1. Open the official inmate lookup.
2. Type the legal name the person uses on an ID card. If nothing turns up, try a different spelling, add a middle name, or use a former last name.
3. Match the birth date or age to the person you mean. Two people can have the same name.
4. Jot down any ID number in the record. The jail uses that number on letters and money orders.
5. Still stuck? Phone Records at the jail, 610-361-3200, with the name and birth date ready.

VINELink, at vinelink.vineapps.com, gives you a second way to confirm custody. It covers jails in every Pennsylvania county, plus state prisons.

A fresh arrest takes time to reach the jail. Most people first wait at a police station. Then a district judge holds a short hearing, called a preliminary arraignment, often by video, and sets bail. Only after that is the person taken to Thornton. Some people are let go by the judge and never reach the jail at all.

• Give it a few hours, then search once more.
• Call the jail's Records office at 610-361-3200. Staff can say whether the person was booked or already released.
• Ring the police department that made the arrest. Every department is in the last answer on this page.
• Look for a new case in the UJS case search, run by Pennsylvania's courts. A criminal case shows there soon after it is filed.

George W. Hill is the single adult jail operated by the county. Still, a person from here might be in a nearby county's jail if the arrest happened there or another county wants them on a warrant. Each one below has its own phone:

• Chester County Prison, 501 South Wawaset Road, West Chester, PA 19382, 610-344-5040.
• Montgomery County Correctional Facility, 60 Eagleville Road, Eagleville, PA 19403, 610-635-7100.
• Curran-Fromhold Correctional Facility in Philadelphia, 7901 State Road, Philadelphia, PA 19136, 215-685-7843.
• Federal Detention Center Philadelphia, 700 Arch Street, Philadelphia, PA 19106, 215-521-4000, for people facing federal charges.

Teens under 18 usually go to youth centers instead, which the juvenile answer below explains. If you can't tell where someone went, the Thornton jail at 610-361-3200 is the place to begin.

Please don't count on finding a booking photo. In Pennsylvania, whether a county jail hands out mugshots depends on the county and on recent rulings by the state's courts. To ask about one, call the Thornton jail at 610-361-3200.

News reporters usually ask the arresting police or the Sheriff's Office, Courthouse, Room 101, 201 W. Front St., Media, PA 19063, 610-891-4296. ICE photos are requested on that agency's FOIA records form. Federal agencies seldom share booking photos, though the Marshals sometimes do, for example while searching for a fugitive.

Pennsylvania runs a free alert system called PA SAVIN. It works through VINELink, at vinelink.vineapps.com, and follows people held in county jails, state prisons or on state parole. It also shows custody status, so it doubles as a second way to find someone.

1. Search for the person by name on VINELink, or use the VINELink app.
2. Choose how you want to hear: phone call, text, email or app notice.
3. You'll get word when the person is released, moved or escapes.

Prefer the phone? Register at 866-972-7284, any hour of the day. TTY users can dial 866-847-1298. The person in custody won't learn that you signed up.

A magisterial district judge sets bail soon after the arrest. The judge can free a person on a promise to return, add conditions, or require money. You can read every option on our bail page.

• Online: the state courts take card payments through PA ePay Bail. Expect a 2.75 percent fee you won't get back. One payment tops out at $20,000.
• Weekdays: the Office of Judicial Support takes bail at the Government Center, Room 127, 201 W. Front St., Media, PA 19063, 610-891-4370. For questions on posting or refunds, the bail line is 610-891-5693.
• Overnight: the jail accepts cash from 8 p.m. to 8 a.m. Before driving out, phone the jail between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. at 610-361-3200 and ask for the Director of Records. Bring cash and a photo ID.

Once bail clears, release usually happens around 1 p.m. or 9 p.m.

Charges are written on the docket sheet. Open the UJS case search and pick a participant name search. Fill in the name and choose the county. The docket lists each charge, its grade (such as M1 or F2), the bail and the next date.

Juvenile cases and sealed cases stay private. For help reading a docket, call the Office of Judicial Support in Room 127 of the Government Center, 201 W. Front St., Media, PA 19063, at 610-891-4370. Early on, the district court that held the arraignment keeps the complaint, which says what the police claim happened. Court numbers and phones are on our court page.

People who can't afford counsel can turn to the Office of the Public Defender, 220 North Jackson Street, Media, PA 19063, 610-891-4100, for free help. Under the state's Public Defender Act, the office takes preliminary hearings, trials, juvenile cases and probation or parole hearings. Family members can call to ask how the person applies.

A private lawyer is the other choice. For a federal charge, the Federal Community Defender may supply a lawyer: 601 Walnut Street, Philadelphia, PA 19106 (Suite 540 West), 215-928-1100. Inside the jail, a law library offers legal research, court forms and a notary.

