AVAILABLE 24/7
Philadelphia Detention Center
Northeast Philadelphia | PDP Medical Unit
The Detention Center (DC), at 8201 State Road, is the Philadelphia Department of Prisons' medical unit for people who need medical and behavioral health inpatient treatment.
This guide explains what the city says about the facility, where DC visitors check in, and how custody checks, mail, bail and release work.
Center City Bail Bonds is a private company. It is not affiliated with the City of Philadelphia or the PDP.
PDP Medical Unit99-Bed Health Services WingVisits via RCF Lobby
About Philadelphia Detention Center
The city says the Detention Center opened in 1963, replacing Moyamensing Prison as the PDP's intake center, and served as the male intake center until 1995.
Today the city describes DC as the PDP's medical unit, housing incarcerated people who require medical and behavioral health inpatient treatment. It includes four dormitories, three cellblocks and a 99-bed Prison Health Services Wing.
The city's description does not mean every person with a medical need, or every newly arrested person, is held here. The PDP decides housing; check the official locator for a person's current facility.
Official sources:PDP Facilities (official)(opens in a new tab)
DC Official Contact Information
Phone numbers below are published by the City of Philadelphia. Staff may limit what they share by phone, and voicemail callers are asked to leave a number for a return call.
Facility
Philadelphia Detention Center
- Address
- 8201 State Road, Philadelphia, PA 19136
- Facility Phone
- 215-685-8436
24/7 Custody Questions
Classification, Movement & Registration
- Main Line
- 215-685-8394
- Also
- 215-685-8395
- Spanish
- 215-685-8692
Weekdays 8 a.m.–5 p.m.
Community Justice & Outreach
- Phone
- 215-685-8909
- Alternate Phone
- 215-685-7288
Bail Questions
FJD Bail Acceptance
The courts' Bail Acceptance office operates 24 hours a day. It answers bail-posting questions; it is not part of the jail.
- Bail Acceptance
- 215-683-7727
Official sources:PDP Contact Directory(opens in a new tab)FJD Bail FAQ(opens in a new tab)
Location and Directions
Philadelphia Detention Center is at 8201 State Road, Philadelphia, PA 19136, on the State Road corridor in Northeast Philadelphia where all four PDP facilities are located. Confirm the entrance and visiting lobby before you travel.
Philadelphia Detention Center
8201 State Road
Philadelphia, PA 19136
DC is operated by the Philadelphia Department of Prisons. Center City Bail Bonds is a private company with no office at this facility.
Directions open in Google Maps even if the embedded map does not load.
Visitors do not check in at 8201 State Road. The city says visitors to DC go to the Riverside Correctional Facility visiting lobby at 8151 State Road.
How to Confirm Someone Is at DC
The city's official locator covers all four PDP facilities, so the same search tells you whether a person is at DC or another PDP facility.
- 1Have the person's full legal name and date of birth, or their police identification number (PID).
- 2Search the City of Philadelphia's official incarcerated person locator. It covers PDP facilities only.
- 3If no result appears, call Classification, Movement & Registration (24/7) at 215-685-8394. A recent arrest may still be in police processing.
- 4Search the Pennsylvania court portal for the docket, which names the court and bail entries but does not confirm custody.
Intake and Booking
DC was the PDP's male intake center until 1995. The city's current pages do not describe DC as an intake location, and they do not publish a facility-specific booking procedure.
For whether someone has been committed to the PDP, search the locator or call Registration (24/7) at 215-685-8394. Questions about a person's medical care go through PDP staff; this site never asks for medical information.
Official sources:PDP Facilities (official)(opens in a new tab)Common Pleas Criminal: Pretrial Services(opens in a new tab)
Visiting DC
The city allows one hour of visiting per week. Walk-ins are not permitted: visits are booked through the city's online scheduling platform between 48 hours and seven days ahead, first come, first served.
Schedule
DC Visiting Hours
Monday to Friday, 9–10 a.m., 1–2 p.m. and 3–4 p.m., with 6 visits per time slot. Check in at the Riverside Correctional Facility (RCF) visiting lobby, 8151 State Road, not at the Detention Center.
Eligibility
Who Can Visit
- Adults 18+ must be on the person's approved visitor list
- Children six months and older with a parent or guardian, with proof of custody or a birth certificate; not during school hours
- No more than one adult and one child at a time
- People on probation, parole or conditional release, or released from a PDP facility in the last six months, may not visit
Dress Code
What to Wear
Sleeved shirts and underwear are required. Hoods, plain white t-shirts, clothing resembling uniforms, open-toed or slip-on shoes, torn jeans and jewelry (including smart watches) are among the prohibited items. A visit is canceled if the dress code is not met.
On Arrival
Check-In & Screening
Arrive at least 10 minutes early with government identification and the person's name and ID number. Lockers need quarters (no change machine). Visitors are searched in a private room and pass through a metal detector.
Saturday visits are reserved for designated facility populations, and holiday visits are allowed only on Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day. Schedules can change; confirm on the city's visiting page before traveling.
Phone, Video and Messaging
The city identifies GettingOut for phone calls, video visits, messaging and tablet entertainment. Deposits for these services are separate from commissary and are not bail.
GettingOut
Calls, Video & Messages
Account setup, rates and eligibility follow the city's current instructions on its funds page.
Safety
Report a Safety Concern
If someone speaks about self-harm or suicide during a call or visit, the city asks you to report it to the PDP at 215-685-8443 or 215-685-8442.
