The Lehigh County Inmate Population
The Lehigh County inmate population is centered on two adult county correctional facilities operated by the Lehigh County Department of Corrections. The main custody site is Lehigh County Jail in downtown Allentown. The separate Lehigh County Community Corrections Center in Bethlehem serves a structured work-release and reentry role for sentenced residents. No Pennsylvania state prison, Bureau of Prisons institution, or dedicated ICE detention center was located inside Lehigh County in the official facility materials reviewed.
The local count rises or falls as arrests, bail decisions, court schedules, releases, warrants, detainers, and state transfers change. A person held before trial is usually in the county jail track. A person serving a state prison sentence is searched through the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections. Federal defendants may be physically held at Lehigh County Jail for the federal government, but federal sentence and release information later moves through U.S. Marshals or BOP channels.
The county Department of Corrections page identifies the jail and the Community Corrections Center as the adult facilities under county operation.
The facility list is important because the county jail and the Community Corrections Center serve different custody stages.
Lehigh County Inmate Population Statistics
The strongest current population source in the research is the 2024 PREA Facility Audit Report for Lehigh County Jail. It listed a designed capacity of 1,363, a current population of 734 at the time of the audit, and a 12-month average daily population of 797. The official county jail page separately gives a capacity of 1,352 inmates. The Community Corrections Center page gives a 400-bed capacity for the work-release and reentry facility.
| Measure | Figure | Source / Year |
|---|---|---|
| County jail page capacity | 1,352 inmates | Lehigh County Jail page, reviewed 2026 |
| Designed jail capacity | 1,363 | 2024 PREA Facility Audit Report |
| Current population at audit | 734 | 2024 PREA Facility Audit Report |
| Average daily population | 797 | 2024 PREA Facility Audit Report |
| Community Corrections Center capacity | 400 beds | Lehigh County CCC page |
| County resident population | 384,383 | FRED/Census annual estimate, updated March 27, 2026 |
Lehigh County Jail Population Trends
Available official figures show a lower jail population in the 2020s than the mid-2010s reports. Lehigh County annual reports listed the total average daily jail census a little above 1,100 in 2015 and 2016, including Community Corrections Center residents. The 2024 PREA audit listed a lower jail average daily population, and it stated that the jail had not been over capacity during the prior 12 months.
The research did not locate an official county explanation assigning one cause to the decline. Case processing, bail practices, post-pandemic custody changes, transfer timing, and CCC use may all affect the number, but the page should not treat any one factor as proven without a county source.
| Year / Source | ADP or Population | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 county annual report | 1,114 total ADP, including 185 CCC | County said the census was down for the eighth straight year. |
| 2016 county annual report | 1,113 total ADP, including 189 CCC | County called it the lowest since 1998. |
| 2022-era PREA audit result | Jail 688 ADP; CCC 0 ADP | Earlier PREA materials showed the jail below capacity. |
| 2024 PREA audit | 734 current population; 797 ADP | No over-capacity point in the prior 12 months. |
Note: Older documents may use the name Lehigh County Prison, but the official history page says the facility was renamed Lehigh County Jail in 2014.
Who Makes Up Lehigh County Custody
The county jail page describes Lehigh County Jail as a maximum-security facility that houses pretrial detainees and people serving local terms of sentence. The 2024 PREA audit reported males and females, an age range of 16 to 82, and minimum, medium, and maximum custody levels. The jail history page adds that the jail detains prisoners for the federal government, which can matter when a federal case begins in the Lehigh Valley.
- Pretrial detainees: people held after arrest while bail, hearings, or case status are pending.
- Local sentenced inmates: people serving county-level sentences at Lehigh County Jail.
- Community corrections residents: sentenced people approved for work, community service, resources, and reentry programming.
- Federal detainees: some federal prisoners may be held at the jail, though federal records follow federal systems.
- State-sentenced inmates: people transferred to Pennsylvania DOC custody are no longer searched as county jail inmates.
Lehigh County Jail Capacity
The official jail page describes Lehigh County Jail as a 250,000-square-foot direct-supervision high-rise facility. Direct supervision means corrections officers work inside housing units and have regular contact with inmates. That design detail is useful for interpreting population pressure because the jail is not just a small courthouse holding area. It is the county’s main detention building.
The jail history page says the current facility opened in 1992. The 2024 PREA audit listed the jail below designed capacity at the time of review. The Community Corrections Center, by contrast, is a 400-bed structured alternative to secure confinement, and its population is tied to sentenced resident eligibility rather than new arrest booking volume.
