Allegheny County Jail oversight board to review how inmates are disciplined
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The Allegheny County Jail Oversight Board is taking initial steps to review how discipline is meted out at the facility to ensure that all inmates are treated fairly.
The decision to begin that process came Thursday evening after an initial motion on the matter made by Allegheny County Councilperson-at-large Bethany Hallam was withdrawn.
Her motion sought to require jail administrators to create a monthly report detailing what punishments for inmates were meted out — such as time spent in restricted housing and loss of commissary or recreation time — without identifying inmates by name.
Hallam asked that the report break down the initial accusations, length of punishment, the types used and whether inmates had a misconduct hearing.
“I believe this is necessary to keep track of whether or not punishments are being handed down justifiably or uniformly,” she said.
However, Warden Orlando Harper said that he would not be able to provide such a report without identifying inmates. He said that discipline is handled on a case-by-case basis, and such a report would lack necessary context.
For example, he said, in June, 246 misconducts were written, and, as of Thursday, 125 inmates were segregated from the general population.
Harper said that, in the midst of the pandemic, as well as the jail’s efforts to implement suicide prevention measures, generating such a disciplinary report would be too difficult.
“There’s just so much going on without giving additional reports with 371 possible entries,” he said.
Hallam said understanding how discipline is handled is essential to protect against potential racial disparity.
“It is our duty to provide oversight of the jail.”
President Judge Kim Berkeley Clark, the chair of the board, agreed that she would be concerned about any possible disparities. She suggested that the members start by learning the jail’s disciplinary policies and how they are applied.
After Hallam raised the possibility of creating a subcommittee to look at the issue, Deputy County Manager Barbara Parees suggested, instead, that it be studied by the whole board.
“I understand your desire to determine whether punishments are justified or fair,” she said. “I really do think the details are really important.”
The board members agreed they would receive policy information from the warden and then seek assistance from a data analyst to determine what they might need to do a fair review.