Where can bail be paid?

Bail can be paid at the Bail Acceptance Office, Room B-03 of the Criminal Justice Center, 1301 Filbert Street. The office is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, including holidays. Payments can be made either in cash or with a valid credit or debit card. On selected occasions, a bank issued cashiers check can be accepted, however conditions apply and the hours of acceptance are limited when using a cashiers check.

Bail can also be posted at the Philadelphia Prison, Curran-Fromhold Institution. Hours of operation are
Monday to Friday from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. at this site.
All individuals posting bail must provide a valid form of identification to the cashier. Questions should be referred to the Bail Acceptance Office at 215-683-7727.

Do I get my bail money back?

Most of the bail money is refunded, provided there were no failures to appear for court or other release violations. Seventy percent of the bail deposit is available for refund thirty-one days after the final disposition of the case. The person named on the original bail deposit receipt must provide valid identification at the Clerk of Quarter Sessions/Bail Refund Office, Room B-03 of the Criminal Justice Center, 1301 Filbert Street. The office is open Monday through Fridays, 8:30am to 4:30pm, Phone: 215-683-7723.

When should I call the Pretrial Service Division?

All arrested individuals are required to phone the Pretrial office within 24 hours of your release after arrest. The contact/check-in phone number is 215-686-7421. This is an automated system, where your call will be recorded and is operational around the clock. You must provide your police identification number/PID when prompted. You are also required to call the Notification Unit at 215 683-3710 if you change your address or have questions about your court date. If you are on a supervised release you must report to 1401 Arch Street, 5th floor on your assigned Orientation Date and you must contact your assigned Pretrial Officer when required, or, call the Supervision Unit at 215-683-3750 if you have any questions. The Supervision Units are open Monday through Friday, from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

What type of case does Pretrial Service Division appoint counsel for?

Adult criminal cases within the county of Philadelphia (does not include summary citations, matters of child custody, support, or protection from abuse petitions.) The appointment of counsel interviews are conducted at the Pretrial Service Division main office, 1401 Arch Street, 5th Floor, Monday through Friday, between 8:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. Questions should be referred to 215-683-3710.

If I am on house arrest and an emergency situation occurs, who should I call?

You should call your assigned Pretrial Officer (Pretrial Cases) or Probation Officer (Post-trial matters) during traditional office hours, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.--Monday through Friday. During evenings, weekends, and holidays, you should contact the House Arrest Monitoring Unit at 215-568-0191. This must be for a true emergency. You must provide the name of your Pretrial/Probation Officer, and specific information such as hospital address, doctor's name, etc.

What happens if I fail to appear in court?

You will be subject to immediate arrest on a bench warrant. If you were released on cash bail you could lose your deposit and be responsible for payment of the full bail amount. You can lessen or avoid these sanctions if you promptly surrender for a bench warrant hearing, at 7:30 a.m., Monday through Friday, Room B-04 Criminal Justice Center, 1301 Filbert Street. Questions should be referred to the Warrant Unit at 215-683-3723.

What if I have a question about a Bench Warrant?

The Warrant Unit functions 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. All questions concerning a bench warrant or tips regarding individuals wanted on a bench warrant should be referred to the Warrant Unit at 215-683-3723. All tip information will be strictly confidential.

Joan Barron-Fauser Department Head 215-683-3707

The Arraignment Department is responsible for interviewing all arrested and charged adult individuals. The unit operates 24 hours a day, 7 days a week at 1401 Arch Street and is responsible for collecting information regarding a person's personal and financial history, family/community ties and criminal history. This information is then used to calculate a release guideline and is presented to a judicial authority for a bail determination.

The role of the unit is to facilitate the judicial decision maker by providing detailed personal information, charge severity and the likelihood for pretrial misconduct in order for the decision maker to arrive at a bail determination. All adults charged with misdemeanors or felonies in Philadelphia are interviewed by employees of this unit at six Detective Divisions and Police Headquarters via video located at 1401 Arch Street. During calendar year 2008, the unit interviewed and processed 57,027 individual defendants prior to their Preliminary Arraignment.

