How to Send Money to SCI Retreat (PA)

SCI Retreat follows Pennsylvania DOC guidelines for inmate account deposits, and limits depend on your payment method. Credit cards cap at $300 per card every 72 hours. Money orders max out at $999.99 each, though you can send more than one at a time. Cash and walk-in transactions through MoneyGram allow up to $5,000 per transaction.

Want to help your loved one get a tablet? It doesn't work like ordering something online. Tablets can only be ordered by inmates through the DOC commissary, so you can't buy one directly for them. What you can do is send money to their account through JPay. Once the funds are there, they can place the tablet order through commissary themselves. You'll need a JPay account to send those funds.

Steps to Follow

• ✓ Choose your deposit method, credit card, money order, or MoneyGram cash/walk-in, based on what’s easiest for you.
• ✓ Stay within the credit card limit: up to $300 per credit card every 72 hours.
• ✓ If sending money orders, keep each one at $999.99 or less (you can send multiple).
• ✓ If using MoneyGram cash/walk-in, keep the transaction at $5,000 or less.
• ✓ Do not try to send funds anonymously. Make sure your sender details are accurate and complete.
• ✓ If you’re funding commissary purchases like a tablet, send the money through JPay (a JPay account is required).

1. Send funds to the inmate’s account through JPay. The inmate needs money in their account to cover a tablet purchase, and you need a JPay account to send it.
2. Have the inmate place the order through DOC commissary. Tablets can only be ordered by the inmate through the commissary system, so you cannot place the tablet order yourself.

Before sending money, confirm the current limits for your chosen method. Under Pennsylvania DOC guidelines, the caps are: up to $300 per credit card every 72 hours, $999.99 per money order (multiple money orders allowed), and $5,000 per MoneyGram cash/walk-in transaction. Policies can change, so double-check before you send, especially if it's been a while since your last deposit.

If you're sending money specifically for a tablet purchase, confirm the current ordering process on their end. The key rule: tablets can only be ordered by inmates through the DOC commissary. Any changes that matter most will be how commissary ordering works and what the inmate needs to complete the purchase once funds hit their account.