Lehigh County Men's Community Corrections Center Inmate Bail & Bonds

A magisterial district judge, the neighborhood judge who opens every criminal case, decides bail. This short hearing is called the preliminary arraignment. Pennsylvania's victim services office puts the usual wait at six hours or less after the arrest. Many are done over video.

During it, the accused is handed the police complaint that lists each charge. Next the judge fixes bail and schedules the preliminary hearing (Pa.R.Crim.P. 540). Fourteen district courts serve the county. The location of the alleged crime decides which of them gets the case. To match a town with its court, try the court's Find My MDJ tool.

Still unsure which court has the file? Dial the Clerk of Judicial Records, Criminal Division, at 610-782-3077. Its counter is Room 122 inside the courthouse at 455 W. Hamilton Street, Allentown, PA 18101.

The judge picks from five kinds of release (Pa.R.Crim.P. 524). Four of them let a person leave without anyone handing over money up front:

• Recognizance (ROR). No money changes hands; a written pledge to show up for court does the job.
• ROR with rules. That same signed promise, plus terms the judge adds, for example regular reporting or a no-contact rule.
• Unsecured bail. The judge writes down an amount. It becomes a debt only after a no-show in court.
• Nominal bail. A token sum, such as $1. A person or agency signs to vouch for the defendant.
• Monetary bail. Cash, a property pledge or a surety bond goes in first, and only then does the person leave.

Lehigh Valley Pretrial Services serves as the county's court bail agency. Its staff make bail suggestions to judges and keep tabs on people released to its watch.

No fixed price comes with any charge. Every amount is chosen case by case, and the law says it has to be reasonable (Pa.R.Crim.P. 528). Factors include how serious the charge is, any criminal record, work history, local roots, earlier court attendance and the person's money situation (Pa.R.Crim.P. 523).

Bigger maximum penalties tend to bring bigger bail. Here are Pennsylvania's grades and their top penalties (18 Pa.C.S. §§ 1101, 1103-1105):

• F1, first-degree felony: 20 years, $25,000
• F2, second-degree felony: 10 years, $25,000
• F3, third-degree felony: 7 years, $15,000
• M1, first-degree misdemeanor: 5 years, $10,000
• M2, second-degree misdemeanor: 2 years, $5,000
• M3, third-degree misdemeanor: 1 year, $2,500
• Summary offense, the lowest level: 90 days, $300

To see the real number, pull up the docket sheet on the state's UJS Portal case search. Type the last name, first name and county. Or ask the Clerk of Judicial Records at 610-782-3077.

Once the courthouse closes at 5:00 p.m., and on Saturdays, Sundays and holidays, Common Pleas bail moves to the jail at 38 North Fourth Street, Allentown, PA 18102. Walk-ins are turned away, so plan it like this:

1. Book a slot on the after-hours bail line, 610-782-3664.
2. Have the docket number and the defendant's full name. Confirm the amount down to the cent.
3. Bring exactly that sum in cash. Late-night bail is cash only.
4. Add a $25 processing fee per bond.
5. Show photo ID, then hold on to the itemized receipt (Pa.R.Crim.P. 535).

Those rules come from the Court of Common Pleas. District courts run their own after-hours bail, so a case that hasn't moved up yet needs a call to the district court named on its papers. For release timing once paid, ring the jail's main desk at 610-782-3270.

Both take it. Room 122 of the courthouse, 455 W. Hamilton Street, Allentown, PA 18101, is where the Clerk of Judicial Records, Criminal Division, accepts bail. Window hours run 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on court business days. The office number is 610-782-3077.

1. Phone ahead to check the docket and the total.
2. Pay with cash or a credit card. Card payments carry an extra fee.
3. Can't make 4:30? A 4:30 to 5:00 p.m. slot can be set up if you call 610-782-3730 no later than 4:15 p.m.
4. Tuck the receipt away until the last hearing is behind you.

Ten percent cash bail, when a judge permits it, goes through Lehigh Valley Pretrial Services at 501 Hamilton Street, Lower Level, Allentown, PA 18101, 610-289-2410. It is staffed weekdays from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. and may have to approve the deposit.

Each of the 14 district courts handles bail its own way. Phone the one on the paperwork before driving over.

Cash and credit cards are the two forms the court's bail rules name. Planning to bring a check or money order? Phone the Clerk at 610-782-3077 first. The options are:

• Online with PA ePay Bail. PA ePay Bail is the courts' own payment site, and this county's district court and Common Pleas cases both appear on its list. Visa, MasterCard, Discover, American Express and ATM cards work. A 2.75% service fee comes off each payment and stays with the service. One payment can't go over $20,000, and a few case types are left out.
• Cash. At the Room 122 window, or exact cash at the jail after hours.
• Credit card. At the Room 122 window, plus a card fee.
• Ten percent cash. Allowed only by court order. Whoever signs still answers for the whole bail if the defendant vanishes, and 30% of the deposit is kept as a service charge at the end.
• Real estate. Equity in Pennsylvania property. Expect a $250 processing fee you won't get back. Each deed owner signs with photo ID, and a lawyer or title company has to certify the title. No property bail is done after 3:00 p.m. or on weekends and holidays.
• Surety bond. A licensed bondsman signs for every dollar of bail. The family pays that bondsman a premium.

