Issue
Deaths, leadership, pay, protections, and oversight at the county jail.
County Council
Medical emergencies at the Allegheny County Jail are climbing, and the jail is short on staff. On Sept. 8, three county council members proposed letting sheriff's deputies use leg shackles during medical transport and care. That would soften a 2021 ban on shackling people held at the jail. For now, the proposal sits with council's public safety committee.
County Council
Allegheny County has been awarded $2.15 million in state money for alternatives to incarceration. On July 9, a council committee voted to move forward with accepting it. The grant would pay for two probation officers, a hearing officer, staff training, and equipment. Council's final vote is set for July 14.
County Council
Allegheny County Jail Warden Trevor Wingard leaves at the end of July after 18 months. Now, it's up to the county executive and the Jail Oversight Board to find his replacement. The county executive will name an interim warden before he leaves. A search for a permanent warden begins within a few months, a council member said.
County Council
Federal protections against sexual abuse cover transgender people in jails, but an Allegheny County Council member said they may be removed. Her proposed ordinance would write those protections into county law for the jail and juvenile detention center. It would also set a zero-tolerance standard for rape. On May 14, a council committee unanimously recommended it for a final vote.
County Council
Until this month, Allegheny County Jail workers weren't paid at all. Now, they earn $5 a day, and those in educational programs earn $2 per class. A council member said 377 workers got their first payments in early April. Still, people doing custodial work on their own pod won't be paid until a second phase, which has no start date.
County Council
Back in 2021, voters approved limits on solitary confinement and some uses of force at the county jail. A jail employees' union argued the limits should be subject to bargaining. A labor board and two lower courts ruled against it, so the union has appealed to the state Supreme Court. This week, county council voted to have its solicitor decide whether to file a brief.
County Council
About 20 people died in Allegheny County Jail custody from 2020 to 2025, TribLive reported. Now, county council has unanimously passed legislation requiring the medical examiner to prioritize investigating those deaths. Reports must reach the warden, the Jail Oversight Board, and the county manager within three business days of completion. Still, it doesn't address public access to autopsy reports.