Each person gets one visit a week. It can be a video visit or a face-to-face visit, not both. Our visiting page has more help.

1. The person inside gives a list of visitors to the case manager.
2. After approval, sign up on the jail's visit booking site and wait for an email saying yes.
3. Pick a time slot. Video visits take place from home, Monday to Friday, 9:00 to 9:55 p.m. Book them 2 to 7 days ahead. They are recorded.
4. In-person visits run Monday to Friday, 8:45 a.m. to 10 p.m., by housing unit. Check the visit schedule.

Up to three people may come, children included. Kids need an adult and don't register. There is no touching, so the person can't hold a child. Bring a driver's license, military ID, passport or other government photo ID, and follow the dress code. Come by car, since walking onto the grounds is banned. Drivers need a license and insurance, and Uber or Lyft can't drop off on the property. When snow or storms hit, call 610-361-3343.

The jail has newer ways to make deposits, explained in the county's deposit flyer. Our money page and commissary page walk through the basics.

A money order can go by mail. Send it to George W. Hill Correctional Facility, P.O. Box 247, Phoenix, MD 21131, and write the person's name and ID number on it. The tablet that delivers messages is funded through a separate account named on the jail's mail page. For anything unclear, call the jail at 610-361-3200.

People inside can phone out, but you can't ring a housing unit to talk with someone. Call the jail at 610-361-3200 to ask how calls get set up.

Written messages go to a tablet. To send them, you need an account with the messaging company that the jail's mail page names. The same account can add funds to the tablet. Our calls page and email and messages page explain more. On release day, each person gets one free call from the outtake area to arrange a ride.

Since June 20, 2022, the jail scans letters, drawings and photos. The person reads them on a tablet. Paper mail is routed to Maryland for scanning and never goes to Thornton:

George W. Hill Correctional Facility, then the first and last name of the person plus their ID number, P.O. Box 247, Phoenix, MD 21131

• Spell out the full facility name and the state. Skip short forms.
• Leave out stickers, buttons, pins, plastic or phone cards, pens, pencils, glue, lipstick, oils and perfume. Photo albums and sexual material are also banned, and so are most packages.
• Books must ship straight from a bookstore or a publisher, with no hardcovers. A bookstore can send 4 in any 30 days. A publisher has no cap.
• Lawyer mail is not scanned. Lawyers can call the jail at 610-361-3200 for how to send it.

The jail's own mailing address is P.O. Box 23, Thornton, PA 19373. Our mail page has more tips.

Ask about belongings when you call the jail. Releases usually happen near 1 p.m. and 9 p.m. Wait in the front parking lot on Cheyney Road. If no ride comes, the jail hands out a one-way SEPTA pass with a transfer. Bus 119 stops out front at 1:25 and 2:40 p.m. after the midday release, and at 9:05 and 10:20 p.m. after the night one.

If something went missing or came back broken, report it on the county's property claim form. For other belongings questions, call the jail at 610-361-3200 and ask for Records.

Call the jail at 610-361-3200 and ask for Medical. Give the full name, birth date and ID number. Share any medicine the person takes, any allergies and the name of their doctor. Staff may need the person's written okay before they tell you about their health.

The jail offers help for addiction, including treatment with medicine and a re-entry program called PREP. On release, staff can refer the person to drug and alcohol care or mental health care. A chaplain and volunteers lead religious services. The courts also run a Mental Health Court, and a defense lawyer can ask whether the case fits.

The Sheriff's Bench Warrant Unit hunts down people who missed court. It sits in the Courthouse, Room 101, 201 W. Front St., Media, PA 19063, 610-891-8605. Police and constables carry out other warrants. Ask the unit by phone, or read the Sheriff's warrant page. Wider lists are the State Police most wanted list, the Marshals' top fugitives and the FBI's wanted posters. Any open case also shows in the UJS case search. Have a lawyer or the public defender help the person surrender to the court behind the warrant. The Office of Judicial Support can give a new date: Government Center, Room 127, 201 W. Front St., Media, PA 19063, 610-891-4370.

Each hearing date is listed in the UJS case search. Use a name and the county, or a docket number if you have one. The docket sheet then gives the date, time and courtroom.

Early hearings take place at one of the 26 magisterial district courts. Later ones move to the Courthouse, 201 W. Front St., Media, PA 19063, 610-891-4000. Our court page lists each district court with its phone. Skipping a hearing can lead to a bench warrant, so keep a written list of dates.

Federal crimes from around here are tried in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. Hearings take place at 601 Market Street, Philadelphia, PA 19106, in the Byrne federal courthouse. Reach the clerk at 215-597-7704.

