The Chester County Prison is the main jail in Chester County Pennsylvania. While the police in the cities and towns in Chester County can arrest and detain offenders, the Chester County Prison is the facility that is accredited by Pennsylvania to hold inmates for more than 72 hours.
The Chester County Prison is located at:
501 South Wawaset Road
West Chester, PA 19382-6776
It can be reached 24 hours a day, 365 days a year by calling 610-793-1510.
The main reason that people call 610-793-1510 is to find out if a particular person is in custody, although you can look up an inmate online by going here. You can also get answers to whatever questions about an inmate, and the services for Chester County Prison that you may have by clicking on any of the questions below:
How to search for an inmate?
Can you look up an inmate’s mugshot?
How do you look up an offender’s criminal charges, bond or inmate number?
How do you visit an inmate?
What are the visitation hours?
Can you visit inmates in Chester County by video from home?
How do you get phone calls from an inmate?
Can you send mail, books, or newspapers to an inmate?
How do you send an inmate money?
Does Chester County Prison have inmate commissary?
Can an inmate receive and/or send email or text messages?
Do inmates in Chester County have access to computers or tablets?
How do you pay an inmate’s bail or bond?
Every year the Chester County Prison has approximately 13700 bookings, with a daily average of 685 inmates and maintains control of the facility with a staff of 171.
Inmates in this jail range from low level misdemeanor offenders to those being held and awaiting trial for violent crimes like robbery, rape, and murder. Therefore, given the mix of potentially dangerous inmates, the security level is very high.
The Chester County Prison is equipped with a state-of-the-art locking system, closed circuit cameras covering every area where inmates are located, and jail staff that utilize a communication system that keeps each of the guards and civilian staff in constant contact.
Guards that circulate in the same general area of the inmates are armed with eye-blinding mace that will turn an inmate having a violent outburst into a weeping child. They also carry stun weapons, short clubs, flashlights that have dual use as both a light source and as a weapon, and handcuffs. Guards at entrances and in areas not frequented by inmates are armed with various firearms. The goal of such tight security is to keep both the staff and the inmates safe.
Go to this page for other jails in Chester County, jails in neighboring counties, and local police jails and juvenile detention centers for young offenders under age 18 in this county.
Unlike the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections, where inmates are sent once convicted of a crime and sentenced to a period of more than a year, the Chester County Jail System is populated by short-term offenders; those who have just been arrested and awaiting to be bonded out by friends or family, those who cannot afford or get bailed and are awaiting trial, or those who have already been convicted of a crime and sentenced to a term of less than one year. Many of the latter inmates become ‘workers’, who can reduce their sentence by performing jail maintenance or working in the kitchen. An upside to being a worker is they also get paid a small stipend so when they get released, they have a few dollars in their pocket.
When an inmate is convicted and sentenced to a year or more, they are transferred to the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections or the Federal Bureau of Prisons.
Inmates that are convicted of a misdemeanor and/or sentenced to less than one year of a state crime serve their time in the Chester County Prison.
Illegal immigrants convicted of a state or federal crime will first do their time, then may be transferred into ICE custody for deportation.
Check with Chester County Prison by calling 610-793-1510 prior to paying a bond online as this is being rolled out to different facilities slowly.
1. Commissary money in the form of a money order may be mailed to:
AdvancePay Service Department
P.O. Box 911722
Denver, CO 80291-1722
2. You may use cash or credit/debit cards at any time by using the kiosk located in the front lobby. The fee for the use of the ATM is generally $1.50 per transaction for cash and 10% fee for credit/debit cards.
3. Commissary money can also be added to an inmates account at any time using any of these methods online.
4. Cash deposits to ConnectNetwork are now available at 26,000 retail locations nationwide including Walmart, ACE, Kmart, Kroger, and more. You’ll start the payment process online in your ConnectNetwork account, then complete your transaction with cash at a participating local retail store. Plus, many of these stores are open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. Find a retail store near you.
5. You can call customer service 24/7 at 877-650-4249 and get instructions for depositing money over the phone using a debit or credit card.
