Allegheny County Jail Warden Harper Should Resign Or Be Removed From Office
Harper's track record of human rights violations and abuses should immediately disqualify him, yet the county executive and jail oversight board so far seem unwilling to hold him accountable.
Note: this was initially published as part of an Action Network petition in late December 2020, then published on Medium. A slightly edited version is republished below for easier and wider sharing, and to better document the complaints. It may continue to be edited to add any future complaints until Harper is removed and conditions in the jail change. Last updated: October 21, 2023.
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.”
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.”
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.”
In February 2020, there were serious questions about how the jail was using the Inmate Welfare Fund.
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.
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.
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.”
In November 2020, the jail attempted to remove inmate access to books, reversing its decision only after public outcry.
In December 2020, more people that were held in the jail for mental health services spoke out about the inadequate mental health care and treatment received from police and the jail.
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.”
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.
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. 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.
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.
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. Possibly as a result of this poor policy, it was reported on March 1st, 2021, that COVID-19 infections in the jail have skyrocketed.
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.
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.
In July 2021, video became public of a jail officer’s taser attack against a handcuffed woman in a cell. “The video speaks for itself; this is an unjustifiable assault from behind on a person who is handcuffed that included the use of a dangerous electro-shock weapon,” wrote attorney Bret Grote. “An abuse of authority of such severity cannot be treated with impunity.” The county is fighting a lawsuit and defending the officer.
Also in July 2021, questions arose about the death of a man held in the jail. Jail Oversight Board members cited that the learned about this incident from folks in the jail, not from the warden, continuing a pattern of secrecy by jail leadership including the warden.
In August 2021, it came to light that Warden Harper was negotiating contracts for military-style training for jail staff, 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). This militarization seems to be a direct response to the citizen referendum banning solitary confinement. The contractor hired to give this militarized training has himself faced criminal charges and other accusations, leading many to question the contract. On September 1st, Warden Harper responded to increasing criticism over these contracts and dismissed concerns over use of force, despite the Allegheny County Jail having the most use of force incidents in the whole state in 2020.
Also in August 2021, a report issued by Warden Harper dated for July 2021 on work toward implementing the solitary confinement ban voters approved in the municipal election was called into question by oversight board members. 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).
Later in August 2021, incarcerated individuals signed affidavits alleging that the jail is not providing adequate food. 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.
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. Warden Harper’s response: “I do not intend to follow it”.
A report from the end of September 2021 identified that at least 3 people have died in the last month at the Allegheny County Jail.
In October 2021, it was reported that a fifth person, Paul Allen, had died at the Jail in the last year, making the death rate per population at ACJ higher than infamous brutal jails such as Rikers Island. Officials especially on the Jail Oversight Board continue to express their frustration with how non-transparent Warden Harper continues to be.
In late October 2021, reports show that the jail has been on a 23–1 (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’s use of 23–1 lockdowns is highly unusual and puts it as an “outlier” compared to other jails. “For anyone to say that this jail is normal is absolutely outrageous,” said Susan McCampbell, president of Center for Innovative Public Policies. Folks report suffering anxiety and mental health issues due to experiencing the 23-and-1 torture policy, long after getting out of jail.
In early December 2021, days before a voter referendum banning solitary confinement is to go into effect, jail staff are warning that Harper’s administration is not prepared to actually implement it. A written statement from the Corrections Officer Union was read at a Jail Oversight Board meeting, in which the Warden was called out for not providing enough information to staff, and for making it more difficult to comply with the referendum during a pandemic by cramming people into just a few housing units while other units sit empty.
On December 22nd, 2021, the jail reported to oversight yet another death, the 6th in 2021. Some details about the man who died, 74-year old Roger Millspaugh, were later released.
On January 6th, 2022, the first Jail Oversight Board meeting of the new year saw Warden Harper admitting that nearly 300 people were still being kept in solitary confinement conditions, in direct violation of a referendum that passed in May 2021 with 70% of the county’s voters in support. This included one story of a woman who was left handcuffed to a table for hours; Harper called this “recreation time” because she was technically out of her cell, even though it clearly violates the spirit of the referendum. Additionally, Harper admitted to the use of shotgun weapons that should have been banned, ridiculously claiming that the weapons were already purchased before the ban went into effect and therefore he was allowed to use them.
On January 10th, 2022, it was reported that the jail was going back to “23-1” lockdowns due to shortstaffing — over three dozen jail staff tested positive for COVID, and there is only one nurse each shift for the ENTIRE jail population during a deadly pandemic.
On January 11th, 2022, at least seven folks held at the jail signed a complaint describe that “[Warden] Harper treats us like animals”, describing incidents where folks were put under solitary as punishment for minor infractions (against the law set by a citizens’ referendum last May), threatened at gunpoint while showering, and all are concerned about COVID. The Tribune-Review published an editorial titled “Allegheny County Jail should follow the law”. When local newspapers call on the jail to follow the existing law, that is a huge red flag about the problems existing at the jail.
