Washington County Correctional Facility

Bail is the job of a magisterial district judge (MDJ). The MDJ names the figure at the preliminary arraignment, which is usually the first time the person stands before any judge on the new charges. The MDJ goes over the counts, hands over the complaint, sets the bail and puts the next hearing on the calendar (Pa.R.Crim.P. 540). A state victim services guide says this first hearing usually comes within six hours.

When the district offices are closed, one MDJ is on call for the whole county (Local Rule L-117). That judge holds hearings on weekdays at 11:00 p.m. and 7:30 a.m. On weekends and holidays the times are 7:30 a.m., 3:30 p.m. and 11:00 p.m. A person picked up in the evening often waits for the next slot.

Where the person waits depends on the clock:

• Daytime: booking, fingerprints and photos go through the Central Booking Center at the Family Court Center, 29 West Cherry Avenue, Suite 209, Washington, PA 15301, 724-229-5931.
• 4:30 p.m. to 7:00 a.m.: officers may bring the person to the Interim Booking Center inside the Correctional Facility, 100 W. Cherry Ave., Washington, PA 15301, 724-228-6845. The officer faxes the complaint to the on-call judge.

The Correctional Facility is the county jail. It houses people before trial and those whose sentences run two years or less.

The statewide rules list five release types (Pa.R.Crim.P. 524). Cash enters the picture only with the last:

• ROR. Release on recognizance, which needs only the defendant's signature on a promise to appear.
• ROR plus conditions. That pledge, along with rules like staying away from a witness.
• Unsecured bail. No payment today. The full sum becomes payable if a hearing is skipped.
• Nominal bail. A token amount, for example $1, backed by a person or agency that acts as surety.
• Monetary bail. Cash, a bond or property has to be posted first.

The county's Pretrial Services unit favors the least strict choice, including release without money. It can supervise people at home, with electronic home monitoring or an alcohol monitor. Someone released to its watch must report straight to the Pretrial Unit, 29 W Cherry Avenue, Suite 413, Washington, PA 15301, 888-619-9904. If the office is closed, they report by 9 a.m. the next business day. Skipping this can lead to a warrant.

The judge also tells most people to get fingerprints and photos taken at the Central Booking Center. This must happen within 48 hours, or by the next business day (Local Rule L-552).

There is no price list. The MDJ picks an amount for each case. Rule 528 calls for a reasonable figure that fits the person's finances (Pa.R.Crim.P. 528). The judge also weighs the charge, the person's record, their job and ties to the area, and any history of skipped hearings (Pa.R.Crim.P. 523).

Here is how the math works when money bail is set:

• Full cash: on $10,000 bail, the whole $10,000 goes in.
• Ten percent: a Pennsylvania resident may deposit $1,000 of that $10,000 with the judge or the Clerk of Courts (Local Rule L-4007).
• Bondsman: an agent signs for the full $10,000 in return for a fee you never get back.
• Property: real estate worth the full amount can be pledged.

Many lower-level cases end in ROR or unsecured bail, so no money changes hands. To learn the exact figure in a case, call the jail at 724-228-6845. Or find the case on the UJS case search; bail is listed there.

The warden or a staff member the warden picks may accept bail (Local Rule L-117). The jail's own answers page says families can pay at the facility after hours and should call first to set it up. The lobby is open 8:30 a.m. to 8:00 p.m., and you get in through the intercom at the entry. Follow these steps:

1. Call the Correctional Facility, 100 W. Cherry Ave., Washington, PA 15301, at 724-228-6845 and ask about bond arrangements.
2. Name the person and give a birth date. Next, ask how much bail is and what kind.
3. Ask if the 10 percent deposit is allowed in this case, and which payments the desk takes.
4. Have your photo ID and the full payment with you. Press the intercom at the entry to reach staff.
5. Read the bail bond before you sign. Keep the itemized receipt, since you need it for a refund (Pa.R.Crim.P. 535).

Daytime fingerprints and photos for released people happen at the Central Booking Center, 29 West Cherry Avenue, Suite 209, Washington, PA 15301, 724-229-5931.

