The Forest County Inmate Population
Forest County has an unusual custody map. Official Pennsylvania correctional facility material identifies Forest County as having no county correctional institution, and the county website does not publish a Forest County jail page or jail roster. Local detainees from Forest County are handled through Warren County Prison under an inmate-care arrangement documented in Warren County Prison Board material and in state county probation/parole service records. That means the Forest County inmate population at the county level is not housed in a building called the Forest County Jail.
The second layer is SCI Forest, a Pennsylvania Department of Corrections state prison in Marienville. SCI Forest is physically in Forest County, but it holds state-sentenced adult male prisoners from across Pennsylvania, not only people arrested in Forest County. A person may move from county custody to PA DOC after sentencing, reception, and classification. Those two systems explain why a Forest County inmate search must separate county jail custody, state prison custody, federal custody, and immigration custody before any record is treated as current.
Forest County Inmate Population Statistics
The best supported Forest County inmate population figures come from three different source types. Forest County's own jail capacity is zero county-operated jail beds located in the official correctional facility research. Warren County Prison is the primary local jail path for Forest County arrestees, but no official Warren rated capacity was found in the inspected public sources. SCI Forest has the most precise public population data because PA DOC publishes monthly population reports.
| Measure | Figure | Source / year |
|---|---|---|
| Forest County county-operated jail capacity | 0 located | PA DOC county correctional facility listing and Forest County site review |
| Primary local jail for Forest County inmates | Warren County Prison | Warren County Prison Board agenda, 2021 inmate-care agreement |
| Vera Forest regional-jail allocation | 15.91 total jail population; 6.23 pretrial; 24.04 rated capacity | Vera Incarceration Trends county dataset, 2023 |
| SCI Forest population | 2,214 | PA DOC Monthly Population Report, May 31, 2026 |
| SCI Forest capacity | 2,582 | PA DOC Monthly Population Report, May 31, 2026 |
| Forest County resident population | 6,614 | U.S. Census QuickFacts, 2025 estimate |
Vera's figures should be read as an allocation for a regional jail arrangement, not as a county-published Forest County jail dashboard. The PA DOC figure for SCI Forest is a state-prison count, so it can be much larger than the number of people with local Forest County criminal cases.
Forest County Inmate Population Trends
SCI Forest changed only modestly in the most recent PA DOC comparison. The May 31, 2026 monthly report listed a current DOC population of 2,214 at SCI Forest. That was down from 2,238 one month earlier and down from 2,236 one year earlier. The same report placed SCI Forest at 85.7 percent of listed capacity, so the state prison was below its reported capacity at that point.
| Date / comparison | Population | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| May 31, 2026 | 2,214 | Current PA DOC monthly report; capacity 2,582 |
| One month prior | 2,238 | Down 24 in PA DOC population-change table |
| One year prior | 2,236 | Down 22, or 1.0 percent |
For the county jail side, the research did not locate a Forest-only average daily population report, annual booking count, or Warren County Prison bed rating. The trend story is therefore operational rather than numeric: Forest County does not run its own jail, and county custody is routed through Warren County Prison while sentenced state prisoners are searched through PA DOC.
SCI Forest State Prison Population
PA DOC's SCI Forest facility page describes a maximum-security male state prison with 11 housing units, 28 operational structures, a special needs unit, and PA Correctional Industries work. The state prison count is part of the physical Forest County inmate population, but it is not a local jail count. Sentenced people can be assigned to SCI Forest from many counties after DOC reception and classification.
| SCI Forest category | Count |
|---|---|
| General population | 1,939 |
| AC restricted housing | 16 |
| DC restricted housing | 82 |
| Therapeutic community treatment | 51 |
| Special needs unit | 101 |
| Infirmary physically present | 9 |
| DOC population total | 2,214 |
The size of SCI Forest is striking in a county with a small resident population. Census QuickFacts estimated 6,614 Forest County residents in 2025, while the state prison had 2,214 people in DOC population reporting on May 31, 2026. Those numbers should not be merged. One describes a county resident base; the other describes state prisoners housed at a state institution.
Local Jail Custody at Warren County Prison
Warren County Prison is the practical local jail for Forest County detainees. The official prison page describes care, custody, classification, programming, accountability, and reintegration under the Warren County Prison Board and warden. A Warren County Prison Board agenda lists a 2022 Inmate Care Agreement with Forest County, and Pennsylvania county probation/parole material states that Forest County houses inmates at Warren County Prison.