Laws Governing Lehigh County Jail Data
Inmate population and jail-record access in Lehigh County sit inside several overlapping rules. The Pennsylvania Right-to-Know Law creates a public-record request process for local agencies, but it also has exemptions. Pennsylvania CHRIA limits dissemination of criminal history record information by criminal justice agencies. Federal DCRA reporting covers deaths of people detained, under arrest, in transit, or incarcerated in covered state and local facilities.
Key Statutes:
Pennsylvania Right-to-Know Law, Act 3 of 2008 creates the request framework for Commonwealth and local agency records.
Pennsylvania CHRIA, Title 18 Chapter 91 controls criminal history record dissemination by criminal justice agencies.
61 Pa.C.S. Chapter 17 addresses county jail oversight boards, while Lehigh County’s Home Rule structure assigns prison-board-type responsibilities locally.
Federal Death in Custody Reporting Act guidance explains covered death reporting for jails and other detention settings.
How to Search Lehigh County Inmates
No official Lehigh County government page reviewed published a public searchable jail roster or booking-photo gallery. The practical Lehigh County inmate search starts with the jail’s Records Information line, then moves through VINE, UJS court dockets, RTK requests, the Pennsylvania DOC locator, BOP, or ICE depending on custody status. This is a fallback chain, not a single roster button.
- Start with the person’s full legal name, date of birth, arrest date, docket number, OTN, or booking date if known.
- Call Lehigh County Jail Records Information at 610-782-3263 for current custody and inmate ID questions.
- Use Pennsylvania VINE for custody-status notifications when covered Pennsylvania custody data is available.
- Search Pennsylvania UJS Case Search for charges, dockets, bail actions, hearings, and dispositions.
- Use the Pennsylvania DOC locator only for state-sentenced inmates or parolees.
- Use BOP or ICE tools when the custody issue is federal or immigration-related.
- File a Lehigh County Right-to-Know request for non-exempt records that are not available by phone or online.
Lehigh County Inmate Search Fields
Because no county roster form was located, the usable search fields are the identifiers requested by the jail, court, state, and federal lookup channels. The county jail page confirms that visitors should know the inmate’s full name and identification number. UJS and DOC add court and state-custody identifiers.
| Channel | Field | Required | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jail phone or counter | Full name | Usually needed | Add date of birth, booking date, inmate ID, or docket number when known. |
| Jail records | Inmate ID | Helpful | Used for visits, mail, requests, and services. |
| PA DOC locator | Last name or inmate number | Yes | State-sentenced inmates and parolees only. |
| UJS Case Search | Name, docket, OTN, complaint number, or SID | At least one criterion | For charges and case events after arrest. |
| BOP name search | Last name | Yes for name search | Federal inmate records from 1982 to present. |
Pennsylvania VINE is best treated as a notification supplement, not a complete booking record.
VINE can help families and victims track custody-status events when the person or record is covered by the service.
What Lehigh County Inmate Records Show
A public county roster profile could not be inventoried because no official online roster was located. The county sources still support several record categories: current custody confirmation, inmate ID number, mail and visitation routing, medical and mail information contacts, housing assignment for visit rotation, and court-record cross-references. Court charges should be checked through UJS because jail intake allegations and filed court charges can diverge.
| Field | What It Shows |
|---|---|
| Full name | Needed for phone lookup, visiting, mail, and records requests. |
| Inmate identification number | Used to expedite visiting and required in mail format from jail guidelines. |
| Custody status | Confirmed by jail records/general information or VINE where covered. |
| Housing assignment | Relevant to rotating general-population visit schedules. |
| Charges and court events | Researched through UJS and the Clerk of Judicial Records Criminal Division. |
| Bail or holds | May appear on court dockets and should be confirmed with the jail or court office. |
County Jail vs State Prison Lookup
Lookup mistakes are common in Lehigh County because a person may move from arrest to jail, court, county sentence, state prison, parole, federal custody, or immigration custody. The Pennsylvania DOC locator service says it is for state-sentenced inmates and parolees and does not include people incarcerated in county facilities. That limitation should shape every Lehigh County inmate search.
| Custody Type | Where to Look | What It Covers |
|---|---|---|
| County pretrial or local sentence | Lehigh County Jail records, VINE, RTK | Current jail custody, inmate ID, mail, visits, and request routing. |
| State sentence or parole | PA DOC Inmate and Parolee Locator | Daily-updated state custody and parole status, not county jail custody. |
| Federal sentence | BOP Inmate Locator | Federal inmates from 1982 to present. |
| Immigration custody | ICE Online Detainee Locator | ICE detainees searched by A-number or biographical details. |
Lehigh County Detention Facilities
Lehigh County has two adult county correctional facilities in the Facility Map. The jail is the intake and secure detention facility. The Community Corrections Center is a structured work-release and reentry facility. The distinction matters when searching for a person, sending mail, or planning a visit.
