Jail board members urge county to free nonviolent offenders
Two members of the oversight board that monitors the Allegheny County Jail said Friday that if county officials don’t move quickly to reduce the inmate population by a substantial percentage in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, the whole Pittsburgh region will be at risk.
Allegheny County Controller Chelsa Wagner and atlarge County Councilwoman Bethany Hallam, who sit on the board tasked with ensuring that the jail is managed properly, joined justice reform organizations to urge county officials to release nonviolent offenders and those held on probation violations — among other groups — from the jail that they say is already crowded and unsanitary enough as it is.
Ms. Wagner said that, to start, the county should be more transparent about what it plans to do with the more than 2,100 inmates in the jail.
“As a mother, as somebody who has a family, I can’t emphasize enough that this is something that is not only impacting those people and the families that have a loved one who is being held at the jail, but also all of the families [of those who] work in the jail,” Ms. Wagner said on a conference call with reporters Friday, noting that jail employees routinely come and go from the facility and thus could spread the virus through the community if someone gets infected.
The oversight board members said they’re urging county Executive Rich Fitzgerald to use his emergency powers to mandate a significant reduction in the jail population by releasing those who are charged with misdemeanors and awaiting trial; those who are alleged to have committed a parole or probation violation; and those who are awaiting trial for drug possession, sex work and other nonviolent offenses.
These recommendations will be included in legislation introduced by Ms. Hallam and Councilwoman Liv
Bennett in County Council next week. The ordinance will also direct the county to consider, on a case-by-case basis, the release of other inmates, especially those who are elderly, medically vulnerable, pregnant or under 18.
County spokeswoman Amie Downs said that “the unilateral release of inmates from the jail is not something under the authority of the County Executive” — though the oversight members insist Mr. Fitzgerald can exercise expanded powers under an emergency declaration.
In a joint statement issued this week, criminal court administrators, the Public Defender’s Office and the District Attorney’s Office said they are reviewing cases to determine which inmates are “appropriate for release” — cases that are then “addressed in Motions Court or reviewed with the assigned judge depending on the circumstances.”
“This review is not limited to just those inmates with health problems, although those cases are being considered first,” the statement read. “The Public Defender’s Office is working to identify all nonviolent inmates held only on cash bails.”
Ms. Downs said that as of Friday afternoon, 208 inmates had been released from the facility, with another 78 approved for release.
“This is a remarkable effort when the time span that this is occurring in is taken into consideration,” she said.
For those who remain in the jail, administrators have moved to ramp up facilitywide cleaning sessions and the availability of disinfectants, institute additional screening for new inmates and reduce access to the jail by “nonessential visitors,” according to the county. Since inmates aren’t allowed outside contact, they’re being permitted one free five-minute phone call every day, the county says.