Address:
8201 State Road
Philadelphia, PA 19136
Phone:
215-685-8436
How it Works with GettingOut
1. Register an account.
2. Select Philadelphia Detention Center
3. Choose either an INMATE ACCOUNT or FRIENDS & FAMILY ACCOUNT.
4. You will then receive prompts to validate both your identity and phone number .
5. Again, choose your inmate's facility, then type their name and select your inmate.
GettingOut will then guide you through the steps needed to arrange your remote visit.
Customer Service for GettingOut
If you have any questions, you can call them at 866-516-0115.
GettingOut online contact form
Frequently Asked Questions
The GettingOut App is available on Google Play and Apple Store.
Video visitation, also known as remote visitation, is quickly becoming the preferred method for visiting an inmate in jail or prison for the following reasons:
• It requires little to no staff, versus the staff required to move inmates to and from the visit and watch over the visit. It saves the Philadelphia Detention Center money.
• It removes any opportunity for contraband (drugs) to enter the facility.
• It can become a profit center for the facility, given that the revenue generated by visits is shared with the jail.
• While inmates prefer to see family and friends in person, video visitation allows them to visit with them more often, and on a whim.
• Video visitation gives the inmates and their visitors the feeling of more privacy.
Video visitation from the perspective of the visitor allows them to visit from their home, their car, at work, and even allows them to take their device to a family or religious gathering. It allows them to give their inmate the feeling of belonging and not being forgotten.
Video visitation can take place on a computer, a tablet or a phone.
Video visitation saves time. Instead of spending hours driving to the jail, checking in, filling out paperwork, potentially being searched, waiting, and then having a 15–30-minute visit, if it isn’t cancelled at the last minute, the visit can be done from anywhere during a short break in the visitor’s day.
If the visitor does not have access to a phone or computer, they can make an appointment ahead of time and use terminals in the lobby of the jail.
You must also be on the inmate's approved list, even for a video visit.
There are several different companies that contract with all the jails and prisons that allow video visitation:
These are the companies in alphabetical order:
CIDNET
City Tele Coin
Correct Solutions Group
Correct Pay
Ctel
Gettingout
GTL
Homewav
IC Solutions
Inmate Canteen
Inmate Sales
iwebvisits
JailATM
Jpay
Gettingintouch (netvisit)
NCIC
Prodigy Sales
Reliance
Securus
Smart Communications
Tiger Services
Visitel
In addition, some jails use Microsoft Meeting and Zoom.
Postcards
The Philadelphia Detention Center allows inmates to receive pre-metered postcards like the type purchased from the post office. They may also allow certain photo postcards as long as they have not been tampered with or contain images that may be considered to be obscene or violent in nature.
Envelopes
The Philadelphia Detention Center also allows letters to be mailed in envelopes. Letters cannot contain alterations such as glitter, sticker, glue or perfume. There is no limit to the number of letters or postcards an inmate can receive. All envelopes and postcards must contain a return address that includes your first and last name and complete street, city, state and zip code location. Mail without return addresses might be discarded.
Mail to:
Inmate's Full Name & PPN #
CFCF
8151 State Road
Philadelphia, PA 19136
Newspapers
Local or national newspapers may also be mailed to the inmate as long as they are mailed directly from the newspaper publisher. (It must contain the inmate’s full name, PPN number and address)
Magazines
News, special interest or sports magazines may also be mailed to an inmate as long as they are shipped directly from the publisher. Any magazines that contain profanity, weapons, pornography or other content that is adult in nature will be confiscated by the jail staff and will NOT be delivered to the inmate. The mailing label must include inmate’s full name, facility address and PPN number.
Books
Philadelphia Detention Center allows books to be mailed directly to the jail from a reputable source such as amazon.com or barnesandnoble.com. You can order them directly from your computer and have them shipped to the inmate at the address above. Books must NOT contain images or content that are considered excessively violent, pornographic or obscene. Any book that does not meet the Philadelphia Detention Center standards will be disposed of. Only softcover books are allowed. The mailing invoice must contain the inmate’s full name, PPN number and facility address.
All Newspapers, magazines and Books should be mailed to:
Inmate's Full Name & PPN #
CFCF
8151 State Road
Philadelphia, PA 19136
Care packages
Care packages are pre-chosen items packaged together and sent to the inmate from a third-party vendor. They can include clothing, snacks and seasonal items. Philadelphia Detention Center contracts with Access Secure Pack to allow care package purchases for inmates. Care packages are pre-chosen items that are bundled together and delivered to the inmate. You must register for a free account to begin buying care packs. Click here to get started. These can be ordered by you online and are delivered directly to the inmate.
For complete information on mailing letters, postcards, photos, magazines, newspapers, books and packages to inmates in Phladelphia, check out our Inmate Mail page.
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.
All the information you need to understand depositing money into an inmate's trust fund, specifically for phone calls, but also for Commissary, in Philadelphia 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 Philadelphia Detention Center 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
Philadelphia Detention Center 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 Philadelphia Detention Center 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 Philadelphia Detention Center 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 visit an inmate in Philadelphia 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, Philadelphia County remote video inmate visitation can be done using the services of GettingOut.
There are three ways to remotely visit your inmate in Philadelphia Detention Center:
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 Philadelphia County follow these steps:
1. Start by confirming that Philadelphia Detention Center's Video Visitation is working correctly by looking up Philadelphia County here.
2. The next step is to create an account here for GettingOut.
3. Then add funds to your account.
4. Last, select Philadelphia Detention Center, and then the inmate you wish to communicate with.
Other Philadelphia 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 Philadelphia Detention Center 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 Philadelphia County, can be found on our Visit Inmate Page.
Philadelphia Detention Center Phone: 215-685-8436
To send a commissary carepack (food, snacks and goods) directly to an inmate in Philadelphia Detention Center follow these steps:
For all information, tips and available items for shipping Commissary packages to an inmate in Philadelphia Detention Center check out our Commissary Instructions Page for Philadelphia County.
To send commissary money to an inmate in Philadelphia Detention Center follow these steps:
For all information on how to Send Money to an inmate's account check out our full money and commissary guide for Philadelphia Detention Center.