- Lehigh County Jail holds pretrial detainees, local sentenced inmates, males and females, and some federal detainees.
- Lehigh County Community Corrections Center holds sentenced residents approved for work, community service, community resources, and reentry programming.
Lehigh County Jail Visits and Mail
Lehigh County Jail visits are non-contact visits by telephone while visitors and inmates view each other through glass. The county jail page lists weekday and weekend/holiday sessions, while the inmate guidelines add that general-population visits rotate every three days according to housing-unit assignment. Visitors must bring valid government-issued photo identification with date of birth, and minor visitors require specific birth-certificate documentation.
| Facility | Days | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Lehigh County Jail | Monday-Friday | 12:30 p.m.-4:30 p.m.; 7:00 p.m.-10:00 p.m. |
| Lehigh County Jail | Saturday, Sunday, holidays | 8:00 a.m.-10:00 a.m.; 12:00 p.m.-4:30 p.m.; 7:00 p.m.-10:00 p.m. |
| Community Corrections Center | Schedule not captured | Use official CCC visiting information or call 610-778-5328 / 610-778-5334. |
The official visitation information page is the source to check before travel.
The county rules include local details such as housing-unit rotation, original birth certificate requirements for minors, and narrow limits on baby items.
Lehigh County Records Requests
When a jail record is not available by phone or through an online court or custody tool, the Lehigh County Right-to-Know process is the county route. The county Right-to-Know page identifies Open Records Officer Sheila Dutra-Michel and accepts requests by email at OpenRecords@lehighcounty.org, by mail, in person or drop-off, and by fax to 610-871-2796. The county states that it must respond within five business days by granting, denying, or invoking a 30-day extension.
Requests should be specific. A request for a named booking record, booking photo, jail record, or communication tied to a date and person is easier to process than a broad demand for all records. RTKL, CHRIA, juvenile protections, victim information, medical privacy, personal identifiers, public-safety rules, and investigative exemptions can limit what the county releases.
Lehigh County Inmate Terms
Several short terms help separate custody records from court records and state records. A booking is the jail intake event after arrest. An inmate ID is the jail-issued number used for mail, visits, requests, and services. An OTN is a Pennsylvania offense tracking number that can connect police paperwork to a UJS docket. A detainer is a hold from another agency that can block release even when one case has bail.
- Classification
- Custody and housing assignment based on risk, behavior, legal status, and needs.
- Preliminary arraignment
- Early Pennsylvania court stage where charges and bail are commonly addressed.
- Work release
- Structured custody allowing approved sentenced residents to work in the community.
- CHRIA
- Pennsylvania law governing criminal history record information dissemination.
Lehigh County Inmate Population FAQ
How big is the Lehigh County inmate population? The 2024 PREA audit listed a Lehigh County Jail current population of 734 and a 12-month average daily population of 797. The Community Corrections Center has a separate 400-bed capacity, but the research did not locate a current CCC daily count.
Is there a Lehigh County online jail roster? No official county public roster was located in the government sources reviewed. Current custody questions should start with Jail Records Information at 610-782-3263, then VINE, UJS, RTK, PA DOC, BOP, or ICE as needed.
Does the PA DOC locator show Lehigh County Jail inmates? No. The PA service page says county-facility inmates cannot be found through the state locator. Use it after state sentencing or parole supervision applies.
Where are court charges after arrest? Pennsylvania UJS Case Search is the free public docket source for charges, bail actions, hearings, dispositions, and sentence information after a case is filed.
Are Lehigh County mugshots online? No official county mugshot gallery was found. Booking-photo questions should use jail records or a narrow Right-to-Know request, subject to RTKL, CHRIA, and other limits.
Who runs the jail? The Lehigh County Department of Corrections operates the jail and Community Corrections Center. The Sheriff is a separate elected office focused on court security, prisoner transport, warrants, civil process, and related duties.
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