Yes. Local Rule L-117 lets three kinds of offices take bail: any MDJ, the jail (through the warden or a designee) and the Clerk of Courts. The 10 percent deposit may go to the judge who set bail or to the Clerk (Local Rule L-4007).

• Clerk of Courts. 1 South Main Street, Suite 1005, Washington, PA 15301, 724-228-6787. Bail bonds are one of the services this office lists. Call ahead for window hours and the payments it takes.
• The district court that set bail. Each MDJ office keeps weekday hours and closes for lunch from noon to 1:00 p.m. The person's docket sheet names the court that has the case.

Before you drive over, ask the office three things. What is the amount? What forms of payment work? Does release happen right after payment?

Local Rule L-4007 lists the ways bail may be posted here:

• Cash for the full amount
• Cash equal to 10 percent, posted by the defendant or any Pennsylvania resident
• A bond from a surety company
• Real estate pledged by two owners whose property is worth enough
• Government bearer bonds
• A licensed bail bondsman

Whether a window takes a check or a card can change, so call before you go. The Clerk of Courts is at 724-228-6787. The jail desk is at 724-228-6845.

Think hard before signing as the depositor. If the defendant skips a hearing, the signer can be ordered to pay every dollar of it (Pa.R.Crim.P. 528). The clerk must explain this to you in writing first.

Commercial bail is legal in Pennsylvania. Each bondsman needs an Insurance Department license plus approval for each county where they post bonds (42 Pa.C.S. §§ 5742, 5743.1). The county's own rule says any bondsman here must be licensed under the Judicial Code, and one who pledges land must certify those holdings to the Clerk of Courts every year (Local Rule L-4007).

• State law sets no cap on the fee, since the old limit ended in 2015. Ask for the fee in writing.
• That fee is gone for good, win or lose.
• It is against the law for anyone to charge you just for finding a bondsman (42 Pa.C.S. § 5749).
• If the person misses court, the bondsman may have to pay the full bail. That cost drops if the person is brought back within six months (42 Pa.C.S. § 5747.1).

To ask whether a bondsman is cleared for local cases, call the Clerk of Courts at 724-228-6787.

Bail covers only one case. Before paying, ask the jail at 724-228-6845 whether anything else is on file. Common ones include:

• A second case. Each case needs its own bail.
• A warrant from elsewhere. Rule 150 sets a 72-hour hearing deadline when the person is jailed in the county that wrote the warrant. Elsewhere, the wait may run longer (Pa.R.Crim.P. 150).
• Probation or parole. An officer can file a detainer. The county's Adult Probation and Parole office sits at 29 W Cherry Avenue, Suite 413, Washington, PA 15301, 724-228-6860.
• Federal or immigration holds. A paid state bail leaves these in place; the federal and ICE answers below explain each.

Release also comes with rules. Breaking them, such as missing a Pretrial check-in, can bring a new warrant and the loss of the bail.

The state constitution guarantees bail to nearly every defendant (Pa. Const. art. I, § 14; 42 Pa.C.S. § 5701). Only two situations allow a judge to say no:

• The charge can carry death or life in prison.
• Release on any terms would leave the public at risk.

Either way, the District Attorney carries the burden at a hearing and must back the claim with evidence. The state Supreme Court said so in Commonwealth v. Talley (2021). A bare claim is not enough.

Requests to deny or raise bail come from the District Attorney's Office, 26 South Main Street, Washington, PA 15301, 724-228-6790.

A written motion from the defense starts the process (Pa.R.Crim.P. 529). Early on, that motion goes back to the district judge's office. Once the preliminary hearing is over, a Court of Common Pleas judge decides.

1. Have the public defender or a hired attorney file it.
2. Gather recent pay stubs, a lease or mortgage statement and names of nearby relatives, plus an honest monthly budget.
3. Propose safeguards such as Pretrial check-ins or a home monitor.