On January 14th, 2022, Warden Harper held a rushed press conference to deny allegations of the complaints from the 11th. Harper claimed that internal investigation showed that the complaints were incorrectly reported publicly. 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.
On February 1st, 2022, another person, now the 12th in two years, died within a week of medical problems at the jail, which the jail describes as “found unresponsive”. The Jail Oversight Board was not informed of the incident prior to his death, as required, and the “unresponsive” description of course obscures the details of what happened.
As of February 6th, 2022, the Allegheny County Jail is still keeping folks held in lockdown, supposedly due to Covid, despite people’s referendum against solitary confinement. The jail is also consolidating folks held into a smaller number of pods rather than expanding to keep better distancing for Covid.
On February 17th, 2022, the Pitt News issued a statement saying “Our community deserves better than the Allegheny County Jail” that lists numerous problems with the jail over the last few years, similar to this list.
On February 25th, 2022, a story from an anonymous Summit Food Service employee that previously worked in the jail described in a social media post how food with “roaches and mice” and “moldy” food was being kept by supervisors to be fed to people held in the jail.
On March 2nd, 2022, at an Allegheny County Jail Oversight Board meeting, Warden Harper made excuses about those being held not receiving their needed medication. "Sometimes medications are late and I'm going to leave it at that," Harper told JOB members. 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). The employees union representing staff at the jail then authorized a vote of no confidence against Warden Harper, which was “calling for the resignation or removal of Warden Orlando Harper”.
On March 7th, 2022, it was widely reported that another person, a man in his 20s, later identified as Gerald Thomas, had died after suffering a medical emergency at the Jail. This comes shortly after the Oversight Board meeting where Warden Harper admitted that the jail is not properly staffed with medical staff and that “sometimes medications are late” to folks being held. According to court records pulled by the Trib, “Thomas was on probation when he was pulled over by undercover officers in Pittsburgh’s Hill District for rolling through a stop sign on March 30.” In other words, Thomas was only in jail, without the healthcare that could have saved his life, because of a simple traffic violation.
According to a tweet from Bethany Hallam, county council member and jail oversight board member, ACJ has had 13 deaths since the beginning of Covid up to the time of this writing.
Richard Lenhart: 4/11/2020
Robert Blake: 5/24/2020
Cody Still: October 2020
Daniel Pastorek: 11/26/2020
John Brady: 11/20/2020
Martin Bucek: 7/3/2021
Robert Harper: 9/12/2021
Vickley Harris: 9/20/2021
Justin Brady: 9/23/2021
Paul Allen: October 2021
Roger Millspaugh: 12/22/2021
Paul Spisack: 1/30/2022
Gerald Thomas: 3/6/2022
On March 14, 2022, the Pittsburgh Institute for Nonprofit Journalism released a three part series about the jail. Part One gives known details of the thirteen people that have died in the jail. Part Two describes the lack of transparency and oversight in the jail. Part Three describes how Allegheny County is one of only two counties in Pennsylvania in which autopsy reports are not made public automatically, and the jail fights Right to Know requests to open up that information.
On March 28, 2022, it was reported that the jail is facing a lawsuit “alleging that their failure to treat a wound on his heel while he was incarcerated there led to him having his right leg amputated below the knee.”
On March 31, 2022, during a live interview in which Warden Harper was defending against accusations of improper staffing and medical treatment at the jail, callers called in saying they too were not properly treated at Allegheny County Jail and only received medical treatment after being transferred to Butler County Jail. Another caller complained about being unnecessarily quarantined after testing negative for Covid.
On April 8, 2022, Warden Harper admitted that the entire jail was on lockdown for the entire month of March, which appears to be in violation of the law against general solitary confinement that was approved by voters in 2021. On April 10, 2022, the jail workers’ union was reported as having asked jail administration for further lockdowns due to continuing severe staff shortages.
On April 12, 2022, news broke that Warden Harper made decisions about Do Not Resusitate (DNR) orders without the family's knowledge for one of victims that had previously died. Family only discovered this by requesting medical records from the jail and hospital. Family now wants to know why Harper was making DNR decisions without attempting to first contact or consult them.
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.
On April 29, 2022, it was reported that Jerry Lee Ross, Jr., had died after being detained in the Allegheny County Jail, now the 14th death at the jail since early 2020. No details were given by the jail.
On May 30, 2022, the jail staff union president posted on Twitter that Summit Foods was not fulfilling its contract for food service in the jail, leaving him to purchase pizza for the officers. It is unclear at this time if those held in the jail received the required food and nutrition since the food service was not happening.
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. The family of Gerald Thomas in particular demanded change at the jail, citing both the Warden but also Judge Anthony Mariani’s unjust rulings as resulting the in the death of Thomas. At the same meeting, a motion to release details about the food service in the jail failed, leading to more questions about the jail’s food service contract.
