
• Land or a house in Pennsylvania worth at least the bail once debts are subtracted
• Real estate outside Pennsylvania, if extra paperwork lets the county record a lien on it
• A surety bond, either from a bondsman holding a state license or from an approved surety company

Sometimes the judge lets the family deposit 10 percent of the amount instead. Not every case gets that choice, so ask.

Which forms a window takes on a given day, such as money orders or cards, is up to that office. Ask the jail at 814-355-6794 before you leave home, and never mail cash.

Commercial bonds are lawful in Pennsylvania. You pay the bondsman a premium, and in exchange the company stands behind the whole bail amount. That premium is gone for good, even if every hearing is kept. Jail staff will not steer you toward or away from any company. People inside may put the numbers of bondsmen registered in the county on their approved call list.

• Licenses come from the Pennsylvania Insurance Department, so ask to see one (42 Pa.C.S. § 5742).
• Before writing any bond here, the bondsman must also register with this county (42 Pa.C.S. § 5743.1).
• Pennsylvania lifted its premium limit years ago, so ask for a written quote showing the premium and any collateral they want.
• Taking a fee only for referring someone to a bondsman is illegal (42 Pa.C.S. § 5749).
• When a client vanishes, the bondsman must pay what was forfeited, so expect them to hunt for the person (42 Pa.C.S. § 5747.1).

Yes. Bail settles one case and nothing else. Common holds include:

• A warrant issued somewhere else. The agency behind it decides when to collect the person.
• A bench warrant. The judge owes a hearing within 72 hours, counted from when they land in the warrant county's own jail. Held in a different county, they may wait longer (Pa.R.Crim.P. 150).
• Probation or parole. Fresh charges may trigger a detainer. Adult Probation and Parole works on the fourth floor of 102 South Allegheny Street, Bellefonte, PA 16823, 814-355-6771.
• Another open case. Every case gets a bail of its own.
• A federal or immigration hold. Paying the state amount leaves those in place.

So before any money changes hands, ring the jail at 814-355-6794 and have staff list each detainer they have on the person.

The state constitution gives almost every person a right to bail (Pa. Const. art. I, § 14). Bail can be withheld in just two situations:

• The crime is punishable by death or a maximum of life behind bars.
• No release conditions would protect the community or a particular person.

Either way, the burden falls on the prosecutor, who must bring actual proof to a hearing. The state Supreme Court made that clear in Commonwealth v. Talley (2021): a charge on paper does not meet the test.

Prosecutors who might push for steep bail or none sit in the District Attorney's office, Courthouse Annex, 106 East High Street, Room 302, Bellefonte, PA 16823, 814-355-6735. Weekday hours run 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

A motion to modify bail is the tool (Pa.R.Crim.P. 529). Up to the preliminary hearing, that motion is heard by the district judge who first picked the amount. Later, a Court of Common Pleas judge decides. Here is how a family can help:

1. Get a lawyer on the case. The Public Defender takes calls at 814-355-6798.
2. Collect pay stubs, a lease or deed, a school schedule or anything else that shows steady ties, plus an honest figure you could afford.
3. Offer a plan the judge can live with, like reporting weekly or staying clear of the alleged victim.

Long waits count as well. Once a person has spent 180 days locked up before trial, minus any delay their own side caused, the defense may move for nominal bail (Pa.R.Crim.P. 600). Court papers are filed with the Clerk of Courts, 102 South Allegheny Street, Bellefonte, PA 16823, 814-355-6796.

If hiring a lawyer is out of reach, apply for a county public defender. The office wants a call for an intake interview as soon as charging papers show up. Its income line sits near the federal poverty guideline, and there is no charge for the lawyer.

• Office: Courthouse Annex, 106 East High Street, Room 202, Bellefonte, PA 16823, 814-355-6798
• Forms and steps: the county's public defender application page
• Each new charge needs a new application.
• If you are turned down, you can appeal to Court Administration, 102 South Allegheny Street, Room 103, Bellefonte, PA 16823, 814-355-6727.

To apply, a person swears to their earnings and assets on a form (16 P.S. § 9960.1 and following). Since Act 34 of 2023, Harrisburg chips in money for this work, which it never did before.

Felonies and most misdemeanors end up at the county courthouse. First hearings happen at the six district courts. All six are open weekdays, 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