To Deposit Money in an inmate's account follow these steps:
**NOTE** GTL is in a transition merging into a new company called ViaPath Technologies.
Features:
All the information you need to understand depositing money into an inmate's trust fund, specifically for phone calls, but also for Commissary, in Chester County, can be found on our Send Money Page.
Follow these instructions on how to open an account with GTL Connect Network (aka Viapath Technologies)
For full instructions on the Chester County Prison Inmate Phone System, what the costs are, how it works, and tips and guidelines on rules, regulations and saving money on calls, check out our Inmate Phones Page.
How to Make a Deposit for Phone, Email or Visitation using GettingOut.com
Chester County Prison uses GettingOut for some or all of its communication services with an inmate.
If you want to deposit money using this company for your use or your inmate's account, there are four ways to do it:
For all the information you need to know, including tips, guidelines and warnings about depositing money in a Chester County Prison inmate's account for communication services, check out our Send Money page.
To find out how to get access to a tablet for inmate read the following:
1. First, Register or Sign In to GettingOut/GTL
2. Purchase the services you want for your Chester County Prison inmate.
3. All inmates have free access to the tablets to read their letters from family & friends, but there are many other services available to keep your inmate busy while incarcerated... such as Games, Books, Music and Movies. These other services come with fees that you can pay for when you pay for phone service.
To learn more about Tablet Rentals for inmates, including the cost, all the services available and everything else you need to know, check out our Tablet Rental Page.
To mail or email an inmate in Chester County follow these steps:
When mailing a letter or postcard to an inmate, please follow these instructions:
Emailing Messages & Photos
Facility_name_1} contracts with GTL GettingOut, the same service that handles iInmate Phone Systems and Video Visitation, for sending secure messages and photos between you and your inmate.
If you are not already registered, do so here, or Log in.
Then use the Facility Finder to:
1. Select Chester County Prison,
2. Add your inmate to your list of contacts,
3. Add a credit or debit card to cover your costs.
Customer Service Questions
'Online' Contact Form, or
Call 866-516-0115
Go here to this FAQ to get answers to how the transition to ViaPath from GTL and gettingout will affect your account.
All the information you need to understand mail and email policies for Chester County can be found on our Inmate Mail Page and our Text/Email an Inmate Page.
To visit an inmate in Chester County, whether by video or in person 'at the jail', follow these steps:
Other than 'at the jail' visits between you and your inmate, which is explained and outlined in detail on our Visit Inmate Page, Chester County remote video inmate visitation can be done using the services of GettingOut.
There are three ways to remotely visit your inmate in Chester County Prison:
1. Using the GettingOut Kiosk at the jail.
2. Using your computer from home.
3. Using your phone on the GettingOut apps.
To remotely visit an inmate in Chester County follow these steps:
1. Start by confirming that Chester County Prison's Video Visitation is working correctly by looking up Chester County here.
2. The next step is to create an account here for GettingOut.
3. Then add funds to your account.
4. Last, select Chester County Prison, and then the inmate you wish to communicate with.
Other Chester County Services provided by GettingOut:
- Phone Calls & Voicemail
- Email, Photo & Video Sharing
- Inmate Tablet Rental
- Deposits
Customer Service
If you have any questions about the Chester County Prison Visitation Services you can call them at 866-516-0115.
Frequently Asked Questions
* All the information you need to have complete knowledge about inmate visitation; policies, rules, fees, schedules, tips, dress codes, and children, lawyers and clergy visitation in Chester County, can be found on our Visit Inmate Page.
Chester County Prison Phone: 610-793-1510
To send a commissary carepack (food, snacks and goods) directly to an inmate in Chester County Prison follow these steps:
For all information, tips and available items for shipping Commissary packages to an inmate in Chester County Prison check out our Commissary Instructions Page for Chester County.
Gone are the days where Chester County Prison supervised their own phone system, mail system, visitation, commissary and inmate money deposit systems. Jails throughout the United States are now partnering with high tech companies to provide and manage these servives for them and the jail in Chester County is no different.
Everything from video calls, to messages to visitation, and even digital mail and money deposits can be done from your home computer or personal device. Inmates in Chester County Prison, if they don't already, will soon have their own personal tablets for watching movies, TV shows, access to educational and and legal information, and more.