Time in jail also matters. Rule 600 sets a 180-day clock for jail time before trial. Time the defense added is left out. Once the clock runs out, the lawyer may seek nominal bail (Pa.R.Crim.P. 600). Motion filings go through the Clerk of Courts, 1 South Main Street, Suite 1005, Washington, PA 15301, 724-228-6787.

When paying for a lawyer is out of reach, the county Public Defender's Office is the place to apply. The office is at 95 West Beau Street, Suite 500, Washington, PA 15301, 724-228-6818. You can also write to public.defender@co.washington.pa.us. The office takes felonies, misdemeanors, some summary cases that could mean jail, juvenile cases and contempt cases such as protection order violations.

1. Fill out the public defender application. Paper copies are at the office, at every district court office and at the jail.
2. Attach proof of income and the court papers, such as the criminal complaint.
3. Turn it in no later than seven business days ahead of the hearing.

State law asks each applicant to sign a sworn statement that they cannot pay for a lawyer (Public Defender Act, Section 6(b)). Act 34 of 2023 added state money to these county offices for the first time.

Bigger cases finish at the county courthouse, while early hearings take place at ten district offices.

• Court of Common Pleas, 27th Judicial District. Clerk of Courts, 1 South Main Street, Suite 1005, Washington, PA 15301, 724-228-6787.
• 27-1-01: Caldwell Building, 26 South Main Street, Washington, PA 15301, 724-228-8836
• 27-1-02: 604B Park Avenue, Monongahela, PA 15063, 724-258-5106
• 27-1-03: 250 Chamber Plaza, Charleroi, PA 15022, 724-483-6373
• 27-2-01: 68 E Pike Street, Suite 205, Canonsburg, PA 15317, 724-745-5754
• 27-3-01: 453 Valleybrook Road, Suite 100, McMurray, PA 15317, 724-941-1015
• 27-3-03: 1 South Main Street, Suite 1004, Washington, PA 15301, inside the courthouse in Courtroom 8, 724-632-3143
• 27-3-05: 3000 Park Place Drive, Suite 106, Washington, PA 15301, 724-746-1227
• 27-3-06: 3441 Millers Run Road, Suite 103, Cecil, PA 15321, 724-746-8515
• 27-3-07: 2038 Smith Township State Road, Suite 3, Burgettstown, PA 15021, 724-947-5492
• 27-3-10: 200 Buffalo Center Lane, Suite C, Washington, PA 15301, 724-222-8122
• Federal court: U.S. Courthouse, 700 Grant Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15219, 412-208-7500

Show up to every hearing and the money returns to the depositor. Under state rules that happens within 20 days after the case fully ends (Pa.R.Crim.P. 535). Keep your receipt.

• On a 10 percent deposit, the county keeps a $50 service fee (Local Rule L-4007).
• If the person is found guilty, court costs, the fine and any restitution may also come out of it.
• Money the defendant posted personally can be applied to their fines and costs. Money a relative posts under the relative's name is safer from that.

Skipping a court date hurts. A bench warrant can follow, the full bail can be forfeited, and new charges are possible. The Clerk of Courts handles refund questions at 724-228-6787.

Belongings stay with the jail until the person leaves, and most people carry their own things out. The jail rarely hands property to visitors. It looks at each request on its own, mostly for keys or an emergency.

• The person in custody must agree, and you need to appear yourself with a photo ID.
• Pickup hours are Monday to Friday, 9:00 to 11:00 a.m. and 1:00 to 4:00 p.m., except holidays.
• The jail is at 100 W. Cherry Ave., Washington, PA 15301. Call 724-228-6845 before you go.

During that call, ask how the jail refunds a remaining commissary balance. Read our inmate account guide for how deposits and leftovers usually work.

Federal crimes charged in this county are tried by the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania. Cases are heard at 700 Grant Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15219, 412-208-7500. The clerk's office is open weekdays from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

1. Early in the case, the judge rules on home or custody until trial at a detention hearing (18 U.S.C. 3142). County bail rules do not apply.
2. Until the case ends, the person remains a U.S. Marshals Service prisoner. Call its office to ask where the person is held: 700 Grant Street, Room 2360, Pittsburgh, PA 15219, 412-644-3351.
3. The Federal Public Defender helps people who cannot pay: 1001 Liberty Avenue, Suite 1500, Pittsburgh, PA 15222, 412-644-6565.
4. After a prison sentence, use the Federal Bureau of Prisons inmate locator.

