PLUM, Pa. (KDKA) - A Plum Borough man who previously ran for a seat on Allegheny County Council is in jail and facing nearly a dozen charges. The liaison will provide the JOB monthly reports of complaints regarding ACJ and all other alternative housing facilities. On January 22, 2023, Allegheny County Jail still held about 20 teenagers with no plans on releasing them. On March 7, 2023, WPXI reported that the last medical director at ACJ has resigned. Porter was approved for surgery to resolve his vision problems, the complaint said, but accuses Williams of cancelling the procedure and refusing to reschedule it. Parts of the Allegheny County Jail are plagued with frigid temperatures, according to jail complaints, incarcerated people and their loved ones a problem that has been raised to jail leadership and the jail board. While some complaints are from the current winter, others have said this has been a common issue for years. Some details about the man who died, 74-year old Roger Millspaugh, were, On January 6th, 2022, the first Jail Oversight Board meeting of the new year saw Warden Harper admitting that, that passed in May 2021 with 70% of the countys voters in support. His medical records read, it was decided this was not true suicidal behavior, but was a maladaptive behavior for secondary gain, reflecting symptoms of his personality disorder.. Comments on mental health included The place is very punitive mental torture. 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. . On July 28th, 2022, photos were shared of. ResidentsBusinesses The sheriff's office said Elliot also has active . The purchase cost the fund $6,600 last year, according to the county controllers office. There were also concerns that the jail was violating a voter referendum that had banned solitary confinement by the repeated, On January 18, 2023, it was reported that Denzelle Kendrick was, by the jail and suddenly taken off several medications theyve been on since birth without explanation. Another caller complained about being unnecessarily quarantined after testing negative for Covid. Group files 60-plus misconduct complaints against Allegheny County Last updated: March 17, 2023. On June 28, 2022, an article from Vox about national problems with healthcare at jails featured the story of Clayton McCray, who lost his leg after being held in the Allegheny County Jail on drug posession charges without proper care for his chronic condition. by Allegheny County Controller Corey OConnor and Terri Klein, both members of the countys Jail Oversight Board, found numerous problems reported by folks held in the jail. In incidents where staff were found to have violated policy, ACJ administration took timely disciplinary action against involved staff who violated policy and held the employees accountable, the report said. She can be reached at juliette@publicsource.org or on Twitter @JulietteRihl. During the 10 months Joshua Reber worked as an Allegheny County Jail guard on female pod 4D in 2015, he sexually assaulted at least three inmates in second-floor, off-camera cells, according to the former inmates' lawsuits. Parts of the Allegheny County Jail are plagued with frigid temperatures, according to jail complaints, incarcerated people and their loved ones a problem that has been raised to jail leadership and the jail board. Thats not food, commented at least one person on Twitter. The statistics show large numbers of people held in solitary for days and weeks, and one person identified as a 26-year old Black Male who has been held in solitary for NEARLY TWO YEARS (684 days at the time of the report). Downs confirmed that the readings were taken inside the cells, not just in the recreational areas. You will need to have some identifying information about the person you allege committed a crime (full name, date of birth, address, etc.). He was being. one woman held while pregnant who was forced to give birth in the jail, an intimate view of the atrocities that make up daily life in the Allegheny County Jail, how the jail was using the Inmate Welfare Fund, the jail was profiting from a new phone contract, the jails commissary contract was intentionally providing inadequate meals, inadequate treatment and dehumanizing and unlawful conditions, inadequate mental health care and treatment, couldnt retain medical staff and ultimately quit, lawsuit was filed against the jail on behalf of 3 people with disabilities who faced brutality, some baloney in some applesauce with a small 1oz bag of teddy grahams, a continued lack of communication and transparency, torture at the jail by excessive and punitive use of restraint chairs, The warden needs to be addressed. Allegheny County Jail Warden Harper Should Resign Or Be Removed From Office Make a gift of $7/month or more to get yours today! Every holiday season, the jails Inmate Welfare Fund buys every incarcerated person a thermal shirt to help keep warm. On February 9, 2023, a new PA Prison Society survey found that Almost everyone surveyed (95%) reported regularly going hungry due to insufficient meal portions or inedible food. A majority of those held also reported feeling unsafe, witnessing physical abuse, widespread unsantiary conditions, and unsatisfactory access to medical care. In late October 2021, reports show that the jail has been on a 231 (23 hours in cells with 1 hour of time outside for hygiene or recreation) has been the regular at the jail since roughly the start of the pandemic. The Allegheny County Jail has had people in solitary confinement for weeks and Warden Harper refuses to give them hearings or release them. was being kept by supervisors to be fed to people held in the jail. Warden Harpers response: , A report from the end of September 2021 identified that. He was then placed in a restraint chair for eight hours, with no opportunity to wash the mace off his face. 