As Chester County Prison adds these services, JAILEXCHANGE will add them to our pages, helping you access the services and answering your questions about how to use them and what they cost.
You can check out this information now by going to the: Family Info page, Visit Inmate page, Inmate Mail page, Inmate Phone page, Send Money page, Inmate Bail page, Mugshots page, Text/Email an Inmate page, Commissary page, Remote Visits page, or the Tablet Rental page.
Chester County Prison
| STATE | COUNTY | BEDS |
|---|---|---|
| Pennsylvania | Chester | 685 |
PHYSICAL ADDRESS
501 South Wawaset Road
West Chester, PA 19382-6776
TELEPHONE NUMBER
INMATE MAIL
Inmate's First and Last Name
501 South Wawaset Road
West Chester, PA 19382-6776
Photos
View 2 photos of this facility
How many inmates are in the Chester County Prison in Pennsylvania?
There are 685 inmates in the Chester County Prison in Pennsylvania. While that is what they are approved to have incarcerated at any one time, they have on occasion had to add additional beds, even having inmates sleep on the floor when overcrowding becomes an issue. When possible, Chester County Prison will temporarily transfer some inmates to a neighboring facility, or if necessary, release some offenders from custody. Learn more about how to search for a specific inmate in the Chester County Prison.
How many people get arrested and booked into the Chester County Prison in Pennsylvania every year?
In 2021, a total of 13700 offenders were booked into the Chester County Prison in Pennsylvania. That is less than previous years, mostly due to restrictions related to the COVID pandemic. As of April 2022, the number of arrests and bookings are returning to normal, which means they are running higher than 2021. Learn more about how to search for an inmate in the Chester County Prison.
How many people work at the Chester County Prison in Pennsylvania?
The Chester County Prison maintains a staff of approximately 171. Staff positions include correction officers, maintenance, clerical, kitchen workers and management. Pennsylvania law allows for inmates to work alongside the paid staff during their incarceration, saving the facility money. Even though the inmates are paid, the cost is less than 15% of what a normal worker from the outside would be paid.
Does the Chester County Prison in Pennsylvania have an inmate search or jail roster to see who is in custody?
Yes, the Chester County Prison in Pennsylvania has an Inmate Search Roster feature. Learn more about how to search for an inmate in the Chester County Prison. When you get to this page click on the big green button that reads 'OFFICIAL Chester County Prison INMATE LIST'. After clicking on the link, type in the offender's name and then click 'search'. You can always call and speak to someone on the staff at 610-793-1510 if you are have further questions. In most cases the Inmate Roster provides information about the inmate's bond, criminal charges, mugshot, and even their release date, as long as they are not being sent to a Pennsylvania prison or the US Bureau of Prisons to serve a sentence that is longer than one year.
What is the address and phone number of the Chester County Prison in Pennsylvania?
The Chester County Prison address and phone number is:
501 South Wawaset Road
West Chester, PA 19382-6776. Their phone number is 610-793-1510.
To find out the address for sending an inmate mail, sending newspapers, magazines or care packages, learn more about how to mail an inmate in the Chester County Prison.
Where do I found out all the inmate services at Chester County Prison, such as visitation policy and schedule, how the inmate phone system works, emailing an inmate, and sending them money to buy things in commissary?
Here is where you get direct access to all the information you need for Chester County Prison inmate services: Learn more about how to visit an inmate in the Chester County Prison. Learn more about how to get phone calls from an inmate in the Chester County Prison. Learn more about how to text/email an inmate in the Chester County Prison. Learn more about how to send money to an inmate in the Chester County Prison. Learn more about how to mail an inmate and what's allowed in the Chester County Prison. Learn more about inmate commissary in the Chester County Prison.
How do I bail or bond an inmate out of the Chester County Prison?
Call 610-793-1510 for the type of bond and any information that is required for a particular individual at Chester County Prison.
A bond is set according to a court-approved schedule. You will either have to pay a cash bail, or put up a private, surety or a property bond to guarantee to the court that the defendant will return on their assigned court date. Learn more about how to bail or bond out an inmate in the Chester County Prison.
This facility, known as "Chester County Prison" is also known as Chester County Prison, Pennsylvania, Chester.
