Recently, on December 11th, 2020, 15 former Allegheny County Jail employees spoke out, describing "impossible workloads, insufficient staffing, being directed to do tasks that they worried threatened their medical licenses and management they denounced as “hostile” and underqualified." (see: https://www.publicsource.org/former-allegheny-county-jail-medical-mental-health-employees-speak-out/)

Such allegations are not new, sadly. A short but sadly not comprehensive list of recent allegations against the jail:

In April 2019, Representative Summer Lee and others spoke out about the treatment of people with drug addictions, including the experience of one woman held while pregnant who was forced to give birth in the jail. According to the Post-Gazette: "Deuerling was not allowed to contact the baby’s father when she went into labor, and her family was not allowed to be present during the birth, Mr. Grote said, adding that a sheriff’s deputy stayed in the room the whole time. Deuerling was limited in the time she was allowed to hold her infant, he said, and she was not allowed to shower for two days." (see: https://www.post-gazette.com/news/crime-courts/2019/04/26/joss-duerling-bret-grote-pregnant-inmate-allegheny-county-jail-birth-summer-lee/stories/201904260146)

In May 2019, lawyer Bret Grote wrote about the "travesty of the Allegheny County Jail", describing to the Trib: "As a civil rights attorney, I have had an intimate view of the atrocities that make up daily life in the Allegheny County Jail. These include pepper spray and Taser attacks on people with severe mental health diagnoses; routine placement of people with serious mental illness and intellectual disability in solitary confinement; jailing of pregnant women — who never get enough food — for minor probation violations; consistent failures to provide medical and mental health treatment; and routine days-long lockdowns that keep the entire jail trapped in their cells for no reason whatsoever." (see: https://triblive.com/opinion/bret-grote-the-travesty-of-the-allegheny-county-jail/)

In February 2020, there were serious questions about how the jail was using the Inmate Welfare Fund. (see: https://triblive.com/local/pittsburgh-allegheny/use-of-inmate-funds-at-allegheny-county-jail-questioned/)

In July 2020, it was made publicly known that the jail was profiting from a new phone contract that overcharges those in the jail and their families trying to reach their loved ones. (see: https://www.pittsburghcurrent.com/acj-phone-profits/)

In August 2020, it was also made publicly known that the jail's commissary contract was intentionally providing inadequate meals in order to boost more sales of overpriced commissary snacks, to which a 30% commission on sales was being given to the county, presumably going to the jail. (see: https://www.post-gazette.com/news/crime-courts/2020/08/03/Audit-reveals-food-disparities-contract-issues-at-Allegheny-County-Jail-Shuman-Juvenile-Detention-Center/stories/202007310101).

In September 2020, a class-action lawsuit was filed against the jail and top officials at the jail including the Warden, alleging "inadequate" treatment and "dehumanizing and unlawful" conditions. From PublicSource: "The lawsuit claims the jail does not provide meaningful treatment for individuals with mental health diagnoses and instead uses solitary confinement, irritant spray, a restraint chair and other forceful tactics." (see: https://www.publicsource.org/acj-sued-inmates-psychiatric-disabilities-mental-health/)

In November 2020, the jail attempted to remove inmate access to books, reversing its decision only after public outcry. (see: https://www.publicsource.org/allegheny-county-jail-book-restricted-inmate-mental-health-pandemic/)

In December 2020, more people that were held in the jail for mental health services spoke out about the inadequate care and treatment received by police and the jail. (see: https://www.publicsource.org/allegheny-county-behavioral-mental-health-resolve-crisis-services-upmc/).

Further in December 2020, several former medical executives at the jail spoke out about why they couldn't retain medical staff and ultimately quit, citing numerous problems including, from one former executive: "A lack of leadership, a lack of orienting new staff, a lack of willingness to change their old ways." (see: https://triblive.com/local/jail-oversight-board-to-investigate-why-high-ranking-medical-administrators-keep-quitting/)

Also in December 2020, another lawsuit was filed against the jail on behalf of 3 people with disabilities who faced brutality. "The complaint describes numerous assaults by [Sergeant John] Raible against people with disabilities involving the over use of pepper spray, tasers and placing people with disabilities in a restraint chair for hours without food, water, medicine, or breaks to relieve themselves." The lawsuit also alleges that "[Warden] Harper, [Chief Deputy] Zewto, and [Deputy Chief of Operations] Beasom knew that ACJ officers routinely used excessive force on individuals with psychiatric disabilities" and did not provide adequate supervision or training of jail staff. (see: https://abolitionistlawcenter.org/2020/12/02/lawsuit-against-acj-sergeant-brutalizing-disabled-women/)

A recent video from December 2020 shows the "dinner" given to folks being held in the jail: it consisted of some baloney in some applesauce with a small 1oz bag of teddy grahams. (see: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1OTzEHLStTcLoqxoMMjYtXgJHU2SQGmy1/view) Folks being held are supposed to get nutritious meals, this is unacceptable.