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. . The organization said the jail should create a checklist to ensure thorough reporting. The report also said that officers checking on people incarcerated at the jail should be checking for signs of life and not just walking by each cell. What did you expect to happen?. that dramatically understated the death rate at the jail. ASAP was designed to handle all murder, misdemeanor and felony complaints from three possible paths: on-view arrest, summons, or warrant service. The report released Thursday said almost all of the recommendations in that report have been implemented. Juliette Rihl reports on criminal justice, public safety and mental health for PublicSource. On October 5th, 2022, it was reported by PINJ that Wilson Bernales, one of two medical doctors currently employed at the Allegheny County Jail, has. in the last month at the Allegheny County Jail. The lawsuit includes an allegation that Harper ordered staff in the mens Restricted Housing Unit to withhold privileges or use force against anyone requesting mental health care to compel the person requesting help to be silent.. PITTSBURGH A local public interest law firm has filed 62 complaints against a county judge, who it accuses of "impatient, undignified, and discourteous" behavior and bias against Black men, older people, and people with mental or behavioral health issues. Allegheny County | Always Inspiring 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. On August 14th, 2022, it was a reported that a fifth person has died at the jail this year, 17 total since early 2020. Start testing now. They also allege that jail medical staff admitted not knowing how to provide care for LGBTQ+ folks. % On February 27, 2023, lawyers in a federal lawsuit against the jail stated that, . Allegheny County Jail Needs New Leadership -- Fire the Warden! While some complaints are from the current winter, others have said this has been a common issue for years. Family only discovered this by requesting medical records from the jail and hospital. Officers said. Family now wants to know. During a recent meeting, the Allegheny County Jail Oversight Board voted against a motion . The complaint . Lawsuit says lack of treatment at Allegheny County Jail led to leg <>>> On April 27, 2022, a letter was published detailing the on-going use of solitary confinement to punish and torture folks held at the Allegheny County Jail despite the voter referendum banning the practice in 2021. Last updated: March 17, 2023. Officials cite the food supplier as having a conflict of interest in its contracts with Allegheny County since it also has a contract for the commissary where it charges huge prices for snacks outside of the regular meals. A report commissioned by Allegheny County Jail found "no significant trends or common factors that would show a particular weakness or gap in operations" that led to 27 inmate deaths at the. More by Juliette Rihl. Its long overdue, said Bret Grote, the legal director for the Abolitionist Law Center, one of the organizations that filed the complaint. The lawsuit contends the lack of care begins at intake and that there is no individual counseling or trauma therapy available. Community members and Allegheny County Jail employees say the county jail is dealing with severe staffing issues. Allegheny County Jail is seen from Mt. In late September 2021, after repeatedly refusing to give the Jail Oversight Board more information on Garcia and C-SAU training, the JOB voted to end the contract and ban Garcia from providing any further training to the county. In August 2021, it came to light that Warden Harper was negotiating contracts for, , as well as purchasing more less-lethal weapons such as so-called rubber bullets (which can actually cause serious injury and even death in many circumstances, such as direct fire and close quarters that would be the case inside the jail). On June 29, 2022, it was reported that Dolly Bucek, ex-wife of Martin Bucek who died in the jail one year ago, has filed a lawsuit against the county in federal court. The federal, ordered that no child is to be held in an adult jail unless in the interests of Justice. However, follow-ups with the complainants showed that the jail had sent police to intimidate the complainers, and interviewed them under duress without the presence of lawyers or informing complainants of their rights. The county requested the review after four people died at the jail during the first seven months of last year. Criminal Procedure Allegheny County District Attorney's Office Preliminary Arraignment 7. This militarization seems to be a direct response to the citizen referendum banning solitary confinement. In late September 2021, after repeatedly refusing to give the Jail Oversight Board more information on Garcia and C-SAU training, the JOB voted to end the contract and ban Garcia from providing any further training to the county. On June 2, 2022, the Abolitionist Law Center held a rally outside of the Jail Oversight Board monthly meeting to ask Are we running a jail or a cemetery? The Jail has so far refused details about the deaths that have occurred in the jail and families are demanding answers. 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. Carefully consider if Allegheny County is the appropriate place to file for custody. found that Almost everyone surveyed (95%) reported regularly going hungry due to insufficient meal portions or inedible food. A majority of those held also reported feeling unsafe, witnessing physical abuse, widespread unsantiary conditions, and unsatisfactory access to medical care. 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., In February 2020, there were serious questions about, In July 2020, it was made publicly known that. , despite the Allegheny County Jail having the most use of force incidents in the whole state in 2020. from the jail administration resulting in joining calls for Harper to be fired, stating Whether Warden Orlando Harper was lying or simply didnt know better when he reported a false mortality rate for the Allegheny County Jail doesnt much matter. Complaints; Resources; Frequently Asked Questions; On Election Day; Board of Elections; . . Jail Oversight Board (JOB) Liaison -HR Careers he has also alienated his staff and the public, and lacks the management skills to direct the jails 560 employees. Harper also showed hostility to other questions regarding staffing and visitation at the jail, refusing to answer questions publicly saying he will only discuss privately (quite possibly a violation of Sunshine Act). 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.. According to court records pulled by the Trib, Thomas was on probation when he was pulled over by undercover officers in Pittsburghs Hill District. ACJ is failing to provide any meaningful mental health care to those in its custody, and in many cases is actually punishing individuals for seeking help, says Alexandra Morgan-Kurtz of the PILP [Pennsylvania Institutional Law Project].