Allegheny County Jail Oversight Board

Advocacy groups say conditions at Allegheny County Jail need to be addressed more thoroughly.

A class-action lawsuit filed against a number of Allegheny County judges, probation officials, and the county jail warden alleges that they’re overusing probation detainers to keep people in jail in violation of their state and federal constitutional rights.

Two-thirds of the people surveyed in late 2021 were “very unhappy” or “somewhat unhappy” with the jail’s medical services. About 72% of respondents were “very dissatisfied” with food in the jail.

The jail oversight board voted Wednesday to post a job listing and start the hiring process for a jail liaison, who will share reports about the daily ongoings at the jail with the board.

County Executive Rich Fitzgerald announced earlier this week that the National Commission on Correctional Health Care Resources will conduct a “historical review of fatalities” at the jail.

Public commenters at an Allegheny County Jail Oversight Board meeting on Thursday also voiced concerns about food quality and kitchen sanitation, short staffing, and the quality of medical care at the jail.

Allegheny County Councilor Bethany Hallam, who sits on the jail's oversight board, said on a recent surprise visit she saw incarcerated people being fed “ground-up bologna” instead of the meal posted on the menu for that day.

The county’s Bureau of Corrections lists at least 21 vacant health care-related positions and 42 vacant corrections positions as of June 2.

Some people worry a month-long lockdown at the Allegheny County Jail in March may have violated a 2021 referendum on solitary confinement.

COVID-19 case numbers at Allegheny County Jail are dropping, and officials say they are drafting a plan to bring back in-person visits for incarcerated people.