No. Bail money settles only the Pennsylvania charge; the ICE detainer stays. Here is how it usually unfolds:

1. Step one is a detainer. ICE agents send Form I-247A to the Correctional Facility.
2. Step two is the hold. It can last up to 48 hours after they would otherwise be released (8 CFR 287.7(d)).
3. The Third Circuit's 2014 Galarza v. Szalczyk opinion says ICE cannot force a county's hand; the form is only an ask. Keeping a person on that form by itself can open the jail to a damages suit. So each county jail makes its own call on detainers. The jail's number is 724-228-6845.
4. ICE's Philadelphia Field Office, 114 N. 8th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19107, 215-656-7164, covers Pennsylvania.
5. Look the person up on the ICE Online Detainee Locator. The A-number gives the quickest match; a name paired with the home country also works.

Where time is served turns on the maximum, the top end of the sentence (42 Pa.C.S. § 9762):

• Under 2 years: the county jail.
• 2 years up to 5 years: a state sentence by default. Local time needs jail sign-off, prosecutor consent and a judge's approval.
• 5 years or more: state prison.

Anyone headed to a state prison spends an intake period, often several weeks, at a DOC reception and classification center. The DOC assigns a home prison afterward. Find them with the Pennsylvania DOC inmate locator, or call the Department of Corrections, 1920 Technology Parkway, Mechanicsburg, PA 17050, 717-728-2573. Our Pennsylvania state prisons page has a listing for every institution.

Nearly every case against someone under 18 belongs in juvenile court, and youth are kept out of the adult jail (42 Pa.C.S. § 6301). Juvenile dockets are hidden from the UJS portal search.

• Juvenile Probation handles youth ages 10 to 17. It is at the Family Court Center, 29 W Cherry Avenue, Suite M41, Washington, PA 15301, 724-228-6794.
• Ask there about the youth's placement and the date set for the judge.
• Teens 15 and up charged with murder, or with a violent felony from the statute's weapon list, start out in Common Pleas criminal court. Their attorney may file for decertification, which returns the case to the juvenile side.

The Public Defender also takes juvenile cases, at 724-228-6818.

Cases split between a local tier and a county tier:

• Magisterial district courts decide summary cases, the minor end of the scale, such as a speeding ticket or a public disorder charge. They also fix bail and run the arraignment and preliminary hearing in bigger cases.
• The Court of Common Pleas of the 27th Judicial District serves this county alone. It hears every felony and misdemeanor case that gets past the preliminary hearing. It also hears summary appeals, which give the person a brand-new trial.

Each grade has a ceiling on punishment (18 Pa.C.S. §§ 1101, 1103-1105):

• Felony 1: 20 years and $25,000. Felony 2: 10 years and $25,000. Felony 3: 7 years and $15,000.
• Misdemeanor 1: 5 years and $10,000. Misdemeanor 2: 2 years and $5,000. Misdemeanor 3: 1 year and $2,500.
• Summary offense: 90 days and $300.

The courthouse stands at 1 South Main Street, Washington, PA 15301. Several court offices share it:

• Clerk of Courts, Suite 1005, 724-228-6787. This office keeps criminal records, takes bail bonds and files court papers. It says the public is welcome at any time, so plan on regular business hours.
• Court Administrator, Suite 2004, 724-228-6797. The treatment courts coordinator works from this office.
• Treatment courts for drug, DUI, mental health and veterans cases. People apply with the treatment court application and send it to the coordinator in Suite 2004. Questions go to 724-250-4018.
• Magisterial District Court 27-3-03 works inside the building in Courtroom 8, Suite 1004, 724-632-3143.

Each district court hears cases from its own list of towns. All ten close for lunch from noon to 1:00 p.m.

