FDC Philadelphia
| Location | 700 Arch Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (Center City, near Independence Mall) |
|---|---|
| Status | Active |
| Classification | Administrative (all security levels) |
| Capacity | approximately 1,030 |
| Population | approximately 941 (September 2026) |
| Opened | January 1, 2000 |
| Managed by | Federal Bureau of Prisons |
The Federal Detention Center, Philadelphia (FDC Philadelphia) is an administrative-security federal detention facility at 700 Arch Street in Center City Philadelphia, steps from Independence Mall. Operated by the Federal Bureau of Prisons, it holds men and women — mostly federal pretrial detainees from the U.S. Marshals Service for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, the District of New Jersey, and the District of Delaware — plus sentenced work-cadre inmates and, since 2025, a significant ICE detainee population.
The 12-story facility opened on January 1, 2000, and is connected to the James A. Byrne U.S. Courthouse by a secure tunnel — the design brief of a detention center in miniature: move defendants to court without ever taking them outside.
Facility
Address: 700 Arch Street, Philadelphia, PA 19106 (mailing: PO Box 562, Philadelphia, PA 19105). Phone: (215) 521-4000. 628 cells; roughly 941 held as of September 2026, including about 120 sentenced female work-cadre inmates.
Who Is Held Here
FDC Philadelphia serves three federal districts — E.D. Pa., D.N.J., and D. Del. — plus U.S. Parole Commission revocation cases. Since 2025 it has also been a designated ICE detention site, the largest in the Northeast, averaging roughly 94 ICE detainees per day with a designated capacity of 120.
Conditions and Controversies
In 2024, a correctional officer sexually assaulted a female inmate; he pleaded guilty in December 2025 and received a 30-year federal sentence in May 2026. In January 2026, Parady La — a 46-year-old Cambodian American refugee — died after being found unresponsive at the facility three days into ICE detention; her family and the ACLU of Pennsylvania demanded accountability. Rep. Mary Gay Scanlon was denied entry during a September 2025 visit and has pressed oversight of ICE detention conditions at the facility since.
Earlier: a May 2023 beating death in the special housing unit; a former warden convicted in 2011; an officer convicted of sexual coercion in 2012.
Visiting
Legal visits run weekdays and weekend mornings; social visiting follows the BOP detention pattern with scheduled blocks. Phone: (215) 521-4000.
In the News
- Former FDC Philadelphia correctional officer who sexually abused inmate sentenced to 30 years — officer sentenced May 18, 2026. DOJ, E.D. Pa. (May 2026). [1]
- Family demands answers after Parady La's death in ICE custody at FDC Philadelphia — death three days into ICE detention. WHYY (January 16, 2026). [2]
- Rep. Mary Gay Scanlon denied access to ICE detention center — congressional oversight blocked. WHYY (September 2, 2025). [3]
- ICE detainees at FDC Philadelphia 'treated like federal prisoners,' Scanlon says — the ICE population at the Northeast's largest ICE detention site. WHYY (January 30, 2026). [4]
- Narcan administered before Parady La death at Philadelphia ICE facility — timeline details of the La death. CBS Philadelphia (February 5, 2026). [5]
Community Discussions
First-person threads from Reddit (r/prison and similar communities) — useful for what the official sources don't say:
- r/philly — where ICE is in Philly (FDC, 700 Arch St) — local awareness thread
- r/legal — can someone go to prison prior to trial? — FDC Philadelphia's pretrial role explained
- r/OnTheBlock — anyone worked FDC Philly? — staff experiences
Notable Detainees and Residents
- Clare Bronfman — NXIVM financier; released June 2025
- Kaboni Savage — drug kingpin; death sentences commuted to life December 2024
- Barry Croft Jr. — Whitmer kidnapping plot, ~19.5 years
- Lil' Kim — perjury case, released 2006
- AR-Ab — Philadelphia rapper, 45-year drug-trafficking sentence
See Also
References
- ↑ "Former FDC Philadelphia correctional officer who sexually abused inmate sentenced to 30 years". DOJ, E.D. Pa.. Retrieved November 10, 2026.
- ↑ "Family demands answers after Parady La's death in ICE custody at FDC Philadelphia". WHYY. Retrieved November 10, 2026.
- ↑ "Rep. Mary Gay Scanlon denied access to ICE detention center". WHYY. Retrieved November 10, 2026.
- ↑ "ICE detainees at FDC Philadelphia 'treated like federal prisoners,' Scanlon says". WHYY. Retrieved November 10, 2026.
- ↑ "Narcan administered before Parady La death at Philadelphia ICE facility". CBS Philadelphia. Retrieved November 10, 2026.