Mail, photos, messaging, and phone/call options for staying in touch.
SCI Somerset runs PA DOC video visits through Zoom. You'll receive a Video Call URL or Zoom meeting details for each scheduled visit, and you can join up to five minutes early. All non-attorney video visits are recorded and may be monitored; visits with legal counsel are not recorded. Inmates can purchase DOC-approved tablets sold through ViaPath Technologies, but the order must go through the DOC commissary. Family and friends can help fund tablet purchases and related services by sending money through a JPay account. Questions about tablets? Contact ViaPath at 877-650-4249. After release, the DOC tablet must be returned to ViaPath to remove the mortality timer and restore Wi‑Fi and camera functions.
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Want to help someone at SCI Somerset get a tablet? Here's the key thing to know: the inmate has to order the tablet themselves through commissary. If you want to help cover the cost, you send funds through JPay.
Mail to SCI Somerset doesn't go directly to the prison. Pennsylvania DOC routes all incoming personal correspondence through a central processing center, so your letter, card, or photos need to be addressed to Smart Communications' P.O. Box in Florida. Include the institution name (SCI Somerset), your loved one's full name, and their inmate number to avoid delays.
Join using the Video Call URL or the Zoom meeting details provided for your scheduled visit. You can enter up to five minutes before the start time; the IVS iOS instructions direct visitors to use the Zoom Cloud Meetings app and join with the link or meeting ID/password.
Yes. All non-attorney video visits are audio/video recorded and subject to review. Video visits with attorneys are not recorded.
The inmate must order a DOC-approved tablet through the DOC commissary, and you can fund purchases by sending money through a JPay account. For tablet sales or order questions, call ViaPath Technologies at 877-650-4249. After release, former inmates are instructed to return the DOC tablet to ViaPath to remove the mortality timer and restore Wi‑Fi and camera functions.
Send letters, photos, and other general correspondence to Smart Communications/PA DOC at P.O. Box 33028, St. Petersburg, FL 33733, and include the inmate’s full name, number, and institution name. Photos are limited to 25 per mailing and originals are destroyed after 45 days. Letters must include a full return address, be printed on 8½ x 11 paper, and can’t be bound like a book.
Books, magazines, calendars, and other publications must be mailed to the DOC Security Processing Center (SPC) at 268 Bricker Road, Bellefonte, PA 16823-1667 (not the Smart Communications P.O. Box). Photo books must be soft cover, no more than 25 pages (excluding the cover), and no larger than 8x11 inches.
Privileged legal mail must include a DOC-issued attorney or court control number and the required weekly secondary authentication on the envelope. It must be addressed to the institution’s legal mailing address and should contain only documents that originated from the sending attorney or court.
Planning a video visit with someone at SCI Somerset? It helps to know what's private and what isn't. Most video visits are recorded, but attorney visits work differently.
Bringing children to visit someone at SCI Somerset? Good news: minors don't need their own IVS account. You add them under your parent or guardian account, then schedule the visit through IVS.
Need to send something official to your loved one at SCI Somerset? Things like IDs, checks, or paperwork requiring a signature should go through the Business Office. This ensures the facility can track originals and handle signatures and return mailing properly.
