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Delaware County, Pennsylvania | Jails & State Prisons
Delaware County is home to George W. Hill Correctional Facility, the county jail in Thornton, and SCI Chester, a Pennsylvania state correctional institution in Chester. This is our directory of those two featured institutions.
These facilities have different responsibilities, custody systems, visitation requirements and release procedures. This guide helps families identify the correct facility, find official custody information, understand how bail differs from parole, and access jail, prison and court resources.
Center City Bail Bonds provides private assistance for eligible bail matters. It is not affiliated with the correctional facilities or government agencies listed here.
Delaware County Jail InformationPennsylvania State Prison ResourcesOfficial Custody, Bail and Visitation Guidance
Call Center City Bail Bonds (private bail assistance, not a jail phone): (215) 870-8197
Our directory of the two featured county and state correctional institutions in Delaware County. Center City Bail Bonds is a private company and does not operate either facility.
County Correctional Facility
George W. Hill
Thornton, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania State Prison
SCI Chester
Chester, Pennsylvania
County Bail Information
Court-Authorized Bail
Judicial authorization and applicable county facility procedures.
State Inmate Locator
PA Department of Corrections
State-sentenced people and parolees.
Official sources:Delaware County Prison(opens in a new tab)SCI Chester (PA DOC)(opens in a new tab)
Two featured facilities with different agencies, custody systems and release procedures. Not every person arrested in Delaware County is taken to either one.
Delaware County Correctional Facility
Pennsylvania State Correctional Institution
George W. Hill is operated by Delaware County in Thornton. It handles county correctional custody under applicable legal authority, including pretrial detention and certain sentenced custody.
The county publishes procedures for eligible bail payments at the facility. After-hours payments may be accepted from 8:00 PM to 8:00 AM under the county's requirements, provided there are no outstanding issues. The county asks visitors to contact the Records Department in advance and follow its payment and identification requirements.
The county lists typical release periods of 1:00 PM and 9:00 PM. These are typical processing periods, not guaranteed discharge times.
Official County Contact
610-361-3200, extension 316 for release questions and Records coordination. Confirm current staff listings with the county.
SCI Chester is a medium-security institution operated by the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections at 500 East 4th Street, Chester, PA 19013. Main phone: 610-490-5412.
A person serving an existing state prison sentence generally cannot obtain release from that sentence by purchasing a bail bond.
Parole and state-prison release follow different legal procedures. A person may have a separate pending case with monetary bail, but resolving bail in that case does not end an existing sentence or override another hold.
Pennsylvania DOC
George W. Hill and SCI Chester are separate institutions run by different agencies. Neither is an annex of the other.
County Correctional Facility
Pennsylvania State Prison
Pretrial detention holds someone while a case is pending. A sentence is imposed after a case is resolved. Bail relates to the first, not the second.
Courts set bail and release conditions. Correctional facilities hold people and process releases; they do not make bail decisions.
Bail is a court condition in a pending case. Parole is a conditional release from a sentence decided by the Pennsylvania Parole Board.
George W. Hill custody questions go to the county facility. The DOC locator covers the state system and does not include county jail inmates.
Each facility uses its own visitation system, rules and schedules. One facility's hours never apply to the other.
Court bail is paid under a court order. Commissary or inmate account deposits are not bail and do not affect release.
Start with where the person is likely held. Our site has no inmate search and does not access private custody databases.
County Custody
Call the county facility at 610-361-3200. The Records Department can provide guidance subject to access rules.
State Custody
Use the Pennsylvania DOC inmate locator. The DOC says it covers state-sentenced individuals and parolees and does not include people held in county correctional facilities.
Court Records
Pennsylvania UJS Case Search shows court dockets. A docket search is not a real-time jail custody search.
UJS Case Search (official site, opens in a new tab)Never share a Social Security number through our form. We only collect what is needed to discuss eligible bail.
These are two separate legal pathways. Not every arrest leads to SCI Chester, not everyone at George W. Hill is awaiting trial, and not everyone held by the DOC can post bail.
Pending Criminal Case
After Sentencing
A Pennsylvania authorized bail authority sets release conditions in applicable criminal proceedings.
County custody: court-authorized bail may be relevant to someone in pretrial county custody. The judicial order and any other outstanding legal issues decide whether release conditions can be met.
State prison custody: posting bail on a separate pending case does not end an existing state prison sentence. State release and parole are separate matters.
Private Bail Company
Center City Bail Bonds provides lawful private bail bond assistance where applicable. It does not:
This section covers qualifying court bail only, not release from a state prison sentence. SCI Chester is not a bail posting location.
8:00 PM to 8:00 AM
The county publishes eligible after-hours procedures. Call the Records Department at 610-361-3200 before traveling. Outstanding holds may prevent release.
View George W. Hill Bail ProceduresQualifying Cases Online
Pennsylvania's courts offer online payment of eligible bail in qualifying cases. Payment depends on the judicial order.
PAePay Bail (official site, opens in a new tab)County Bail Payments and Refunds
For county bail payment and refund questions: 610-891-5693. District court procedures may differ.
The Pre-Trial/Bail Service Unit is not a bail-payment office. Commissary deposits and state prison account deposits are not bail payments. Center City can discuss lawful private bonding where appropriate.
Eligible Court Bail Matters
Bail is set case by case. When money bail is set, the order states the amount and whether a percentage deposit is allowed.
This calculator is not an SCI Chester prison-release calculator. Results illustrate a possible court-authorized deposit where applicable. They are not guaranteed bail bond premiums and do not satisfy an existing prison sentence.
Full Monetary Bail
$10,000.00
Example 10% Court Deposit
$1,000.00
Illustration Only. Requires Court Authorization.