• 27-1-01: Caldwell Building, 26 South Main Street, Washington, PA 15301, across from the courthouse, 724-228-8836. Open 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Serves the City of Washington and East Washington Borough.
• 27-1-02: 604B Park Avenue, Monongahela, PA 15063, 724-258-5106. Open 8:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Serves Carroll Township, the City of Monongahela, Donora and New Eagle.
• 27-1-03: 250 Chamber Plaza, Charleroi, PA 15022, 724-483-6373. Open 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Serves Allenport, Bentleyville, Charleroi, Dunlevy, Elco, Long Branch, North Charleroi, Roscoe, Speers, Stockdale, Twilight and Fallowfield Township.
• 27-2-01: 68 E Pike Street, Suite 205, Canonsburg, PA 15317, 724-745-5754. Open 8:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Serves Canonsburg, Houston and North Strabane Township.
• 27-3-01: 453 Valleybrook Road, Suite 100, McMurray, PA 15317, 724-941-1015. Open 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Serves Finleyville and the townships of Nottingham, Peters and Union.
• 27-3-03: 1 South Main Street, Suite 1004, Washington, PA 15301, in Courtroom 8, 724-632-3143. Open 8:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Serves Beallsville, California, Centerville, Coal Center, Cokeburg, Deemston, Ellsworth and Marianna, plus East Bethlehem, North Bethlehem, Somerset, West Bethlehem, West Brownsville and West Pike Run townships.
• 27-3-05: 3000 Park Place Drive, Suite 106, Washington, PA 15301, 724-746-1227. Open 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Serves Chartiers, North Franklin and South Strabane townships.
• 27-3-06: 3441 Millers Run Road, Suite 103, Cecil, PA 15321, 724-746-8515. Open 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Serves Cecil, Mount Pleasant and Robinson townships and McDonald Borough.
• 27-3-07: 2038 Smith Township State Road, Suite 3, Burgettstown, PA 15021, 724-947-5492. Open 8:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Serves Burgettstown and Midway, plus Cross Creek, Hanover, Jefferson and Smith townships.
• 27-3-10: 200 Buffalo Center Lane, Suite C, Washington, PA 15301, 724-222-8122. Open 8:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Serves Claysville, Green Hills and West Middletown, plus Amwell, Blaine, Buffalo, Canton, Donegal, East Finley, Hopewell, Independence, Morris, South Franklin and West Finley townships.

There are no city or borough courts. Local ordinance tickets go to the district court for that town.

This short first appearance covers four things: the counts, the complaint paper itself, a lawyer and bail (Pa.R.Crim.P. 540). The judge also books a preliminary hearing, due inside 14 days for someone held at the jail and 21 days for someone released.

When the district offices are closed, a judge on call for the whole county handles new arrests (Local Rule L-117). Where the person is booked depends on the time:

• Central Booking Center: Family Court Center, 29 West Cherry Avenue, Suite 209, Washington, PA 15301, 724-229-5931. It handles daytime booking, plus the fingerprints and photos a judge orders after release.
• Interim Booking Center: a room inside the Correctional Facility that books adults from 4:30 p.m. to 7:00 a.m.
• Correctional Facility: 100 W. Cherry Ave., Washington, PA 15301, 724-228-6845. This is the jail for people who cannot make bail and for county sentences of up to two years.

Public defender forms are at every district court office, so the person can ask for a lawyer right away.

A shoplifting citation is often a summary case, decided by the district judge in one trial. The top penalty for a summary offense is 90 days and a $300 fine. Someone found guilty can appeal to the Court of Common Pleas within 30 days and get a new trial there.

A first DUI is usually a misdemeanor; the jail cap is six months (75 Pa.C.S. § 3803). The District Attorney often steers first offenders into ARD, a second-chance program. Here is how DUI cases tend to run in this county:

• Want ARD? Call the alcohol highway safety school within 20 days of the preliminary hearing. It books a CRN evaluation, a check of drinking habits (Local Rule L-178).
• The Booking Center schedules the DUI program. The CRN evaluation costs $100 and the safety school costs $300, or $375 for both. A missed class adds $30.
• Those fees can be paid at Adult Probation's collections office or the Booking Center by cash, credit card, debit card or money order made out to the county.
• The ARD fee itself is paid to the Clerk of Courts.

