Search State Correctional Institution Forest Inmates

SCI Forest State Prison

State Correctional Institution Forest, often shortened to SCI Forest, is a Pennsylvania Department of Corrections maximum-security prison in Marienville. It is the correctional facility physically located inside Forest County, but it is not a Forest County jail and does not hold people merely because they were recently arrested in the county. SCI Forest houses state-sentenced adult male prisoners assigned through PA DOC classification, bed availability, custody level, medical and mental-health needs, and program placement. A Forest County defendant may be sent to SCI Forest, another Pennsylvania state prison, or parole supervision depending on the sentence and classification process.

The official SCI Forest facility page lists the prison's acreage, operational structures, housing units, staffing average, special needs unit, and program features. It also identifies the facility contact address and mail routes. The prison's role is different from Warren County Prison, which is the practical county-level facility for Forest County pretrial detainees and short local custody. Once a person is sentenced to state prison, the lookup path changes to the statewide PA DOC locator.

The official PA DOC SCI Forest page is the source for the facility profile shown below.

Use that PA DOC profile for facility facts, then use the locator, visitation, and contact channels below for inmate-specific questions.

SCI Forest Population

PA DOC's May 31, 2026 monthly population report lists SCI Forest with a DOC population of 2,214 and a capacity of 2,582, or 85.7 percent of listed capacity. The same research showed a one-month decrease from 2,238 and a one-year decrease from 2,236, down 22 people or 1.0 percent over the year. These are state-prison figures. They should not be mixed with Forest County's county-jail population, because Forest County has no county correctional institution and local detainees are handled through Warren County Prison.

SCI Forest is also a major institutional presence in a small rural county. The research notes that its state-prison population is roughly one-third of Forest County's Census-estimated resident population, but those prison residents are part of the PA DOC system. The facility page does not publish a race, age, sentence-length, offense-type, or county-of-conviction breakdown for SCI Forest. The physical-present count does, however, show the mix of general population, restricted housing, treatment, special needs, and infirmary categories.

SCI Forest Inmate Lookup

SCI Forest inmates are searched through the PA DOC Inmate/Parolee Locator. PA DOC states that the locator covers state-sentenced inmates and parolees, is updated daily, and excludes county-facility inmates. That exclusion is important in Forest County. A person still waiting for local court action or serving county custody through the Forest/Warren arrangement will not appear in PA DOC just because SCI Forest is in the county. Check Warren County Prison first for county custody, then use PA DOC after state sentencing or parole.

The locator service page says users need either a last name or an inmate number. First name helps narrow common last names, and official app reference labels expose filters such as middle name, parole number, sex, committing county, current location, citizenship, date of birth, age, and sort order. Reference data includes Forest as a committing county value and SCI Forest as a current location value. If the locator does not work, PA DOC suggests disabling pop-up blockers, trying another browser or device, and emailing the DOC contact address if help is still needed.

The PA DOC locator service page explains the statewide search limits, while the screenshot below shows the locator interface used for SCI Forest inmate lookup.

The locator is the correct search system for SCI Forest because county jail rosters and Forest County sheriff pages do not cover state-prison placement.

1. Open the PA DOC Inmate/Parolee Locator, not a county roster.
2. Search by inmate number when known, or search by last name and narrow with first name or date of birth.
3. Use current location or committing county filters only to narrow results, not as proof that a Forest County case must be at SCI Forest.
4. Open the profile and confirm the facility, name, DOC number, status, and update information.
5. Use PA VINE if custody-status notifications are needed after the person is found.

SCI Forest Contact

SCI Forest's public contact point is the state correctional institution itself. PA DOC lists the facility at Woodland Drive in Marienville and also uses a facility mail line with a post office box. For immediate mental-health or suicide concerns about a person in state custody, PA DOC guidance says to call the state correctional institution immediately. For county-jail questions, use Warren County Prison instead, because SCI Forest staff cannot search Forest County pretrial custody unless the person has already entered PA DOC custody.

SCI Forest Visits

SCI Forest visitation follows PA DOC rules, not Warren County jail housing-unit rules. Visits are scheduled through the Inmate Visitation System. Visitors must have an account, must be on the inmate's authorized visitor list, and must schedule ahead. PA DOC service material says in-person visits are limited by monthly counts, visitor caps, facility space, and weekend limits. Video visits are free, use remote scheduling, and are monitored and recorded except for legal counsel.

PA DOC visitation guidance also requires valid identification. Facility staff cannot tell callers whether they are on an inmate's authorized list, so the visitor must coordinate through the inmate and the visitation system. Do not bring phones, recording devices, drugs, alcohol, weapons, tobacco or e-cigarettes, gifts, or money for the inmate. The visitor guide research says contact visits are at least one hour and video visits are 45 minutes, while scheduling windows can run from several days ahead to no more than 60 days ahead.

The PA DOC Inmate Visitation System page is the scheduling source shown below.

Use that state system for SCI Forest visits; Warren County Prison's visiting FAQ applies to county jail custody, not state-prison visits.

SCI Forest Mail

SCI Forest inmate correspondence uses PA DOC statewide mail rules. Personal inmate mail is routed through Smart Communications/PADOC in St. Petersburg, Florida, with the inmate's name, inmate number, and institution included in the address. Facility mail for the institution itself goes to SCI Forest in Marienville. Publication mail, official documents, and legal or privileged mail have separate PA DOC rules. Because inmate number is central to mail and money, confirm the number in the PA DOC locator before sending anything.

Phone service in PA DOC uses Securus. Family and friends must create a phone account, and PA DOC research lists Securus customer phone service. Email or message services use ViaPath/ConnectNetwork, with a separate customer service number. Money is sent through the PA DOC send-money service page rather than a county jail kiosk. The research did not locate a complete SCI Forest commissary price list in the official sources, so deposit fees and item prices should be checked in the state money system before payment.

SCI Forest Intake

SCI Forest intake is not the same as street-arrest booking. A person arrested in Forest County may first go through local court processing and Warren County Prison custody. After a state sentence, male inmates entering PA DOC are processed through the Diagnostic and Classification Center at SCI Camp Hill before institutional assignment. PA DOC says classification can take weeks to months and evaluates security level, health care, psychological needs, treatment programming, and other factors. SCI Forest assignment depends on the statewide classification result, not only on the county where the case began.

State-prison records also differ from county jail records. The PA DOC locator may show DOC number, name, current facility or supervision status, county information, and other non-private profile fields, while county jail records may focus on booking, bail, release, and local court status. Pennsylvania VINE can be used for custody notifications when available, including release, transfer, escape, or recapture alerts. For Forest County local custody before sentencing, start with Warren County Prison; for SCI Forest state custody, start with PA DOC.

SCI Forest Programs

SCI Forest has several specific program features that make the facility profile more than a generic state-prison listing. PA Correctional Industries operates a vehicle restoration plant there, repairing and maintaining snow plows, rims, message boards, and heavy equipment for state and county governments. PA DOC states that the plant employs 43 inmates with potential to increase to 100. The facility also has a Community Work Program crew that assists local nonprofits with mowing and painting and helps with PennDOT Adopt-a-Highway litter cleanup.

Reentry Service Offices help inmates within 18 months of minimum or release dates. Reentry Parole Agents and DOC staff facilitate workshops such as life skills, budgeting, digital literacy, and other reintegration topics. SCI Forest also has a special needs unit, and the population report lists 101 people physically present in that unit as of May 31, 2026. Recent official and local news in the research included an August 2025 Attorney General announcement of charges against a former SCI Forest corrections officer; that matter should be described as alleged unless final disposition is verified.