Philadelphia Department of Prisons (PDP) volunteers help provide educational and spiritual support to the incarcerated population. As a volunteer, you’ll uphold the Volunteer Services Division’s mission to develop, advocate for, and promote character building opportunities for incarcerated individuals and aid in their successful reentry to society.
Volunteers are assigned to the following PDP facilities:
- Curran-Fromhold Corrections Facility
- Detention Center
- Philadelphia Industrial Correctional Center
- Riverside Correctional Facility
Requirements
To be a PDP volunteer, you must:
- Be 21 years of age or older.
- Have a valid state identification card.
- Complete a background check.
- Complete 16 hours of training with the PDP training academy.
If you’ve been previously incarcerated, you must wait six months after your release from prison before applying to become a PDP volunteer. Your participation will be subject to the approval of the Commissioner of the Philadelphia Prisons.
If you’re a relative of an incarcerated person, you must disclose that information when you apply to become a PDP volunteer. You won’t be assigned to the same facility where your relative is housed.
How
You should email your application to pdp.volunteer@prisons.phila.gov.
If your application is accepted, you’ll be referred to the PDP training academy. The academy staff will contact you with instructions for how to begin your background check.
If your application doesn’t match a program need, you’ll receive a rejection notice.