Address:
501 South Wawaset Road
West Chester, PA 19382-6776
Phone:
610-793-1510
You can submit electronic bail payments on Magisterial District Court and Common Pleas Court cases for inmates in Chester County Prison. This website has been approved by the Unified Judicial System of Pennsylvania
Please call the jail at 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.
The purpose of the bond is to assure the offender's appearance in court.
Instructions on how to post Bail or Bond in Chester County
Because Chester County and Pennsylvania can change their bail bond procedures, it is always best to call either the Chester County Prison at 610-793-1510, or the court in the jurisdiction (i.e. Municipal Court, District Court, etc.) where the offender was charged, right after an arrestee has been booked.
Ask the staff at the Chester County Prison or the Chester County Court Clerk these specific questions:
If you feel the bail is too high and you wish to get it reduced, contact a lawyer or the defendant's public defender and get them to look into what they can do to get a bail reduction. The sooner you get working on this the quicker you will get your loved one released.
This entire process will go smoother and faster with a criminal attorney or bail agent handling it for you.
Option 1 - How to Post Bail using Cash for a Defendant at Chester County Prison
The first option, a cash bond, is to pay the full bail amount in cash, cashier's check, or money order. Personal Checks are not accepted.
Depending on the crime, this amount could be anywhere from $100 to $75,000 or more.
To pay a cash bond, go to Chester County Prison or to the court where the bail hearing occurred. Going directly to the jail will quicken the release of the defendant as any bail paperwork processed at the court will have to be transferred to the jail.
Cashier's Checks and Money Orders may be made out to Chester County Prison where the defendant is being held, but usually to the Chester County Sheriff's Office or to the Chester County Court.
To purchase money orders visit any Western Union, Moneygram or Post Office.
Option 2 - How to Post a Private or Surety Bond for a Defendant at Chester County Prison
In the event that someone does not have the full bond amount available to him or her, there is what is called a private bond or surety bond.
This is an agreement made with a bail agent or bondsman who will post the full bail amount. In return, the defendant and/or cosigner will pay a premium to the bail agent. This premium will be 10-15% of the full bail amount.
For example, if bail is posted at $5,000, then the premium will cost approximately $500-$750.
A bail agent will often require some form of collateral, for example, a lien on a house, a car or jewelry. This is to ensure that if the defendant skips bail, or does not appear in court, the bail agent has some sort of compensation for the full bail amount being paid.
Remember, by making an agreement with a bail agent the signatory takes responsibility for paying the full bail amount if the defendant does not appear in court.
Option 3 - How to Post a Property Bond for a Defendant at Chester County Prison
If you are a landowner in Chester County you may be able to post a property bond. Property within Chester County may be used as collateral to bail someone out. All owners of the property must be present to sign the bond in order for this to happen.
To find if property located outside of Chester County can be used as collateral, call a local bail or bond agent or contact a defense lawyer.
Click here for additional information on how to post bail at Chester County Prison.
Who can post Bail or Bond for a Defendant at Chester County Prison?
Anyone over the age of 18 who can produce a valid government-issued photo ID can post bail. Accepted forms of ID include a Photo Driver's License, Passport, or Motor Vehicle issued ID.
In many circumstances, if the defendant has the resources, they can post their own cash bail from jail.
Surety Bonds are arranged by a third party, typically a Pennsylvania state licensed Bail Bond firm.
Juveniles may only be bailed or bonded out of custody by a parent or legal guardian.
When will the Cash Bail or Collateral be returned to me?
Money or collateral will not be returned until the defendant's court case is finished, so realistically it could take several months to years, depending on the severity of the charges. If a defendant posts his or her own bail, Chester County Court may retain whatever amount of fines or fees have accumulated throughout the trial.
What happens to my Bail or Collateral if the Defendant misses Court?
The Chester County Judge may order a failure to appear warrant for the person's arrest or the Judge may order a Bail Commissioner's Letter be issued that will be sent to the person with a new court date.
If cash bail was paid, the entire amount may be forfeited.
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.
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.
