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SCI Chester

SCI Chester

​Facility Address:

500 E. 4th Street
Chester, PA 19013
(610) 490-5412
​Inmate Letters Address:

Smart Communications/PADOC
Inmate Name/Inmate Number
Institution
PO Box 33028
St Petersburg, FL 33733
​Legal Mail Address:

500 E. 4th Street
Chester, PA 19013
(610) 490-5412

Superintendent: Gina Clark

Deputy Superintendent for Centralized Services: Keith Miller

Deputy Superintendent for Facilities Management:  Scott Bowman

Assistant Business Manager: Gary Sharper

Superintendent Assistant:  Allison Murphy​

Vendor Card Note: Because of ongoing issues with the vending cards, we ask you to please place your card into an envelope addressed to the business office with your name, phone number and inmate's name/number. If the card is physically damaged, a refund will not be issued. If the data strip is not reading, the vending company will determine the amount and cause of the issue.

SCI Chester, constructed as a 1,175 bed medium-security prison for inmates with a documented substance abuse history was constructed for nearly $74 million with an annual operating budget of $36 million.  SCI Chester is an innovative facility which was designed to provide a continuum of substance abuse treatment services in the institution and continuing in the community at community corrections centers.  This consortium approach uses the experience and expertise of public and private agencies in a broad based effort, which focuses on treatment of inmates without losing sight of our primary responsibility for public safety.  Our Therapeutic Community (TC) current mission is to provide quality treatment to more than 1,000 offenders yearly utilizing the TC model.

SCI Chester is the 24th state correctional institution to open in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, and is unique in its architectural structure and programmatic design.  The housing units design - pods - was considered an ambitious move for correctional facilities during the 1980’s.  In addition to its structure and program focus, it is the first tobacco free facility in the commonwealth.

Total Acreage Inside Perimeter:  9

Total Acreage Outside Perimeter: 4.77

Number of Building Inside Perimeter: 9

Number of Buildings Outside Perimeter: 1

Number of Housing Units:  14

Housing units consist of cells.

Staff Complement:  399

Inmate Information: Current Population Report

Academic Programs:

  • Basic Education Classes
  • Literacy/Basic Skills
  • Adult Basic Education
  • G.E.D. Classes
  • English as a Second Language (E.S.L.)
  • Inside-Out Program

Vocational Programs:

  • Barber School
  • Carpentry 
  • HVAC Program (Heating Ventilation and Air Conditioning)

Counseling Services:

  • Alternative to Violence
  • Sex Offenders Programming

Inmate Programs:

  • WAGS at SCI Chester - Rescue-based dog training program
  • Community Education Centers (CEC)
  • SCI Chester AOD Treatment Program

The treatment program at SCI Chester is a collaborative effort between the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections and Community Education Centers, Inc. (CEC).  This collaboration has been formed to rehabilitate inmates with a history of substance abuse.  The treatment program is operated by Community Education Centers, Inc.

The treatment program utilizes several levels of care to accommodate the treatment needs of the offenders.

Therapeutic Communities (TC’s): Each TC housing unit houses approximately 64 inmates.

There are currently 5 TC sites in operation:

  • Three General Population TC (AA, AC, AD & BC).
  • One Opioid TC (AC)
  • One Hispanic TC (BB). Program materials and language are conducted entirely in Spanish.

The TC’s are designed to service those offenders who are alcohol or drug-dependent or have a severe abuse problem.

Ancillary Services:

CEC provides ancillary groups to provide services to those offenders who have special needs.  These programs include “Violence Prevention/Moderate and High Intensity” and “Batterers’ Intervention” – a specific therapy group for domestic violence-related offenders.