Visiting an inmate at Berks County Jail

To visit someone in the Berks County Jail System, you first have to be on that inmate's approved visitor list, then schedule the visit by phone at 610-208-4800, option 3, no later than 3 p.m. the day before. In-person visits are free and last 30 minutes. Families can also talk by free video calls on the inmate's tablet, covered below.

The Berks County Jail System is the county-run jail at 1287 County Welfare Road in Leesport. Two things decide whether a visit happens: the inmate has to put you on their list, and you have to book an appointment. Walk-ins are not allowed.

Get on the inmate's approved visitor list

You cannot schedule a visit until the inmate adds you. The inmate submits a Proposed Inmate Visitor List with up to eight names, giving each visitor's full name, date of birth, address, phone number, and relationship. Jail staff will not add you at your request, so ask the inmate to put you on the list. Every visitor, including children, must be on the inmate's approved list, with no exceptions.

Some people are barred or restricted no matter what the inmate wants:

• Anyone released from the Berks County Jail System within the past two years cannot visit.
• Anyone on parole needs written approval from their parole officer before visiting.
• The inmate's co-defendants, crime victims, and anyone protected by a protection from abuse order against that inmate are not permitted to visit unless the jail grants prior written permission.

Schedule the visit

Once you are on the list, book the appointment:

1. Call the jail at 610-208-4800 and select option 3 for visitation. A receptionist takes appointments Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. You have to speak with a person. A voicemail does not reserve a visit.
2. Ask for a day and time. Appointments can be booked up to three weeks ahead, and must be set no later than 3 p.m. the day before the visit. Same-day visits are not permitted.
3. Confirm the day and time with the receptionist before you hang up.

Each inmate is allowed four 30-minute in-person visits per calendar month, according to the county's Friends and Family Visitation page. The jail's 2024 inmate handbook lists three visits per month instead. Because the two official sources differ, confirm the current limit with the receptionist when you call. Up to three visitors are allowed at each visit.

What to bring, and what to leave in the car

Every adult must show valid photo identification that includes an address. The jail accepts a driver's license, a state identification card, an active military ID, or a current U.S. or foreign passport. An adult bringing a minor must give the minor's name, address, and date of birth at check-in.

Leave these in your vehicle. They are not allowed inside:

• Cell phones.
• Weapons of any kind.
• Any medication, drugs, or alcohol.
• Outside food or drink.

There is a dress code, and staff turn visitors away for violating it. Avoid tank tops, spaghetti straps, halter tops, tube tops, half-shirts or midriff tops, low-cut or see-through tops, short shorts, and skirts above the knee. Winter coats, vests, and jackets are also not allowed in the visiting area. The jail calls dress-code decisions a judgment made by staff at the door, so dress conservatively.

When you arrive

Arrive no more than 15 minutes before your scheduled time. Report to the front lobby to sign in and show ID. Visits are non-contact, conducted through a booth. Children have to stay with the adult who brought them at all times and cannot be left alone anywhere on jail property, including the lobby and parking lot. Leave when the visit ends.

Talk by video or phone instead

Beyond in-person visits, the jail issues tablets that inmates use to place phone and video calls and to trade messages and photos with people on the outside. Family members set up an account and add money at gettingout.com; the jail's phone service is run by ViaPath Technologies.

• Video calls: each inmate gets two free 15-minute video calls a week. The inmate places the call from their tablet. Additional video calls cost $0.25 a minute.
• Phone calls: calls from a tablet or a wall phone are billed at the same rate as the jail's wall phones.
• Messages and photos: through a gettingout.com account, family members pay $0.25 per text message and $0.50 per photo.

All calls, video visits, and messages are recorded and may be monitored, except for calls with the inmate's attorney. Recording or taking a screenshot of a video call is prohibited and can cost the inmate their tablet privileges.

What it costs

In-person visits are free, and so are the two 15-minute video calls each inmate gets each week. You only pay for extra communication: video calls past the free weekly allowance ($0.25 a minute), tablet messages ($0.25 each), photos ($0.50 each), and phone calls at the jail's wall-phone rate. Adding money to an inmate's tablet or phone account is a separate step, handled through gettingout.com.

FAQ

How do I get on an inmate's visitor list at Berks County Jail?

You cannot add yourself. The inmate submits a Proposed Inmate Visitor List naming up to eight people, and jail staff will not add a visitor on request. Ask the inmate to put you on the list, then call 610-208-4800, option 3, to schedule once you are approved.

Can my kids visit an inmate at Berks County Jail?

Yes, if the child is on the approved list, is closely related to the inmate, and is brought by a parent or guardian who stays the whole visit. The two official sources describe the qualifying relationship differently: the county's visitation page lists the inmate's child, stepchild, sibling, or grandchild, while the inmate handbook lists a parent, stepparent, legal guardian, spouse, or sibling. Confirm your child qualifies when you call to schedule. Children can never be left unattended on jail property.

How do I set up a video call with a Berks County inmate?

Video calls are placed from the inmate's tablet, so the inmate starts the call. Set up an account and add funds at gettingout.com. Each inmate gets two free 15-minute video calls a week, and additional calls cost $0.25 a minute.

Why can't I visit someone I know is in the jail?

Common reasons are that the inmate has not added you to their approved list, you were released from the Berks County Jail System within the past two years, or you are on parole without your officer's written approval. Confirm your status by calling the jail at 610-208-4800.

How do I find out whether someone is even in the Berks County Jail?

Call the jail at 610-208-4800 or look the person up by name on the free VINE service. Our guide on how to find someone in Berks County Jail walks through both, plus how to check court records for a newly arrested person. For where the jail sits in how Berks County government works, and the county's plan to replace the aging facility, see our new jail project status report.

Sources

• Berks County Jail System — Friends and Family Visitation — approved-list requirement, scheduling by phone (610-208-4800, option 3; receptionist 8:30 a.m.–3 p.m. Monday–Friday), booking up to three weeks ahead and by 3 p.m. the day prior, four 30-minute visits per calendar month, three visitors per visit, photo-ID rules, dress code, prohibited items, arrival window, minor-visitor rules, and the two-year post-release restriction.
• Berks County Jail System — Visitation — barred-contact categories, tablet and video-call rules, and the monitoring/recording policy. The Inmate Services page indexes the telephone and account-deposit services.
• Berks County Jail System Inmate Handbook (2024) — up to eight proposed visitors, three visitors per visit, three 30-minute in-person visits per month and two free 15-minute video calls per week (the handbook's in-person figure differs from the visitation page's four), the parole-approval requirement, the "prior written permission" exception for co-defendant/victim/PFA contact, the differing minor-relationship rule, non-contact visits, ID and dress-code rules, and the tablet costs: video calls $0.25/minute, messages $0.25, photos $0.50, funds and messaging through gettingout.com, phone service run by ViaPath.
• Berks County Jail System — facility name, address (1287 County Welfare Road, Leesport, PA 19533), and main phone (610-208-4800).

Berks County Jail System: 1287 County Welfare Road, Leesport, PA 19533; 610-208-4800 (option 3 for visitation scheduling, Monday–Friday 8:30 a.m.–3 p.m.).