Restore and Expand Access to Books at Allegheny County Jail
Allegheny County Jail, Warden Orlando Harper, County Executive Rich Fitzgerald
The ability to order books for our incarcerated loved ones, friends and clients from an expanded list of approved vendors,
The recognition by county officials of the rights of incarcerated persons at the ACJ to access, use, and read physical materials (book, magazines, manuals, etc
Book 'Em, Pittsburgh's local Books to Prisoners Program, be allowed to send books directly to individuals at the jail so they can have FREE access to books.
The immediate establishment of a comprehensive, expanding and funded library of culturally, legally, and educationally enriching materials that meets or exceeds the best practices and standards of carceral libraries, accompanied by regular and universal access for all.
Public transparency from Allegheny County Jail about which titles are currently available on the tablets and how they are selected ; the rules, regulations, and restrictions for the use of tablets including time allotments and the qualifiers and rationale used to determine which individuals are prohibited from use of the tablets.
The Jail's move to E-books and a very limited library that they control is censorship and a monopoly that we fully reject.
Petition by
To:
Allegheny County Jail, Warden Orlando Harper, County Executive Rich Fitzgerald
From:
[Your Name]
We are concerned individuals who care about the conditions of incarcerated people at the Allegheny County Jail (ACJ) as well as the people who work there. Given the lockdown procedures and protocols at the ACJ, we are deeply worried about the long term impacts the new book policy will have on the ACJ population, the majority of whom have NOT been convicted of a crime and in the eyes of the law are innocent until proven guilty.
On November 16th, ACJ announced a new policy to limit the acceptance of physical books while they transition to an online only option. This policy would censor and restrict books, only allowing people to access <300 ebooks and a meager offering of physical books that are already difficult to access. Join us in demanding Warden Orlando Harper and County Executive Rich Fitzgerald rescind this policy immediately and respect the rights of incarcerated people, their loved ones, and the people who work with them. We know people who are already suffering because of the inhumane conditions at Allegheny County Jail, and fear this new policy will make things worse.
As such, we demand the following:
-The ability to order books for our incarcerated loved ones, friends and clients from an expanded list of approved vendors,
-The recognition by county officials of the rights of incarcerated persons at the ACJ to access, use, and read physical materials (book, magazines, manuals, etc
-Book 'Em, Pittsburgh's local Books to Prisoners Program, be allowed to send books directly to individuals at the jail so they can have FREE access to books.
-The immediate establishment of a comprehensive, expanding and funded library of culturally, legally, and educationally enriching materials that meets or exceeds the best practices and standards of carceral libraries, accompanied by regular and universal access for all.
-Public transparency from Allegheny County Jail about which titles are currently available on the tablets and how they are selected ; the rules, regulations, and restrictions for the use of tablets including time allotments and the qualifiers and rationale used to determine which individuals are prohibited from use of the tablets.
The Jail's move to E-books and a very limited library that they control is censorship and a monopoly that we fully reject.