In addition to the above, the unit also is responsible for the acceptance and processing of bail and fines. Payments are also accepted for Domestic Relation Matters and Traffic Court Scofflaws if the payment will permit a release from custody. There is a bail acceptance cashier window located at the Criminal Justice Center and a remote site in the lobby of the County Jail in the Northeast. The prison site allows sureties to post bail at the incarceration site expediting the release process.

Presently, the Prison site is open Monday through Friday from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., while the Criminal Justice Center is staffed 24 hours a day including weekends and holidays.

John Gallagher Department Head 215 683-1446

The Accounting Unit, located in the lobby of 1401 Arch Street, is responsible for processing all court ordered fines, fees and restitution payments. Payments are collected in person at 1401 Arch Street from 8:30 a.m to 4:45 p.m or they can also be mailed to the main office or sent to the Agency Bank Payment Box. Payments can be accepted by cash, certified check, money order or credit card; all payments must include the payment plan account number or docket/case number so the account is credited correctly. The unit has established a voice mail box and e-mail address to respond to payment inquiries and contracted with a collection agency to increase revenue.

Payments can be made as follows:

Patricia Farrell Department Head 215-683-6947

The Electronic Monitoring Unit currently monitors all individuals for the Criminal Trial Division on active electronic monitoring. The current caseload consists of all Pretrial and Post-Trial cases that have been ordered by the Judiciary to Electronic Monitoring. Active electronic monitoring involves the installation of an ankle bracelet on an individual and a monitoring device attached to the residential phone line. The active system transits a continual signal via the transmitter worn by the defendant to field monitoring device (FMD) attached to the defendants home phone. The defendant is monitored twenty four (24) hours a day as continuous signals are sent to the host computer which is located at 1401 Arch Street, 4th floor.

The First Judicial District of Pennsylvania though it's Pretrial Service Division operates the Electronic Monitoring Unit twenty-four (24) hours a day, seven days a week. Staff assigned to the monitoring room is responsible for all alert processing, data entry of schedules, enrollments, notification of the Warrant Unit on all confirmed alerts and maintains the daily inventory of all electronic monitoring equipment. The staff must respond to each and every alert from the FMD. All alerts must be checked, logged and cleared by the staff. The office of the Electronic Monitoring Coordinator and support staff are responsible for all the Administrative functions related to the Electronic Monitoring Program.

The unit is also responsible for monitoring defendants that are participating in the DUI Treatment Court Program. DUI Treatment Court participants are installed on units that monitor alcohol consumption. The staff in the Electronic Monitoring room is responsible for the monitoring of B.A.C. (Blood Alcohol Content) readings that are received throughout the day. The additional responsibility of supervising this population has also required staff of the Electronic Monitoring Unit and Warrant Unit personnel to received specialized training in this area.

Information calls: 215-568-0191

Edward Halligan Department Head 215-683-3770

The Supervision Unit has multiple functions. The Records and Notification component is responsible for intake interviews of all defendants required to report to the Pretrial office after preliminary arraignment. These are defendants who receive a bail of ROSC (Release on Special Condition) Type I or II at the Preliminary Arraignment. The department is also responsible for conducting financial interview for appointment of counsel for individuals requiring the services of an attorney.

In addition to defendants who report in person, this Unit fields numerous daily phone calls from defendants, family members, and attorneys requesting information regarding court appearance dates, how and where to surrender for a bench warrant, and how to avail themselves of other services. These include requests for continuances based on absolute verification of serious hospitalization or incarceration in other jurisdictions. Other requests involve financial interviews for Traffic Court and inquiries and processing of bail using real estate that has been investigated and certified for that purpose. Another responsibility of this unit is to provide pretrial history information for the City's Emergency Release Hearings that are scheduled at least two times per week. All division records regarding intake interviews and other related court events are maintained in the file room of this unit.