Details sit in the court's bail guidelines.

Yes. Commercial bail is legal in this state. Every bondsman must be licensed through Pennsylvania's Insurance Department (42 Pa.C.S. § 5742). They must also register with a county before writing bonds in it (42 Pa.C.S. § 5743.1).

• See the court's list of approved bail agencies before you hire one.
• Pennsylvania stopped capping bondsman premiums in 2015, so get the price written down.
• That premium is the bondsman's pay. It stays gone even if charges are dropped.
• No one may lawfully charge you just to connect you with a bondsman (42 Pa.C.S. § 5749).
• A relative who signs on as surety takes on a duty too. If the defendant breaks some bail rules, such as no contact, the signer must tell police within 24 hours (42 Pa.C.S. § 5750).

Paying bail settles one docket only. Call Records at the jail, 610-782-3263, and have them list every reason the person is held. Watch for these:

• More than one case. Two dockets mean two bails, even for arrests on the same night.
• Outside warrants. A bench warrant from a different judge or county must be cleared on its own.
• Supervision. Someone on county probation or parole may face a violation case before their sentencing judge. Adult Probation & Parole works from Room G09, 455 West Hamilton Street, Allentown, PA 18101, 610-782-3933.
• Federal or ICE papers. A state bail receipt doesn't touch either.
• Agency sign-off. Ten percent bail can wait on Pretrial Services.

Rarely. Bail is a right for close to every defendant under Pennsylvania's constitution (Pa. Const. art. I, § 14). A no-bail hold fits just two situations. The charge may carry death or a life sentence. Or the judge finds that only a cell, and no list of rules, would keep people from harm.

At that hearing it falls to the prosecutor to prove the need, using evidence. An accusation alone falls short, as the state Supreme Court ruled in Commonwealth v. Talley (2021).

Requests for steep bail or none come from the Office of the District Attorney, Room 307, 455 W. Hamilton St., Allentown, PA 18101, 610-782-3100, open weekdays 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Victims may also share their views on bail under the Crime Victims Act.

Only a lawyer's written motion starts this (Pa.R.Crim.P. 529). Until the preliminary hearing, the district judge can rule on it. After that, the Common Pleas judge takes over. Here each criminal case keeps one judge the whole way through.

1. Bring proof of steady work, a rental lease or house deed, and relatives ready to vouch.
2. List what the household can honestly pay. Bail has to fit the person.
3. Suggest swaps for cash, like supervision by Pretrial Services.

Long waits count. Once someone has sat 180 days before trial, leaving out stretches the defense asked for, a motion for nominal bail is allowed (Pa.R.Crim.P. 600). Questions about an order changing bail go to the Clerk at 610-782-3077, 8:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

When paying a lawyer is out of reach, a defendant can turn to the county Public Defender (16 P.S. § 9960.1 and following). Applicants swear to their income in writing, and every county uses its own income test.

• Fill out the form linked from the county's Public Defender page. There is an English version and a Spanish one.
• Attach the police criminal complaint along with whatever else the form requests.
• A decision takes 5 to 7 business days, so file quickly.
• Questions? Ring the courthouse switchboard, 610-782-3000, and ask for the Public Defender's Office.

For the first time, state money now supports county defenders, thanks to Act 34 of 2023.

Felonies and misdemeanors end up at the Court of Common Pleas in the county courthouse, 455 W. Hamilton Street, Allentown, PA 18101, 610-782-3000, open weekdays 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The first bail ruling comes from a magisterial district court. All 14 are listed here by number:

• 31-1-01: 1401 West Green Street, Allentown, PA 18102, 610-432-3080
• 31-1-02: Historic Courthouse, 501 W. Hamilton Street, Suite 117D, Allentown, PA 18101, 610-432-8700
• 31-1-03: 1428 West Hamilton Street, Allentown, PA 18101, 610-434-7903
• 31-1-04: 1501 Lehigh Street, Suite 104, Allentown, PA 18103, 610-797-0906
• 31-1-05: 1007 Union Boulevard, Allentown, PA 18109, 610-439-0661
• 31-1-06: 623 West Union Boulevard, Suite 4-5, Bethlehem, PA 18018, 610-691-3950
• 31-1-07: 3678 Crescent Court East, Whitehall, PA 18052, 610-437-6096
• 31-1-08: 2851 Old South Pike Avenue, Suite A, Allentown, PA 18103, 610-797-8724
• 31-1-09: 413 North 3rd Street, Allentown, PA 18102, 610-778-5410
• 31-2-01: Historic Courthouse, 501 Hamilton Street, Suite 106, Allentown, PA 18101, 610-782-3834
• 31-2-02: 3900 Hamilton Boulevard, Suite 101, Allentown, PA 18103, 610-434-2070
• 31-3-01: 106 South Walnut Street, Slatington, PA 18080, 610-767-8641
• 31-3-02: Green Hills Commerce Center, 5925 Tilghman Street, Suite 500, Allentown, PA 18104, 610-398-1167
• 31-3-03: Village Center, 21 North Main Street, Coopersburg, PA 18036, 610-282-1555

A federal case may be heard at the Edward N. Cahn U.S. Courthouse, 504 W. Hamilton Street, Allentown, PA 18101, or at 201 Penn Street, Reading, PA 19601, or 101 Larry Holmes Drive, Easton, PA 18042.

