SCI Chester

State Prison

Last Updated: February 12, 2024
Address
500 E 4th St, Chester, PA 19013-4551
Beds
1236
County
Chester
Phone
610-490-5412
Email
ra-crpadocsecretary@pa.gov
Mailing Address
PO Box 33028, St Petersburg, FL 33733

SCI Chester is for State Prison offenders sentenced anywhere from one year to life by the State Court in the county where the charges were filed

All prisons and jails have Security or Custody levels depending on the inmate’s classification, sentence, and criminal history. Please review the rules and regulations for State - medium facility.

The phone carrier is Securus Tech®, to see their rates and best-calling plans for your inmate to call you.

If you are seeking to send your inmate money for commissary, one recommended for this facility is JPAY - Pennsylvania SCI. There is a fee for sending money, see their rates and limitations.

If you are unsure of your inmate's location, you can search and locate your inmate by typing in their last name, first name or first initial, and/or the offender ID number to get their accurate information immediately Registered Offenders

Satellite View of SCI Chester

You can support your loved ones at SCI Chester on InmateAid, if you have any immediate questions contact the facility directly at 610-490-5412.

Located at 500 E 4th St in Chester, PA, SCI Chester carefully assigns inmates based on their custody level, considering factors like criminal history. SCI Chester offers diverse educational and vocational programs aimed at equipping offenders for successful reintegration into society and reducing recidivism. Through these initiatives, inmates gain skills and confidence, fostering personal growth and resilience.

SCI Chester, a medium-security prison constructed with a focus on inmates with a substance abuse history, boasts innovative design and programming aimed at providing comprehensive substance abuse treatment both within the institution and in community corrections centers. Its mission is to deliver quality treatment to over 1,000 offenders annually through the Therapeutic Community (TC) model, leveraging a consortium approach involving public and private agencies to ensure treatment while prioritizing public safety.

As the 24th state correctional institution in Pennsylvania, SCI Chester stands out for its unique architectural structure and programmatic design, featuring housing units known as pods, a pioneering move in correctional facility design during the 1980s. It also holds the distinction of being the first tobacco-free facility in the Commonwealth.

Covering 9 acres within the perimeter and 4.77 acres outside, with 9 buildings inside and 1 outside the perimeter, SCI Chester encompasses 14 housing units consisting of cells. The facility operates with a staff complement of 399 individuals overseeing its programs and operations, as detailed in the current population report.

Academic programs include basic education classes, literacy skills, G.E.D. preparation, and English as a Second Language (E.S.L.), along with vocational training in barbering, carpentry, and HVAC. Counseling services cover various areas such as alternative to violence and sex offender programming.

SCI Chester's substance abuse treatment program, a collaborative effort between the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections and Community Education Centers, Inc. (CEC), targets inmates with a substance abuse history, providing rehabilitative services. Operated by CEC, the program offers multiple levels of care, including Therapeutic Communities (TCs), with five sites catering to different needs, including opioid addiction and Spanish-speaking offenders.

Additionally, ancillary services offered by CEC cater to special needs offenders, with programs focusing on violence prevention and intervention for domestic violence-related offenders. Among the unique inmate programs at SCI Chester is WAGS, a rescue-based dog training program, highlighting the facility's commitment to innovative rehabilitation methods.

Inmate Locator

SCI Chester maintains a database of current inmates and their locations within the system. To locate an inmate, begin by using the DOC locator tool, which requires entering the first three letters of the inmate's first and last name, allowing for variations in spelling.

If unable to locate the desired information through free resources, users may opt to use the Arrest Record Search, which requires payment. While this option incurs a small fee, it provides access to the most up-to-date data available.

Get an Arrest Record immediately.

Visitation Information

In-person visitation is available at all DOC facilities. Some visiting rules have changed, so please be sure to read this entire page and check out the updated Visiting Rules page, as well as the Visitor Guide before scheduling an in-person visit with an incarcerated loved one. This page also contains instructions on how to schedule a no-cost video visit.​

In-Person Visitation

All in-person visits must be scheduled online at least three days in advance.

  • Schedule a visit.
  • You will see available timeslots, based on your loved one’s specific housing assignment, when you log in.
  • Each inmate is permitted four in-person visits per month, one of which may be on a weekend; in-person visits are guaranteed to be at least one hour long.
  • Four visitors are permitted with one inmate at a time. (Exception: At Quehanna Boot Camp, two visitors are permitted at a time.)
  • All visitors must clear all security procedures and comply with all visiting room rules.
  • Notice on Cancellations: Visits may be canceled for several reasons. You will be notified by email if a cancellation occurs. Please check the email associated with your account the morning of your scheduled visit.
  • At the time of arrival and departure, the visitor may exchange a brief hug and kiss with their incarcerated loved one. There shall be no excessive displays of affection.

Video Visitation

Video visitation is a free service offered to inmates and authorized visitors. All inmates are eligible to participate. Rules for video visits are generally the same as those for in-person visits at a facility. All non-legal video visits are monitored and recorded. Please review our detailed Visitor Guide prior to your visit.

If you are an attorney, legislator or other professional visitor:

Ask The Inmate

Ask a former inmate questions at no charge. The inmate answering has spent considerable time in the federal prison system, state and county jails, and in a prison that was run by the private prison entity CCA. Ask your question or browse previous questions in response to comments or further questions of members of the InmateAid community.