Language
Interpretation
Interpretation and translation services are available at all PDP facilities through the city's language access request.
Mail, Commissary and Clothing
Personal Mail
Off-Site Mail Processing
Letters, cards and photos go to Philadelphia IPCS, P.O. Box 247, Phoenix, MD 21131, with the person's name and PPN. Personal mail is scanned for tablet delivery; personal mail sent to the facility is returned.
Sent to the Facility
Legal Mail, Money Orders & Books
Legal mail (marked "Legal Mail"), money orders, certified checks and publications from third-party sellers go directly to the facility: the person's name and PPN, then "DC, 8201 State Road, Philadelphia, PA 19136". No packages, hardback books, cash or personal checks.
Commissary
Access Corrections
The city identifies Access Corrections for electronic commissary deposits. Commissary money is not bail and does not affect release.
Clothing
Clothing Exchanges
Clothing exchanges need the unit manager's approval, and at the Detention Center must be made before 1:30 p.m. Approved prescription eyeglasses, dentures or a prosthesis may be brought; shoes and sneakers are not accepted.
Bail, Court and Release Process
Bail is set by the court, not the jail. In Philadelphia, a Municipal Court bail commissioner sets bail at the preliminary arraignment, which the courts say is usually held within about 24 hours of arrest.
The FJD says cash bail can be posted 24 hours a day, including holidays, at the basement-level Payment Center of the Justice Juanita Kidd Stout Center for Criminal Justice, 1301 Filbert Street (Bail Acceptance: 215-683-7726 / 7727). Eligible Municipal Court bail can also be paid online through PAePay Bail.
Court
Who Sets Bail
A bail commissioner at preliminary arraignment; later bail matters may go before a Court of Common Pleas judge. The order controls the type, amount and conditions.
Release
Release From DC
Release processing follows the court's order and any holds. Ask Registration (24/7) at 215-685-8394 about the person's status; the FJD's Bail Acceptance office (215-683-7727) answers bail-posting questions.
Private Surety
Commercial Bail Bonds
A surety bond is a private agreement with a bail bond company, not a city payment. Get every fee and obligation in writing before you sign.
Payment does not guarantee release: warrants, detainers and holds from other jurisdictions can delay or prevent it, and no release time is guaranteed. No commercial rate, financing or calculator is shown while Center City's Philadelphia terms remain under review.
What Visitors and Families Should Know
- Search the official locator before traveling; people can be moved between PDP facilities.
- Write down the person's PPN (city ID number). It is needed for mail, money orders and visits.
- Commissary and phone deposits are not bail and do not speed up release.
- Visitors may bring an outfit for a court appearance; follow the city's clothing page.
- Medical records requests use the city's medical records release form, not a phone call or this website.
- Clothing exchanges at DC must be made before 1:30 p.m.
- Center City Bail Bonds is a private company. It is not part of the City of Philadelphia or the PDP.
Official Sources
Facts on this page come from these official pages, read on 2026-10-19. Policies change; the official page controls.
Official sources:PDP Facilities(opens in a new tab)PDP Contact Directory(opens in a new tab)Locate an Incarcerated Person(opens in a new tab)Visit an Incarcerated Person(opens in a new tab)Mail Procedures(opens in a new tab)Send Funds(opens in a new tab)Send Clothes(opens in a new tab)FJD Frequently Asked Questions (Bail)(opens in a new tab)Municipal Court Criminal Division(opens in a new tab)
DC FAQs
Answers about custody, visits, mail and bail for Philadelphia Detention Center.
At 8201 State Road, Philadelphia, PA 19136. The facility phone is 215-685-8436.
The city describes it as the PDP's medical unit, housing people who require medical and behavioral health inpatient treatment, with a 99-bed Prison Health Services Wing.
The city says DC visitors go to the Riverside Correctional Facility visiting lobby at 8151 State Road. Book the visit in advance through the city's platform.
Not necessarily. DC was the male intake center until 1995. A recent arrest may still be in police processing, and the PDP decides housing after commitment.
Search the city's official locator with a full name and date of birth, or a police identification number (PID). It covers all four PDP facilities. If nothing appears, call Registration (24/7) at 215-685-8394.
Book through the city's online scheduling platform between 48 hours and seven days ahead; walk-ins are not permitted. Adults must be on the person's approved visitor list, and each person may have one hour of visiting per week.
Personal mail goes to Philadelphia IPCS, P.O. Box 247, Phoenix, MD 21131, with the person's name and PPN. Legal mail, money orders and publications go directly to DC, 8201 State Road, Philadelphia, PA 19136.
The FJD lists in-person bail at the basement-level Payment Center of the Stout Center for Criminal Justice, 1301 Filbert Street, 24 hours a day, plus PAePay Bail online for eligible Municipal Court cases. Confirm with Bail Acceptance at 215-683-7727 before traveling.
No. Commissary deposits through Access Corrections and phone or video deposits through GettingOut pay for services inside the facility. They do not count toward bail or affect release.
No. Center City Bail Bonds is a private company at 1238 South Street. It is not affiliated with the City of Philadelphia, the PDP or the courts.
Questions about a person's care go through PDP staff. Medical records requests use the city's release form. Do not send medical information through this website.
Visit Our Philadelphia Office
Center City Bail Bonds
1238 South Street
Philadelphia, PA 19147
24/7 bail assistance