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State Prisons 

Location and historical information for the 23 state correctional institutions and motivational boot camp under the supervision of the Department of Corrections is detailed in this section.

Map of State Correctional Institutions

(Listed in order of their openings)

SCI Huntingdon (Huntingdon County) opened in 1889, was modeled after the Elmira Reformatory in New York. Originally the Huntingdon Reformatory for Young Offenders, it was later used for "defective delinquents" until 1960. Today, SCI Huntingdon houses adult male inmates.

Construction of SCI Rockview (Centre County) was begun in 1912, and it opened in 1915. Originally planned to replace Eastern and Western Penitentiaries, it became instead the branch prison for Western Penitentiary, housing lesser security risk prisoners, most of whom were employed in Rockview's extensive farm program outside the gates. Today, this facility houses adult male inmates.

SCI Muncy (Lycoming County) is the diagnostic and classification center for the state's female inmates. It was originally opened in 1920 as The Muncy Industrial Home, a training school for female offenders between the ages of 16 and 30. Incorporated into the Bureau of Correction in 1953, SCI Muncy houses adult female offenders and also houses all of the state’s female capital case inmates.

SCI Camp Hill (Cumberland County) opened in 1941 as the Industrial School at White Hill for Young Offenders and received Huntingdon Reformatory's juvenile population en masse. In 1975 it was ruled that SCI Camp Hill was not an appropriate place to house juvenile offenders, and in 1977 the institution began housing adult male inmates. It now serves as the state's sole diagnostic and classification center for men and houses adult male inmates.

SCI Dallas (Luzerne County) was opened in 1960 as an institution for defective delinquents. After the state Supreme Court decision of 1966 voided the concept of "defective delinquents," Dallas, like Huntingdon, became an adult institution. Today, this facility houses adult male inmates.

SCI Mercer (Mercer County) opened in September 1978. It originally opened to offer programs to county prisoners with minimum sentences of six months and maximum sentences of two years. When the prison’s mission changed in the mid-1980s, it became a prison for adult male inmates.

SCI Frackville (Schuylkill County) opened in 1987 and houses adult male inmates.

SCI Smithfield (Huntingdon County) was constructed on the reservation surrounding SCI Huntingdon. Opened in 1988, this facility houses adult male inmates.

SCI Waymart (Wayne County) is located in a building complex that was formerly part of Farview State Hospital. Pressed into operation ahead of schedule to help deal with the aftermath of the October 1989 riot at SCI Camp Hill, the joint on-site operation of a state prison and state mental health facility was unique in Pennsylvania at that time. In October 1995, Farview State Hospital was transferred from the Department of Public Welfare to the Department of Corrections, turning the facility into a facility that houses male offenders. The facility also houses the Department's Forensic Treatment Center, a unit which houses mentally disabled male inmates who require inpatient psychiatric care and treatment.

SCI Cambridge Springs (Crawford County) opened in 1992, was formerly the Polish National Alliance College before being purchased by the Commonwealth in 1990. The campus was converted into a facility for female inmates.

Quehanna Motivational Boot Camp (Clearfield County) opened in June 1992 as the Department of Corrections' first military-style motivational boot camp. Inmates assigned to the boot camp undergo a rigid six-month disciplinary and training program, which, if successfully completed, will result in placement in a community corrections center or a contract facility for an additional six months. The boot camp accommodates both male and female inmates.

SCI Somerset (Somerset County) opened in May 1993 as a state prison for men.

SCI Coal Township (Northumberland County) opened in May 1993 and houses male inmates.

SCI Mahanoy (Schuylkill County) opened in July 1993 and houses male inmates.

SCI Albion (Erie County) opened in July 1993 and houses male inmates.

SCI Greene (Greene County) opened in November 1993 and houses male inmates. This prison also houses a majority of the state’s male capital case inmates.

SCI Houtzdale (Clearfield County) opened in January 1996 and houses male inmates.

SCI Laurel Highlands (Somerset County) opened in July 1996 and houses male inmates. This institution also has separate housing units for geriatric and terminally ill male inmates.

SCI Chester (Delaware County) opened in April 1998 as a non-smoking facility for men. It provides therapeutic services to inmates with drug and alcohol histories.

SCI Pine Grove (Indiana County) opened in January 2001. This facility houses, in addition to regular adult male offenders, Young Adult Offender males. The Young Adult Offender Program (YAOP) is primarily designed for those offenders between the ages of 15-20 adjudicated as adults due to the nature of the criminal offense committed. The YAOP meets their special needs of education, adolescent development and recreational activity, while providing a safe environment for those inmates.

SCI Fayette (Fayette County), which opened in September 2003, houses adult men.

SCI Forest (Forest County), which opened in October 2004, houses adult men.

SCI Benner Township (Centre County), opened April 2013, houses adult men and serves as the DOC’s hub for the inmate transportation system. 

SCI Phoenix (Montgomery County) put into operation on July 9, 2018, the prison received its first inmates on July 11, 2018. The prison replaces SCI Graterford and is located on Graterford property. It houses adult male inmates and capital case inmates.  A separate 192-bed female transitional unit that will assist to incarcerated women returning to the Philadelphia area will open soon.

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Closed Facilities

SCI Retreat (Luzerne County) opened in 1988. Formerly a state hospital for the mentally ill operated by the Pennsylvania Department of Public Welfare, Retreat housed adult male inmates. It was closed in June 2020.

SCI Graterford (Montgomery County), opened in 1929, performed the same branch function for Eastern until Eastern was closed in 1970. Today, this facility houses adult male inmates. It also houses capital case inmates. This prison was closed on July 15, 2018, after all inmates and staff had been relocated to SCI Phoenix, which is 1/4 mile away from the closed prison -- located on the same prison property.
 
SCI Pittsburgh (Allegheny County) opened in 1882. Known to locals as “Western Pen,” the prison was put into “moth ball” status in January 2005, when the final group of inmates was transferred to other prisons in the state. The administration building was renovated to serve as a community corrections center for approximately 80 residents. The building also housed community corrections offices. The prison was reopened in June 2007 to help the department deal with its ever-increasing inmate population. It housed adult male inmates. 
 
SCI Greensburg (Westmoreland County) opened in 1969 as the first regional correctional facility, holding mostly short term offenders. On May 1, 1986, the State Regional Correctional Facility at Greensburg was redesignated "SCI Greensburg" by Governor's Proclamation. The purpose of the change was to permit housing of a greater number of state sentenced inmates -- a necessity with the growing inmate population. This facility, which housed adult male offenders, was closed June 30, 2013.
 
SCI Cresson (Cambria County) opened in 1987. It is a former center for the mentally ill, operated by the Pennsylvania Department of Public Welfare. It was converted into a facility for adult male offenders. This facility was closed June 30, 2013.
 
SCI Waynesburg (Greene County) originally a youth development center operated by the state Department of Public Welfare, Waynesburg was converted to a minimum-security facility for adult females in July 1984. It operated as such until 1992, when the prison was converted to an adult male facility. At that time all females were transferred to SCI Cambridge Springs in Crawford County. The prison remained open, housing about 450 inmates and employing 220 individuals, until 2003. In July 2005, Governor Rendell signed a bill that transferred ownership of the 117-acre prison to Basalt Trap Rock Co. for $990,000.