The Warren County directory lists Warren County Prison at 407 Market St., Warren, PA 16365, with main phone 814-723-7553. Ryan Tipton is listed as warden in the research pass. Forest County readers should still start with the Forest County Sheriff's Office when they need local routing for an arrest, transport, sheriff record, or question about where a person was taken.
The Warren County Prison facility page gives the local jail contact, visitation schedule, mail rules, deposits, and phone vendor for Forest County inmates held there.
How to Search Forest County Inmates
No official Forest County online jail roster was located, and no official Warren County Prison public online roster was found in the inspected Warren pages. The Forest County inmate population search therefore starts as a fallback chain. The jail phone line, Forest County Sheriff, open-records process, UJS Case Search, PA DOC locator, VINE, BOP, and ICE locator each cover a different piece of custody or case status.
- Call Warren County Prison at 814-723-7553 for a recent Forest County arrest or county commitment. Have the full name, date of birth, approximate arrest date, arresting agency, and case number if known.
- Call the Forest County Sheriff's Office at 814-755-3541 if Warren County Prison cannot confirm the person or if the question concerns transport, local sheriff action, or custody routing.
- Use Pennsylvania UJS Case Search for the court docket, charges, bail entries, OTN, hearing dates, and disposition.
- Use the PA DOC Inmate/Parolee Locator if the person has been sentenced to state custody or is on state supervision.
- Use Pennsylvania VINE for custody notifications where the person is covered by the statewide notification system.
Forest County Inmate Lookup Fields
Because the county roster channel is missing, search fields come mainly from the official state and court systems. PA DOC says its locator needs a last name or inmate number and is updated daily. UJS Case Search supports name, docket, OTN, complaint number, incident number, citation number, county, and judicial district searches.
| System | Useful fields | Best use |
|---|---|---|
| Warren County Prison phone lookup | Name, date of birth, arrest date, agency, case number | Recent local custody |
| PA DOC locator | Last name, first name, inmate number, parole number, committing county, current location | State-sentenced inmates and parolees |
| UJS Case Search | Participant name, docket number, OTN, complaint number, county, date filed | Court charges after arrest |
| BOP locator | Name, race, sex, age, BOP number, FBI number, INS number | Federal inmates from 1982 to present |
| ICE locator | A-number or name, country of birth, birth date | Current ICE detainee search |
Forest County Inmate Records Law
Forest County inmate records are public only to the extent Pennsylvania law and the record holder allow release. The Pennsylvania Right-to-Know Law starts with a presumption that agency records are public unless a statute, privilege, court order, or exemption applies. Criminal records have extra limits under the Criminal History Record Information Act, often called CHRIA.
Key access rules: 18 Pa.C.S. Section 9121 governs dissemination of criminal history record information. 18 Pa.C.S. Section 9122 covers expungement. 37 Pa. Code Chapter 95 sets minimum standards and inspection rules for Pennsylvania county prisons.
Records requests should go to the agency that made or keeps the record. Forest County sheriff or transport records can go through the Forest County Open Records Officer. Warren County Prison custody records may need Warren County because Warren operates the jail. Court charges are searched through UJS and Forest County Clerk of Courts. State prison custody belongs to PA DOC.
Forest County Detention Facilities
The Forest County inmate population is best understood through two facilities. One serves Forest County local custody even though it sits in Warren County. The other is physically inside Forest County but belongs to the statewide prison system.
- Warren County Prison - regional county prison used for Forest County local detainees, county sentences, work-release returns, and jail holds before transfer.
- State Correctional Institution Forest - PA DOC maximum-security state prison in Marienville for state-sentenced adult male prisoners.
A current Forest County arrest normally does not start in SCI Forest. A state sentence, DOC reception, and classification process must occur before a person is placed in a state prison.
Forest County Inmate Population FAQ
Does Forest County have its own jail? Official research did not locate a Forest County county correctional institution. State and county materials point to Warren County Prison as the local jail used for Forest County inmates.
Is there a Forest County jail roster online? No official Forest County or Warren County Prison public online inmate roster was located in the inspected official sources. Phone confirmation and records requests are important.
Why is SCI Forest listed if it is not the county jail? SCI Forest is physically in Forest County and has a large PA DOC population. It is a state prison searched through PA DOC, not the county jail channel.
Where are court charges found after a Forest County arrest? Use UJS Case Search and Forest County court offices. The court docket can show charges, bail entries, hearing dates, and dispositions when jail roster information is not posted online.