• A detention hearing comes within a few days. At it, a federal judge picks release with rules or jail until trial (18 U.S.C. 3142).
• While a case is open, many people wait at Federal Detention Center Philadelphia, 700 Arch Street, Philadelphia, PA 19106, 215-521-4000.
• The U.S. Marshals Service tracks every federal prisoner before a sentence. Its office is at 601 Market Street, Room 2110, Philadelphia, PA 19106, 215-597-7272. Ask there if you can't find the person.
• After sentencing, the Bureau of Prisons inmate locator names the federal prison where the sentence is served.

Below, in order, is what happens with an immigration hold.

1. Thornton staff get a written request from ICE on Form I-247A. That form is the detainer.
2. That hold may last up to 48 hours after they would otherwise be released (8 CFR 287.7(d)).
3. Agents then collect the person in Thornton and may move them to a detention center, sometimes a long way off.
4. Look the person up on the ICE Online Detainee Locator.
5. The ICE office for Pennsylvania is the Philadelphia Field Office, 114 N. 8th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19107, 215-656-7164.

For Pennsylvania, the ruling that matters is Galarza v. Szalczyk (3d Cir. 2014). Judges there decided that ICE can only ask, not order, a jail to hold someone. If a jail keeps a person locked up for no reason but the detainer, the jail itself may have to answer for it. Each jail therefore makes its own call on detainers. To learn this jail's, call 610-361-3200.

Long sentences are served in state prison, not in Thornton. That covers sentences with a top of 5 years or more, and most with a top between 2 and 5 years (42 Pa.C.S. § 9762). Shorter ones stay at the county jail.

First, the state takes the person to an intake center. There, staff sort out the security level and any treatment needs. That can take weeks or months. After that comes a transfer to whichever prison suits the result. The state does not give advance word about these moves.

Find the person on the DOC inmate locator, then check our Pennsylvania state prisons directory for facts on each site. The Department of Corrections sits at 1920 Technology Parkway, Mechanicsburg, PA 17050, 717-728-2573. Staff share details only with the next of kin the person named.

Children under 18 don't go to the adult jail in most cases. Because the county shut its own youth lockup, teens get placed in other counties:

• Abraxas Academy, 1000 Academy Drive, Morgantown, PA 19543, 610-913-8000, where boys are most often placed.
• Chester County Youth Center, 505 South Wawaset Road, West Chester, PA 19382, 610-344-6700. Girls have been placed here and at other counties' centers.

A murder charge, or certain armed violent charges, sends a youth aged 15, 16 or 17 to adult court from day one. A few such youth are kept at George W. Hill. For any youth case, call Juvenile Probation, Fronefield Building, 201 West Front St., Media, PA 19063, 610-891-4721. Juvenile records stay off the public docket. Read about hearings on the juvenile court page. The public defender also handles cases for youth.

The docket or the arrest papers name the agency. Each entry below gives the police station address. Phone numbers are for the city, borough or township office, not a direct police desk. For an emergency, dial 911.

Chester and the river towns

• Chester City Police: 160 E. 7th St., Chester, PA 19013. City office 610-447-7700.
• Chester Township Police: 1840 Harris St., Chester, PA 19013. Township office 610-494-4149.
• Eddystone Police: 1300 E. 12th St., Eddystone, PA 19022. Borough office 610-874-1100.
• Lower Chichester Township Police: 1410 Market St., Linwood, PA 19061. Township office 610-485-1472.
• Marcus Hook Borough Police: 1015 Green St., Marcus Hook, PA 19061. Borough office 610-485-1341.
• Trainer Borough Police: 824 Main St., Marcus Hook, PA 19061. Borough office 610-497-3838.
• Upper Chichester Township Police: 8400 Furey Rd., Aston, PA 19014. Township office 610-485-5881.
• Aston Township Police: 2 New Road, Aston, PA 19014. Township office 610-494-1636.
• Ridley Township Police: 100 E. MacDade Blvd., Folsom, PA 19033. Township office 610-534-4800.
• Ridley Park Police: 230 W. Chester Pk., Ridley Park, PA 19078. Borough office 610-532-2100.
• Prospect Park Borough Police: 720 Maryland Ave., Prospect Park, PA 19076. Borough office 610-522-3620.
• Tinicum Township Police: 235 Putcan Ave., Essington, PA 19029. Township office 610-521-3530.
• Brookhaven Police: 2 Cambridge Rd., Brookhaven, PA 19015. Borough office 610-874-2557.
• Parkside Borough Police: 22 E. Elbon Rd., Brookhaven, PA 19015. Borough office 610-876-3659.
• Upland Borough Police: 224 Castle Ave., Brookhaven, PA 19015. Borough office 610-874-7317.