A 2025 court order sets up a DUI Central Court. DUI cases that also carry a non-DUI felony, or that have a victim, stay out of it. Ask the Court Administrator at 724-228-6797 how a case gets there.

A felony moves through these stages:

1. Preliminary arraignment. Bail is set, often within hours of the arrest.
2. Preliminary hearing. The district judge decides if the prosecutor has a prima facie case, which means evidence that a crime took place and points to this defendant. If not, the charges are dropped. The person may also waive this hearing.
3. Information. This is the prosecutor's charging paper for the courthouse; counts can be added or cut.
4. Formal arraignment. Held at the courthouse some weeks after that. A plea is entered on the written counts.
5. Pretrial conference. Many cases settle by agreement at this stage.
6. Trial. Twelve jurors must all agree, or the person can choose a trial by a judge alone. Jurors convict only if guilt is shown beyond a reasonable doubt.
7. Sentencing. The court's probation staff write a report first. The judge can order fines, probation, community service, jail or prison, and repayment to the victim.

A conviction can be challenged in the Superior Court, with a later request to the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania.

The most serious cases follow tighter rules:

• No bail at all. That outcome is limited to charges that carry life or death, plus cases where release on any terms would put others in danger. The DA has to make that case at a hearing (Commonwealth v. Talley).
• Murder. First degree: life or a death sentence. Second degree: life. Third degree: as long as 40 years (18 Pa.C.S. § 1102).
• Victims get a voice. In injury crimes and burglary, victims can weigh in on any proposed plea and address the judge when the sentence is imposed (Crime Victims Act, Section 201).
• Protection orders. Breaking one is handled as indirect criminal contempt, and the Public Defender takes these cases.
• State prison is likely. When the top term reaches five years, the DOC takes custody (42 Pa.C.S. § 9762).

The prosecutor is the District Attorney's Office, 26 South Main Street, Washington, PA 15301, 724-228-6790. The DA decides who is offered ARD and sets its own rules for it (Local Rule L-178). The county also has an Alternative Disposition Program, and the prosecutor must tell the victim when someone applies.

People who cannot pay a lawyer turn to the Public Defender's Office, 95 West Beau Street, Suite 500, Washington, PA 15301, 724-228-6818. Questions by email go to public.defender@co.washington.pa.us.

• It covers felonies, misdemeanors, juvenile petitions, mental health hearings and some summary cases that could mean jail.
• Apply with the county application form, proof of income and the complaint.
• The office wants it a full seven business days before the court date.

Since Act 34 of 2023, Pennsylvania helps fund county public defenders for the first time.

The Clerk of Courts points the public to the UJS Web Portal case search run by the state courts. It is free, with no login.

1. Pick the participant option, or type a docket number if you have one.
2. Enter the last and first names, then mark Washington as the county.
3. Click into the result. You'll see counts, bail, scheduled events and the courtroom.

A fresh case may lag a day or so before it appears. You won't see juvenile matters, sealed records or expunged files. If the case hasn't left the magisterial district judge, phone that office. Courthouse cases belong to the Clerk of Courts, 1 South Main Street, Suite 1005, Washington, PA 15301, 724-228-6787. Bring the birth date and the exact spelling of the name.

Bench warrants from the Court of Common Pleas are served by the Sheriff's Office, 95 W. Beau St., Suite 110, Washington, PA 15301, 724-228-6840. Police and constables serve other warrants. The Sheriff's Fugitive Warrant Unit, 724-229-5907, tells people to check the UJS docket search by name. Domestic relations warrants appear on the court's DRS warrant listing. Wider lists cover a few high-profile fugitives: the state parole absconders, the Marshals' federal 15 Most Wanted page and the State Police Ten Most Wanted list. To resolve one, hire or ask for a lawyer to reach out to the judge who signed it. Courthouse warrant questions also go to the Clerk of Courts at 1 South Main Street, Suite 1005, Washington, PA 15301, 724-228-6787.