The Supervision Unit is responsible for the monitoring and supervision of all defendants ordered to adhere to specific conditions of release including ROSC Type I and II, Intensive Direct Supervision, and Electronic Monitoring House Arrest. Each defendant in this process is assigned a Pretrial Officer. Defendants ordered to ROSC bail are typically medium risk in terms of charge severity and court/social history. These defendants must report for initial orientation and thereafter in conjunction with each court appearance. In-person reporting can be increased by order of the court or by digression of the assigned Pretrial Officer. These defendants report by phone once or twice a week to the division Interactive Voice System that records their check-in and is relayed to the supervising officer.

Pretrial Officers assigned to monitor defendants ordered to EM House Arrest and Direct Supervision are the most experienced employees of the unit due to the high charge and flight risk associated to this type of defendant. A great deal of communication between the assigned Judge, the attorneys and other related agencies is required. Accountability to record keeping is of the highest nature.

Check-In Phone Number: 215-686-7421
General Information: 215-683-3710
Supervision Information: 215-683-3750

Thomas Press Commanding Officer 215-683-3704

General Warrant Information 215-683-3723 (24/7)
Confidential Tip Hot-Line 215-683-3723 (24/7)

The Warrant Unit is responsible for enforcement of all adult criminal bench warrants and adult probation and parole violation warrants for the First Judicial District. The Unit is also responsible for the enforcement of all Traffic Court warrants and Domestic Relations warrants related to Child Support and Custody. The Unit is comprised of seventy one (71) armed personnel and approximately twenty full and part time Administrative staff. The Unit operates twenty four hours a day, seven days a week including weekends and holidays; this includes both administrative staff in the office and investigative personnel performing fugitive investigations for the arrest of individuals wanted on bench warrants and Adult Probation and Parole violation warrants. The Administrative Staff processes correspondence from Law Enforcement Agencies and Departments throughout the Commonwealth, as part of the Commonwealth Law Enforcement Assistance Network (CLEAN) in order to confirm the validity of criminal bench warrants and probation violation warrants for individuals detained in those jurisdictions. Warrants are lodged for defendants who are being held on new charges and are being remanded to the County Prison or inmates who are already incarcerated or Warrant Unit investigative personnel are dispatched to accept custody of fugitives wanted on FJD warrants who are not being held on any other criminal charges. The Warrant Unit has a major role in the FJD House Arrest program, starting with the home investigation prior to installation, to the transport from the prison to the residence for installation, to the actual installation and maintenance of the Electronic Monitoring equipment. Any violations of House Arrest are reported to the Unit and arrest procedures are initiated. The Warrant Unit maintains an office at the Criminal Justice Center, manned by investigators and Administrative staff, to facilitate individuals who surrender on criminal bench warrants in order to safely get the warrant lifted, establish a new court date and, in most instances, avoid arrest.

The Warrant Unit has established excellent working relationships with the Local, State and Federal Law Enforcement Community and has participated in a number of cooperative initiatives. The United States Marshal Service conducted sweeps for known fugitives as part of Operation Falcon I and II and Warrant Unit investigators played a key role in the operation. The Federal Bureau of Investigations has developed a mapping program, Pinpoint; utilizing Police and Warrant Unit data in order to identify fugitives wanted in the vicinity of known FBI informants. The Warrant Unit was a major participant in the U.S. Marshal's Fugitive Safe Surrender program and the subsequent fugitive sweeps in the 1st and 17th Districts. Unit members continue to participate in the FBI Violent Offenders Task Force and the U.S. Marshal's Fugitive Task Force. Additionally the unit was a participant with the Philadelphia Police Department and Operation Pressure Point.

The ultimate mission of the Warrant Unit is to reduce the warrant inventory and to maintain the integrity of the Judicial Process. The Unit continues to participate in the Law Enforcement Network which creates a cooperative effort to locate and apprehend fugitives. The internet and other computer technology have provided new techniques which we are just beginning to utilize. The Warrant Unit has created an efficient and effective way to accomplish enforcement which, in essence, has created a "one stop shop" for warrant service.