Luzerne County Correctional Facility Overview
The Luzerne County Correctional Facility is operated by the Luzerne County Division of Corrections. County research describes the Division of Corrections as county-funded and county-operated, serving municipal and state law-enforcement authorities through the Court of Common Pleas and 16 magisterial district justice offices. That means a person arrested by Wilkes-Barre Police, Hazleton Police, Pennsylvania State Police, sheriff warrant officers, or another local agency may pass through the same Water Street jail if the court commits the person to county custody.
The facility holds pretrial detainees, county-sentenced inmates, people held for court, work-release or minimal-offender classifications when active, and people held for other agencies when accepted. Its visitation schedule shows several housing classifications, including male and female general population, female protective custody, administrative segregation, lock-up, infirmary, juvenile male and female categories, M Block, floors, dayrooms, and restricted housing categories.
The county page says the Division of Corrections employs more than 320 people. The 2024 PREA Annual Report lists James Wilbur as Warden and Ronald C. Bronsburg as Deputy Warden. Those leadership details come from the county correctional services materials, not from a private directory.
Luzerne County Facility Population
A June 23, 2026 Luzerne County Council agenda search result referenced a current correctional-facility population of around 443 inmates. The current public county correctional page did not publish a stable official rated capacity, an average daily population table, or a public demographic dashboard. For that reason, the capacity line should be treated as not published in the official sources reviewed.
Older local materials have referenced a design capacity around 500 and historic one-day population examples above 700, but those are not current official capacity figures. The most accurate facility-page wording is that current county pages reviewed did not publish a rated-bed capacity.
Look Up Luzerne County Jail Inmates
The county correctional page's quick links include an Inmate Lookup Tool, PA-SAVIN, the Pennsylvania DOC locator, UJS court dockets, ConnectNetwork deposits, ICE victim notification, and Megan's Law. The key limitation is that the state locator does not cover every person held in a county facility. Current custody questions for Luzerne County Correctional Facility should be verified through the jail phone line or records process, while charges and bail appear through UJS Case Search.
- Start with the official county correctional page and the jail information line at 570-829-7741.
- Search UJS Case Search when the goal is charges, docket number, bail events, hearings, warrants, or dispositions.
- Use PA-SAVIN/VINE for custody-status notifications rather than a one-time roster check.
- Use the PA DOC locator only if the person is state-sentenced or under DOC supervision.
- Use BOP or ICE systems if the person may have left county custody for federal or immigration detention.
Lookup limit: The research did not locate a confirmed public Luzerne-only jail roster profile with mugshot, charge, bond, and housing fields.
Luzerne County Jail Address
Use the 99 Water Street address for inmate mail and facility-page addressing because the jail's mail policy gives that address in the required incoming-mail format. The county correctional page also displays a public Water Street, Wilkes-Barre address and gives public hours for the county page.
Luzerne County Correctional Facility
99 Water Street
Wilkes-Barre, PA 18702
570-829-7741
Public county page hours: Monday-Friday, 8 a.m.-4 p.m. PREA/corrections office listing: 570-829-7750; fax 570-826-3074.
The jail is in central Wilkes-Barre near the Luzerne County Courthouse government district and the Susquehanna River corridor. Official county pages reviewed did not publish visitor parking rates or transit directions, so visitors should confirm entry and parking before traveling.
Visiting Luzerne County Inmates
The county prisoner-communication page directs the public to the visitation schedule and states that professional visits are permitted during business hours on a first-come, first-served basis for approved visitors. Children under 18 must be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian. Parents must have photo ID plus the child's birth certificate and Social Security card. Legal guardians also need guardianship papers. Tobacco products, lighters, cell phones, cameras or recording devices, food, gum, and drinks are not allowed.
| Unit or Classification | Visiting Time |
|---|---|
| General rule | One visiting day per week, 30 minutes |
| RHU | One visit per month, 30 minutes |
| 4th floor female general population | Sunday 9 a.m.-12 p.m. |
| 3B, 3C, 3D general population | Saturday 5 p.m.-8 p.m. |
| 2C and 2D general population | Saturday 9 a.m.-12 p.m. |
| M Block | Saturday 12 p.m.-2 p.m. |
| Protective custody | Sunday 3:30 p.m.-5 p.m. |
Because Luzerne uses floor, block, dayroom, and classification schedules, visitors should confirm the inmate's classification before relying on a visiting window.
Luzerne County Mail Rules
Incoming mail must use the inmate's first and last name and booking number. The jail requires plain unlined white #10 or legal envelopes, white 8.5 by 11 paper, single-sided pages only, a maximum of five pages, and blue or black ink or graphite pencil. The policy says incoming envelopes are discarded in the mail room, so senders who want return-address information to reach the inmate should write it inside the letter.
| Mail Rule | Detail |
|---|---|
| Address format | Luzerne County Correctional Facility / Inmate First and Last Name / Booking Number / 99 Water Street / Wilkes-Barre, PA 18702 |
| Photos | Four per day per inmate, 4 by 6 only, no Polaroid or instant photos |
| Not allowed | Colored envelopes, cards, stickers, cash, postcards, clippings, blank paper, stamps, marker, crayon, gel, highlighter, perfume, lipstick, glue, or white-out |
| Books | Soft-cover books only, sent directly from publisher, Amazon, or Barnes and Noble after prior approval |
Non-legal mail can be inspected and read by staff under the mail policy, and it can be used in court. Do not discuss criminal-case facts in ordinary family mail.
Money and Phone Accounts
The county commissary/accounting page identifies the Inmate Accounting office and the deposit channels. Staff do not collect cash. Money orders or certified bank checks can be mailed with the inmate's name and LCDOC booking number. The main facility lobby kiosk and online ConnectNetwork services are also listed.
| Channel | Hours or Vendor | Fees and Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Inmate Accounting office | Monday-Friday 7 a.m.-3 p.m., except county holidays | Cash not collected by staff |
| Money order or certified bank check | Personal checks not accepted; over $200 has a 10-day hold | |
| Lobby kiosk | Main facility lobby, 7 a.m.-9 p.m. daily | Accepts $5, $10, $20, $50, and $100 bills; $2.50 cash deposit fee up to $300 |
| Credit, debit, or online | ConnectNetwork, Luzerne County PA-Correctional Facility Site ID 21 | $2.95 fee up to $20, rising to $11.50 for a $300 maximum credit card deposit |
Booking and Reentry
Booking begins when a person is arrested, processed, and committed to the county jail by the court or arresting agency. The jail creates identity and custody records, property records, booking number information, medical or mental-health screening, and classification. Pennsylvania county-jail standards require policies for admission and release, orientation, classification, housing, hygiene, medical care, visiting, telephone communication, mail, commissary, security, and investigations.
Luzerne County also publishes a Re-Entry and Day Reporting Center page through Adult Probation and Parole. Eligible offenders housed at the Division of Corrections may apply for release at half their minimum or another increment set by the sentencing judge. If granted early parole, they attend programming and services through the GEO-run center at 125 N Wilkes-Barre Boulevard.