This calculator provides an example only. The court determines bail and whether a percentage deposit is allowed. It does not estimate bail bond company fees, guarantee release, or represent a payment quote. Contact Center City Bail Bonds to discuss your situation.
Get Bail Help NowThe bail authority sets the type and amount of bail in each case. No charge carries a fixed amount.
Some orders allow a percentage deposit. The examples above illustrate a possible 10% deposit where applicable.
A bail bond is a private agreement with its own terms. The calculator does not show a guaranteed premium.
Non-monetary conditions, such as appearing in court, apply alongside any monetary bail.
Another case, warrant or agency hold can keep someone in custody after bail is satisfied.
Bail on a separate case does not end an existing state prison sentence or affect parole.
George W. Hill
Release is not guaranteed immediately after payment.
SCI Chester
Parole eligibility does not guarantee release. County jail release times do not apply here.
Pennsylvania Parole Board (official site, opens in a new tab)Holds and detainers: release in one matter may be affected by another lawful custody requirement. Center City Bail Bonds cannot override these requirements.
Each facility uses its own system and schedule. Center City cannot schedule jail or prison visits.
County-Operated System
PA DOC Visitation System
Procedures differ by facility. Use each facility guide for current addresses; there is no single mailing address for both.
County Mail and Deposits
The county uses an off-site personal mail processing system. Follow the county's current instructions. County facility deposits are separate from state DOC accounts.
County Mail Instructions (official site, opens in a new tab)PA DOC Mail and Accounts
The DOC publishes separate state prison mail rules and inmate account deposit options.
Mailing funds or adding money to commissary or inmate accounts does not satisfy bail and does not guarantee release. Never send money through our form.
Delaware County's 26 Magisterial District Courts may handle preliminary arraignments, preliminary hearings and related proceedings. The Court of Common Pleas sits at the main Delaware County Courthouse in Media.
George W. Hill and SCI Chester are not courts. Court orders and correctional custody are separate responsibilities.
For pending cases with court-set bail. These guides do not apply to release from an existing prison sentence.
Delaware County Correctional Facility
Pennsylvania State Correctional Institution
Use the person's full legal name as it appears on official records.
A date of birth, county identification number or DOC inmate number, where available.
Whether the person may be at George W. Hill, SCI Chester or held by another agency.
Docket number, court name or charge information if a criminal case is pending.
Custody, visitation, mail, bail or release. Each may go to a different office.
The correct official phone or website and any identification the office requires.
Do not send identification documents, medical information, account logins or Social Security numbers through our form. Family members do not automatically have access to all private correctional information.
Answers about both facilities, custody searches, bail, parole, visits and mail.
This directory covers two featured institutions: George W. Hill Correctional Facility, Delaware County's county jail in Thornton, and SCI Chester, a Pennsylvania state prison in Chester. It does not list every police holding area or temporary custody location in the county.
George W. Hill is at 500 Cheyney Road, Thornton, PA 19373. Its main phone is 610-361-3200. It is operated by Delaware County.
SCI Chester is at 500 East 4th Street, Chester, PA 19013. Its main phone is 610-490-5412. It is operated by the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections.
George W. Hill is a county jail run by Delaware County that holds people awaiting trial and certain sentenced people, and it processes releases when court-ordered conditions are met. SCI Chester is a state prison run by the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections that holds people serving state sentences, where release usually involves sentence administration or parole.
Call the facility at 610-361-3200. Its Records Department can give guidance subject to access rules. Have the person's full name and date of birth ready. Our site does not run a county inmate search.
Open the DOC's official locate-an-inmate-or-parolee service on pa.gov and search by last name or DOC inmate number; a first name helps narrow common surnames. The DOC says its information is updated daily. Confirm important details with the DOC.
No. The DOC locator covers state-sentenced individuals and parolees. People held at county facilities such as George W. Hill are generally not included; contact the county facility instead.
An authorized bail authority, such as a magisterial district judge or a Court of Common Pleas judge, sets release conditions in the criminal case. The jail carries out the court's order; it does not set bail.
The county publishes procedures for eligible bail payments at the facility. Whether a payment can be accepted depends on the court order and any outstanding issues. Call the Records Department before traveling and see our George W. Hill guide for details.
The county publishes an after-hours period of 8:00 PM to 8:00 AM for eligible bail payments, when there are no outstanding issues. Contact the Records Department at 610-361-3200, extension 316, in advance and follow the county's payment and identification requirements.
In qualifying cases, Pennsylvania's courts offer PAePay Bail for eligible online bail payments. Availability depends on the case. A payment confirmation is not proof of release.
Generally no. A bail bond relates to a pending criminal case. It does not end an existing state prison sentence. If the person has a separate pending case with monetary bail, bail may matter for that case only, and the sentence and any other holds still apply.
Bail is a court-set condition of release while a case is pending. Parole is a conditional release from a sentence decided by the Pennsylvania Parole Board. Parole eligibility does not guarantee release, and parole cannot be bought.
For George W. Hill, follow Delaware County's visitation instructions, which cover in-person and video visits, approved visitors and advance scheduling. For SCI Chester, use the Pennsylvania DOC Inmate Visitation System. The two facilities have separate rules and schedules. Center City cannot schedule visits.
Yes, but each facility has its own process. George W. Hill uses the county's off-site personal mail processing instructions; SCI Chester follows DOC mail rules and DOC account deposit providers. See each facility guide for current addresses. Money sent to an account is not bail and does not affect release.
If a court has set monetary bail in a pending Delaware County case, Center City Bail Bonds, a private company, can discuss available professional bail bond options, 24/7. It does not set bail, operate either facility, grant parole, end sentences or override detainers.
Center City Bail Bonds
1238 South Street
Philadelphia, PA 19147
24/7 bail assistance
