Find FDC Philadelphia Inmates

FDC Philadelphia Overview

Federal Detention Center Philadelphia is operated by the Federal Bureau of Prisons. It is an administrative-security federal detention center at 700 Arch Street in Philadelphia. It is not in Delaware County, but it serves the federal court district that includes Delaware County. The U.S. Marshals Service Eastern District of Pennsylvania covers Berks, Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Lancaster, Lehigh, Montgomery, Northampton, and Philadelphia Counties, so a Delaware County federal defendant may move through federal custody rather than George W. Hill.

The facility is different from both local and state custody. George W. Hill handles Delaware County jail detainees, short county sentences, warrants, and local release processing. SCI Chester is a Pennsylvania DOC prison for state-sentenced men. FDC Philadelphia is for federal detention and BOP custody. If a case started with a federal warrant, federal indictment, or U.S. Marshals hold, the county VINELink path may not tell the full story.

FDC Philadelphia Population

The BOP facility page publishes current population rather than a fixed rated-capacity field in the research captured for this build. The facility map notes that an official BOP search result inspected during research showed 918 total inmates at the time indexed. Treat that number as a BOP-published point-in-time figure, not a stable capacity. Federal detention populations can move as defendants are sentenced, transported, released, or assigned to long-term federal institutions.

Do not compare this federal count with Delaware County's jail average daily population or SCI Chester facility facts. Those are separate systems with separate record owners. The BOP locator is the public lookup tool for federal inmates from 1982 to present, while the Marshals Service may be involved with pretrial federal custody and transport.

FDC Philadelphia Inmate Search

Use the BOP Inmate Locator for FDC Philadelphia federal custody. BOP says the locator covers federal inmates from 1982 to present and warns that release dates may change due to sentence review and First Step Act credit recalculation. The full locator supports number searches by BOP Register Number, DCDC Number, FBI Number, or INS Number. The name-search interface includes first, middle, and last name, plus optional race, sex, and age fields.

1. Open the BOP Inmate Locator.
2. Search by BOP Register Number, DCDC Number, FBI Number, or INS Number if available.
3. Use last name for a name search, then narrow with first name, middle name, age, race, or sex.
4. Check the result for current facility, release status, and identifying details.
5. If the person is an immigration detainee instead of a BOP inmate, use ICE ODLS.

BOP Locator Source

The Federal Bureau of Prisons inmate locator is the public source for a federal inmate search when FDC Philadelphia or another BOP facility may hold the person.

The screenshot shows why federal cases need a BOP search path instead of a Delaware County jail roster or Pennsylvania DOC search.

Federal ICE Custody Differences

Federal criminal custody and immigration custody are separate. A federal defendant from a Delaware County case may be in BOP custody or held under U.S. Marshals arrangements. An immigration detainee should be searched through the ICE Online Detainee Locator System. USAGov explains that ICE ODLS can be searched by name, country of birth, and birth date, or by the 8- or 9-digit A-number with country of birth. It locates adults in ICE custody or people in CBP custody for more than 48 hours.

FDC Philadelphia Visits

FDC Philadelphia visits follow BOP facility rules and federal security screening, not Delaware County's GTL county-jail visit schedule. Before planning a visit, confirm that the person is still at FDC Philadelphia through the BOP locator or facility contact. Federal detention movement can be quick because pretrial hearings, sentencing, medical movement, designation, and transport may change the current facility.

Families should also remember that federal mugshots are not published through BOP or USMS public locators. The public locator is a custody and status tool, not a booking-photo gallery.

FDC Philadelphia Mail Money

Mail, phone, commissary, and deposit rules at FDC Philadelphia come from BOP policy and the facility's official page. Do not send funds through George W. Hill's OffenderConnect site or Pennsylvania DOC money systems for a federal inmate. The federal record owner is BOP, and federal inmate accounts use BOP-approved processes. Before sending mail or money, confirm the person's register number and current facility because federal detainees may move after hearings, sentencing, medical trips, or designation.

FDC Philadelphia Records Access

Federal custody records are not obtained through Delaware County Right-to-Know requests. County open records can help with county-owned records, and UJS Case Search can help with Pennsylvania state court dockets, but federal criminal matters usually involve federal court records, BOP custody records, and U.S. Marshals custody context. If a person has both local and federal issues, search each system separately. A county hold or detainer can affect release from George W. Hill, but a federal custody profile still belongs to the federal system.

Release dates in BOP records are also subject to change. BOP specifically warns that dates may shift because of sentence recalculation and credits. Treat the locator as the public starting point, then verify urgent release, transport, and visit questions with the facility or the responsible federal office.

FDC Philadelphia Intake

Federal intake differs from local booking. A person arrested by or for federal authorities may be processed through U.S. Marshals custody, appear in federal court, and be housed at a federal detention center while the case is pending. If the person is sentenced, BOP may designate another long-term facility. If immigration custody is involved, ICE ODLS may become the relevant search tool. A Delaware County arrest can also remain purely local, in which case Delaware County jail inmate records are the better starting point.

The key is to follow the charge and court system. State charges after a Delaware County arrest move through county and Pennsylvania court channels. Federal charges move through the federal district. Immigration detention follows DHS and ICE tools. The same person may have records in more than one system, but no single jail roster combines them all.