• Court of Common Pleas, 49th Judicial District: 102 South Allegheny Street, Bellefonte, PA 16823. Clerk of Courts 814-355-6796.
• Magisterial District Court 49-1-01: 131 South Fraser Street, State College, PA 16801, 814-231-1420. Part of State College Borough.
• Magisterial District Court 49-2-01: 1524 West College Avenue, State College, PA 16801, 814-237-4981. Ferguson, Halfmoon and Patton townships and part of College Township.
• Magisterial District Court 49-3-02: 3555 Benner Pike, Suite C, Bellefonte, PA 16823, 814-355-6739. Bellefonte, Howard, Milesburg and Unionville boroughs, plus Benner, Boggs, Curtin, Howard, Liberty, Marion, Spring, Union and Walker townships.
• Magisterial District Court 49-3-03: 118 Enterprise Drive, Philipsburg, PA 16866, 814-342-4557. Philipsburg, Port Matilda, Snow Shoe and South Philipsburg boroughs, plus Burnside, Huston, Rush, Snow Shoe, Taylor and Worth townships.
• Magisterial District Court 49-3-04: 2795 Earlystown Road, Centre Hall, PA 16828, 814-364-1492. Centre Hall and Millheim boroughs, plus Gregg, Haines, Harris, Miles, Penn and Potter townships and parts of College and Spring townships.
• Magisterial District Court 49-3-05: 121 South Pugh Street, State College, PA 16801, 814-861-7406. The rest of State College Borough.
• Federal court: Herman T. Schneebeli Federal Bldg. & U.S. Courthouse, 240 West Third Street, Suite 218, Williamsport, PA 17701, 570-323-6380.

Guard the receipt like cash. Once the whole case is finished, the rules give the court 20 days to return the deposit to the named depositor (Pa.R.Crim.P. 535). A county may hold back a fee that covers running its bail program. Ask the Clerk of Courts, 102 South Allegheny Street, Bellefonte, PA 16823, 814-355-6796, what that fee is and when a check goes out.

• When the defendant is listed as depositor, a judge may apply the refund to their own fines, court costs and restitution.
• Family who post in their own name therefore have a better grip on that money.
• Skipping a hearing can mean a bench warrant, loss of the entire bail, and maybe a fresh charge.
• A bondsman's fee is never returned.

When someone leaves the jail, the Release Officer hands them a debit card loaded with what was left in their account. Some people get a mailed check instead. Use the card within 72 hours, because a daily fee starts after that.

Things taken at booking are kept until release. For items belonging to a person who is still locked up, call 814-355-6794 first and ask whether a signed property release is needed. Then bring your photo ID to 700 Rishel Hill Road, Bellefonte, PA 16823. Deposits and leftover balances are explained on our guide to jail accounts.

Very. These cases are filed with the Williamsport office of the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania. Cases from this area go to its Williamsport courthouse, named for Herman T. Schneebeli, at 240 West Third Street, Suite 218, Williamsport, PA 17701, 570-323-6380.

• Federal court uses no bail schedule. Instead, at a detention hearing, a magistrate judge rules on home-with-conditions versus custody (18 U.S.C. 3142).
• Before trial the defendant answers to U.S. Marshals Service custody. Its Scranton district office is 235 North Washington Avenue, Unit 215, Scranton, PA 18503, 570-346-7277, and staff there can say which jail is holding them.
• U.S. Probation and Pretrial Services gives the judge a report: 240 West Third Street, Suite 114, Williamsport, PA 17701, 570-323-3688.
• The Federal Public Defender's Williamsport office is at 330 Pine Street, Suite 302, Williamsport, PA 17701, 570-323-9314.
• After a prison sentence, search the Federal Bureau of Prisons inmate locator.

Yes. Posting state bail leaves any immigration request in force. From the first form to the pickup, it tends to go this way:

1. ICE (U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement) places its Form I-247A detainer with the jail.
2. On that form, ICE wants Rishel Hill to hold the person for up to 48 hours after they would otherwise be released (8 CFR 287.7(d)).
3. Courts in this state follow Galarza v. Szalczyk (3d Cir. 2014). That appeals decision treats a detainer as a request and nothing more. Jailing a person on a detainer alone exposes the county to a lawsuit. That is why policies differ from jail to jail. Ask this jail about its rule at 814-355-6794.
4. ICE in this state is run from the Philadelphia Field Office, 114 North 8th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19107, 215-656-7164.
5. Enter the person's name and birth country in the ICE Online Detainee Locator.

Judges here give a range of time. Its upper number decides where the time is served (42 Pa.C.S. § 9762):

• Top term shorter than two years: they serve it locally.
• High end of five years or longer: the state prison system takes them.
• Anything in between usually goes to the state too. Keeping it in the county needs three approvals: the jail's, the prosecutor's and the sentencing judge's.

The first stop for a state inmate is a reception and classification center. Sorting there takes from a few weeks to several months, and then go to the prison that fits them. Track them with the DOC inmate locator. The Pennsylvania Department of Corrections is at 1920 Technology Parkway, Mechanicsburg, PA 17050, 717-728-2573. Each state institution has a profile in our Pennsylvania state prisons guide.

Under the Juvenile Act, people younger than 18 normally face juvenile court instead (42 Pa.C.S. § 6302). Juvenile probation takes the case, and a teen who cannot go home is placed in youth detention rather than the county jail.

• Juvenile probation: 102 South Allegheny Street, Room 403, Bellefonte, PA 16823, 814-355-6771
• Central Counties Youth Center: 148 Paradise Rd., Bellefonte, PA 16823, 814-355-0650. Five counties own it, this one included.
• For a teen aged 15 to 17 charged with murder, or some violent felonies involving a deadly weapon, the case begins in adult court. The defense may then ask to send it down to juvenile court.
• The public UJS docket search leaves out youth cases.

The Public Defender also takes youth cases, so a parent can call 814-355-6798 to apply.