Darby and the eastern boroughs

• Aldan Police: 1 W. Providence Rd., Aldan, PA 19018. Borough office 610-626-3554.
• Collingdale Borough Police: 800 MacDade Blvd., Collingdale, PA 19023. Borough office 610-586-0500.
• Colwyn Police: 221 Spruce St., Colwyn, PA 19023. Borough office 610-461-2000.
• Darby Borough Police: 821 Summit St., Darby, PA 19023. Borough office 610-586-1102.
• Darby Township Police: 2 Studevan Plaza, Sharon Hill, PA 19079. Township office 610-586-1514.
• East Lansdowne Borough Police: 155 Lexington Ave., Lansdowne, PA 19050. Borough office 610-623-7131.
• Folcroft Borough Police: 1555 E. Elmwood Ave., Folcroft, PA 19032. Borough office 610-522-1305.
• Glenolden Borough Police: 38 Boon Ave., Glenolden, PA 19036. Borough office 610-583-3221.
• Lansdowne Borough Police: 12 E. Baltimore Pk., Lansdowne, PA 19050. Borough office 610-623-7300.
• Norwood Borough Police: 10 W. Cleveland Ave., Norwood, PA 19074. Borough office 610-586-5800.
• Sharon Hill Borough Police: 250 Sharon Ave., Sharon Hill, PA 19079. Borough office 610-586-8200.
• Yeadon Borough Police: 600 Church Lane, Yeadon, PA 19050. Borough office 610-284-1606.

Upper Darby, Haverford and Springfield

• Upper Darby Police: 7236 W. Chester Pk., Upper Darby, PA 19082. Township office 610-734-7625.
• Haverford Police: 1010 Darby Rd., Havertown, PA 19083. Township office 610-446-1000.
• Millbourne Police: 11 Park Ave., Millbourne, PA 19082. Borough office 610-352-9080.
• Clifton Heights Borough Police: 30 S. Springfield Rd., Clifton Heights, PA 19018. Borough office 610-623-1000.
• Springfield Township Police: 50 Powell Rd., Springfield, PA 19064. Township office 610-544-1300.
• Morton Borough Police: 500 Highland Ave., Morton, PA 19070. Borough office 610-543-4565.

Central and western towns

• Media Borough Police: 301 N. Jackson St., Media, PA 19063. Borough office 610-566-5210.
• Nether Providence Township Police: 214 Sykes Lane, Wallingford, PA 19086. Township office 610-566-4516.
• Swarthmore Borough Police: 121 Park Ave., Swarthmore, PA 19081. Borough office 610-543-4599.
• Upper Providence Township Police: 935 N. Providence Rd., Media, PA 19063. Township office 610-565-4944.
• Bethel Township Police: 1090 Bethel Rd., Garnet Valley, PA 19060. Township office 610-459-1529.
• Marple Township Police: 1001 Sussex Blvd., Broomall, PA 19008. Township office 610-356-4040.
• Newtown Township Police: 209 Bishop Hollow Rd., Newtown Square, PA 19073. Township office 610-356-0200.
• Radnor Township Police: 301 Iven Ave., Wayne, PA 19087. Township office 610-688-5600.

Towns with no police station of their own

Eight towns have no station on the county's lists. Ask the town office who patrols there.

• Chadds Ford Township: 10 Ring Road, Chadds Ford, PA 19317. Township office 610-388-8800.
• Chester Heights Borough: 53 W. Baltimore Pike, Chester Heights, PA 19017. Borough office 610-459-3400.
• Concord Township: 43 Thornton Road, Glen Mills, PA 19342. Township office 610-459-8911.
• Edgmont Township: 1000 Gradyville Road, Edgmont, PA 19073. Township office 610-459-1662.
• Middletown Township: 27 N. Pennell Road, Media, PA 19063. Township office 610-565-2700.
• Rose Valley Borough: P.O. Box 198, Rose Valley, PA 19065. Borough office 610-566-2040.
• Rutledge Borough: 212 Unity Terrace, Rutledge, PA 19070. Borough office 610-544-1028.
• Thornbury Township: 6 Township Drive, Cheyney, PA 19319. Township office 610-399-8383.

County, state and other officers

• Sheriff's Office: Courthouse, Room 101, 201 W. Front St., Media, PA 19063, 610-891-4296.
• Pennsylvania State Police, Troop K, Media station: 1342 W. Baltimore Pike, Media, PA 19063, 484-840-1000.
• County Detectives, who work for the District Attorney, and the county Park Police: reach both through the county's main line at the Government Center, 201 W. Front St., Media, PA 19063, 610-891-4000.
• College campus officers and SEPTA transit police: the jail's Records office at 610-361-3200 can tell you which agency booked the person.