A federal charge is heard by the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania in Pittsburgh. The courthouse is at 700 Grant Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15219, 412-208-7500, with clerk's office hours of 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on weekdays.

• Prosecutor: U.S. Attorney's Office, 700 Grant Street, Suite 4000, Pittsburgh, PA 15219, 412-644-3500.
• Defense: Federal Public Defender, 1001 Liberty Avenue, Suite 1500, Pittsburgh, PA 15222, 412-644-6565.
• Detention hearing: soon after the arrest, a magistrate judge chooses between custody and release pending trial (18 U.S.C. 3142). The judge reads a background study from U.S. Probation and Pretrial Services (700 Grant St, Suite 3330, Pittsburgh, PA 15219, 412-395-6907) before ruling.
• Custody: Federal pretrial detainees are in Marshals custody. To learn the housing site, call 700 Grant Street, Room 2360, Pittsburgh, PA 15219, 412-644-3351.
• After sentencing: Track them on the Federal Bureau of Prisons inmate locator.

Not directly. Hearings in Common Pleas go on as scheduled. The hold only matters once the person is due to leave the jail.

1. Immigration agents can lodge Form I-247A at the jail. It requests a hold of up to 48 hours after they would otherwise be released (8 CFR 287.7(d)).
2. Galarza v. Szalczyk was decided in 2014 by the Third Circuit, which hears Pennsylvania's federal appeals. Under that ruling, ICE detainers ask but do not compel, so a jail that holds a person on nothing else risks a lawsuit.
3. Because of that, every county jail adopts a detainer policy of its own. Call the Correctional Facility at 724-228-6845 to hear it.
4. After transfer to ICE, questions go to the Philadelphia Field Office, 114 N. 8th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19107, 215-656-7164.
5. Find the person with the ICE Online Detainee Locator.

A sentence here comes as a pair of numbers, like 1 to 3 years. Its top number sets the location. A top below two years is served locally on Cherry Avenue. Five years or more at the top means DOC custody. For a top from two to five, state prison is the default; keeping it local takes jail certification, DA consent and court approval (42 Pa.C.S. § 9762).

• Expect tests and interviews at a DOC reception and classification center for some weeks before a long-term prison is picked.
• Look up a name on the DOC inmate locator.
• DOC headquarters: 1920 Technology Parkway, Mechanicsburg, PA 17050, 717-728-2573.
• See our Pennsylvania state prison directory for visiting and mail at each one.

County probation is its own office: Adult Probation and Parole, Family Court Center, 29 W Cherry Avenue, Suite 413, Washington, PA 15301, 724-228-6860.

The Juvenile Act sends nearly all under-18 cases to juvenile court (42 Pa.C.S. § 6302). Their files are left out of UJS portal results.

• Juvenile Probation, Family Court Center, 29 W Cherry Avenue, Suite M41, Washington, PA 15301, 724-228-6794, handles youth ages 10 to 17. Ask that office where the youth is being detained and the hearing date.
• Teens stay out of the adult jail.
• Some cases start in adult court. This applies to youth 15 or older facing a murder count, or an armed violent felony from the statute's list. A transfer back, called decertification, can be requested by defense counsel.
• The Public Defender handles juvenile petitions at 724-228-6818.

Pennsylvania law gives victims real rights (Act 111 of 1998, Section 201). They can be told about key steps. They may give views on release. In injury cases, they can speak before a plea deal and at sentencing.

• The county's Crime Victim / Witness Assistance Program answers at 724-229-5922.
• PA SAVIN sends a free alert the moment the accused leaves custody or changes facilities, locally or in the state system. Call 866-972-7284 or TTY 866-847-1298.
• Out-of-pocket losses may be repaid by the Victims Compensation Assistance Program, including counseling, medical bills, missed wages and burial costs. Call 800-233-2339.

Relatives of a defendant must not contact the victim, even to deliver a note. That can break bail rules and add charges.