In January 2021, several Jail Oversight Board members expressed frustration that they learned more about the jail from journalists than the Warden and administration, showing a continued lack of communication and transparency. (see: https://www.publicsource.org/allegheny-county-jail-board-media-records/).

In February 2021, more allegations came out about "torture" at the jail by excessive and punitive use of restraint chairs. Warden Harper and Deputy Warden Williams appear to have known about this use of the chairs. (see: https://www.publicsource.org/restraint-chair-allegheny-county-jail-mental-health/)

Also in February 2021, more allegations about the mishandling of the COVID-19 pandemic in the jail. According to one person, "The warden needs to be addressed. What he’s doing there is torture.” Deputy Warden Williams was also alleged to refuse to wear protective equipment while meeting with those held in the jail, and refusing to take action on their COVID concerns. (see: https://www.pittsburghcurrent.com/what-it-is-like-to-live-on-the-covid-19-isolation-unit-at-the-allegheny-county-jail/) Possibly as a result of this poor policy, it was reported on March 1st, 2021, that COVID-19 infections in the jail have skyrocketed (see: https://triblive.com/local/covid-cases-continue-to-climb-at-allegheny-county-jail/).

In March 2021, several allegations came out regarding lack of heat in jail cells, cold enough to see your breath and be a health hazard. While some complaints are from the current winter, others have said this has been a common issue for years. (see: https://www.publicsource.org/allegheny-county-jail-cold-temperature-complaints/)

Also in March 2021, PublicSource requested documentation on the jail's internal policies and received heavily redacted versions. Compared with other counties, PublicSource noted that "Correctional experts PublicSource spoke to described Allegheny County’s redactions, which were made by Warden Orlando Harper, as outside the norm and harmful to transparency." The behavior clearly outside the norm and hostile to transparency is deeply concerning, especially in light of years of other complaints against the jail as outlined above. (see: https://www.publicsource.org/allegheny-county-jail-transparency-pa/)

These allegations show not just a "one-off" mistake or accident, but a pattern of behavior at the jail that has repeatedly and for years gone without urgent corrective action. This is clearly a failure of oversight and leadership by top jail staff, including Warden Orlando Harper. The on-going nature of these problems and attrition of staff show that there cannot be change in jail procedures and policies without a change in jail leadership.

I call on Warden Orlando Harper and the Deputy Wardens Williams, Zewto, and Beasom to immediately resign in the interests of facilitating new leadership and better conditions at the jail in conformance with state, national, and international law.

I furthermore call on Allegheny County elected officials to take immediate action to remove the warden and deputy wardens if they refuse to resign. These repeated allegations must be taken seriously to ensure international human rights are respected and real change actually takes place at the jail.

The Allegheny County Council and Executive must take steps to ensure replacement leadership prioritizes human rights, social services, and humane treatment, and works with the courts and District Attorney's office to permanently reduce the jail population. There is an urgent need to reduce the population for safety during COVID-19, but even beyond the pandemic we must reduce the jail population. A 2016 study showed that up to 81% of all people held in the jail have not been found guilty of a crime and are only held because of lack of funds to pay cash bail -- a ransom, really. This result is backed up by a recent survey by PublicSource that found a large number of folks held in the jail are held for "technical" violations, including not paying a parking ticket or other fines, not for any criminal offense. (see: https://projects.publicsource.org/true-cost-of-court-debt/part-four.html)

Replacing the Warden and deputy wardens should be a first step to further jail and criminal court system reform, such as ending cash bail and sending non-violent offenders home, especially in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic that puts all in the jail at risk. County officials should furthermore consider how to better make use of the jails $80+ million budget by redirecting some of that funding to social services like healthcare and mental health care.