Hang on to the receipt, because the refund goes to the name printed there. Pennsylvania's rule is about 20 days after the case reaches its final end (Pa.R.Crim.P. 535). This court counts the 30-day appeal window after sentencing as part of that end. Expect a check roughly seven weeks after the sentence.

• Ten percent deposits lose 30% to a service charge.
• Full cash bail also carries a service charge. The Clerk, 610-782-3077, can say how much.
• If the defendant's own name is on the receipt, the judge may put that money toward fines and costs.
• A property pledge is released once the court marks the signers' judgment satisfied.

A skipped court date changes everything. The judge may order a bench warrant, forfeit the bail and allow new charges. Signers can be billed the entire bail, not only the part they paid.

The jail bags up what a person carried in at booking and keeps it. Phone 610-782-3270 or Records, 610-782-3263, about getting back unused account money, the hours for property pickup and the ID you need. The jail sits at 38 North Fourth Street, Allentown, PA 18102.

A resident leaving the Community Corrections Center at 1600 Riverside Drive, Bethlehem, PA 18016 can sort this out through the control booth, 610-778-5328. Read our jail account money guide for the general picture on deposits and leftover balances.

Federal charges filed here go to the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. Cases from this county are given to judges based in Reading, Allentown or Easton. Their buildings are 201 Penn Street, Reading, PA 19601; 504 W. Hamilton Street, Allentown, PA 18101; and 101 Larry Holmes Drive, Easton, PA 18042. Reach the clerk's office at 215-597-7704.

• Release gets argued at a detention hearing soon after charges are filed. The judge chooses between supervised freedom and a cell until trial (18 U.S.C. 3142).
• Federal prisoners awaiting trial stay under the U.S. Marshals Service, 601 Market Street, Room 2110, Philadelphia, PA 19106, 215-597-7272.
• Someone in this court's custody may be housed at FDC Philadelphia, 700 Arch Street, Philadelphia, PA 19106, 215-521-4000.
• The Federal Community Defender offers free counsel at 601 Walnut Street, Suite 540 West, Philadelphia, PA 19106, 215-928-1100.
• After a federal sentence, search the Federal Bureau of Prisons inmate locator to see where they went.

State bail and federal custody are separate. Money posted on one does nothing for the other.

It won't. An immigration request survives a state bail payment, and it plays out in this order:

1. First, ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) places a hold request on the person using Form I-247A.
2. That request seeks to keep them up to 48 hours after they would otherwise be released (8 CFR 287.7(d)).
3. ICE agents then pick the person up. Pennsylvania falls under the Philadelphia Field Office, 114 N. 8th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19107, 215-656-7164.
4. Try the ICE Online Detainee Locator. Enter the alien number, or else the legal name along with the birth country.

Detainers ask. They do not command. Pennsylvania's federal appeals court made that clear in a lawsuit against this very county, Galarza v. Szalczyk (3d Cir. 2014). The court found a county can be liable when it keeps someone on a detainer alone. That is why every jail writes its own detainer policy. To learn this jail's practice, call 610-782-3270.

A Pennsylvania sentence gives two numbers, a minimum and a maximum. Where the time is served turns on that second number (42 Pa.C.S. § 9762). A maximum below 2 years keeps the person in county jail. Five years or longer as the top number means state prison. A maximum of 2 to 5 years normally goes to the state as well. Keeping such a person local takes the consent of jail officials, the DA's office and the sentencing judge.

• Before landing at a home prison, each new state inmate spends weeks or months being tested and sorted at a reception center.
• The DOC inmate locator shows where they are.
• Pennsylvania Department of Corrections: 1920 Technology Parkway, Mechanicsburg, PA 17050, 717-728-2573.
• Browse every SCI, with addresses, on our Pennsylvania state prisons page.

Anyone under 18 is usually a juvenile case (42 Pa.C.S. § 6302). You won't find those files on the UJS Portal. The county shut its own youth detention center in 2014. A youth who has to be held now goes out of county. Juvenile Probation's detention list includes these two centers:

• Bucks County Youth Center, 1750 Easton Rd., Doylestown, PA 18901, 215-340-8300
• Chester County Youth Center, 505 South Wawaset Rd., West Chester, PA 19382, 610-344-6700

Some older teens skip juvenile court. Ages 15 to 17 start in adult court on a murder charge, or on some listed violent crimes involving a deadly weapon, and adult bail rules then apply. Parents can reach Juvenile Probation in Room 710, 455 West Hamilton Street, Allentown, PA 18101, 610-782-3143, to ask which center took the youth and the date a judge will see them.