On June 3, 2022, there was reporting on continuing staff shortages at the jail, including shortages of medical staff. The understaffing has many concerned it is putting both staff and incarcerated folks at risk.
On June 10, 2022, Pittsburgh City-Paper reported on a new lawsuit alleging “brutal treatment” of people with psychiatric disabilities in the jail. “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]. "We have seen evidence that people incarcerated at ACJ have suffered as the staff at best turned a blind eye and at other times assaulted individuals for manifestations of their mental illness. Their conditions have worsened and ACJ’s already high suicide completion and attempt rates have continued to increase. It’s absolutely intolerable and inhumane.”
On June 23, 2022, lawyers representing a trans-man filed a lawsuit against the county and ACJ Warden Harper for not receiving “adequate medical attention” after experiencing “several medical emergencies” in the jail. Lawyers allege he has not received needed hormone therapy and care for recent surgery wounds. They also allege that jail medical staff admitted not knowing how to provide care for LGBTQ+ folks.
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.
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 lawsuit alleges that the jail’s policies under Warden Harper do not properly treat folks suffering from mental health issues and suicidal depression, leading directly to Bucek’s death.
On July 2, 2022, the jail officer union ACPEIU shared online a report from the Allegheny County Health Department from February 2022 that reported rats and roaches in the jail kitchen and food storage (see image below). Allegations of unsafe food and health conditions have been going around for a long time yet the Warden and Jail Oversight Board have done nothing.
On July 15th, 2022, it was reported that yet another person died in the jail after a medical emergency — the fourth person in 2022 alone. Details were not immediately released to the public.
On July 19th, 2022, County Councilmember and Jail Oversight Board member Bethany Hallam pointed out Warden Harper’s misleading statistics that dramatically understated the death rate at the jail. The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette confirmed the misleading statistics from the jail administration resulting in joining calls for Harper to be fired, stating “Whether Warden Orlando Harper was lying or simply didn’t know better when he reported a false mortality rate for the Allegheny County Jail doesn’t much matter. Either way, it’s another example of his penchant for dismissing problems instead of fixing them.”
On July 21st, 2022, ACJ staff union president Brian Englert cited understaffing and “deteriorating mental health” among the staff due to the lack of leadership and action from Warden Harper and the administration.
On July 28th, 2022, photos were shared of the food being served in the jail. The first photo allegedly shows frozen blood in the ground meat being served. “That’s not food,” commented at least one person on Twitter.
On August 3rd, 2022, Pittsburgh City Paper started a new Jail Watch that covered a review of recent jail statistics and events, including that the jail has faced over 162 health code violations since 2014, with a quote from a kitchen worker stating:
One former ACJ kitchen worker described rodents and pest infestations as a “daily problem” and recalled a layer of “black slime” covering the kitchen floor and pooling in a clogged drain and “raw sewage where we were preparing food.”
On August 14th, 2022, it was a reported that a fifth person has died at the jail this year, 17 total since early 2020. Shortly after, the county announced it was putting out a contract to hire someone to investigate the deaths.
On September 7th, 2022, a new survey of those held at the jail showed “widespread concerns about medical services, food quality at Allegheny County Jail”. The full report from the Inmate Welfare Fund Subcommittee of the Allegheny County Council provided further details; comments included that “They’ve sent up roaches with the food 3 times in 5 months”, “Food comes up hours late, if it comes at all”, and “Also, there would be roaches in our food and rock like materials in there as well and the jail expects us to eat such a thing.” Comments also complained of extraordinarily high cost for commisary foods. Comments on mental health included “The place is very punitive mental torture. They are breeding mental illness.” and “I feel this place is designed to break your mental health.” Comments on healthcare included long wait times and improper care, including “It takes medical weeks to see you even when they know you have severe conditions.”
On September 23rd, 2022, Pittsburgh Institute for Nonprofit Journalism reported that another person had died after being held in the jail. Anthony Talotta, 57, is the sixth person to die in the jail in 2022. “Jail staff raised concerns about Talotta’s medical treatment at the jail and spoke on the condition of anonymity.” The report continues: “Talotta’s intellectual disability may have prevented him from participating in and understanding his own defense and trial. It’s unclear how those competency issues would have been resolved and if Talotta’s charges would have been dismissed due to his intellectual disability.”
On October 3rd, 2022, the Abolitionist Law Center filed a class-action lawsuit against Warden Harper and other county officials “challenging the pervasive use of probation detainers in Allegheny County”. The lawsuit alleges denial of civil rights and due process, and seeks injunctive relief as well as monetary damages for illegal detention.
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 had his medical license suspended, revoked or denied in at least eight different states.” Yet Bernales can still practice in Pennsylvania and was hired by the jail despite this resume.
On October 16th, 2022, an editorial by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette echoed calls for Warden Harper to resign, stating: “Mr. Harper is not the man for the job. … he has also alienated his staff and the public, and lacks the management skills to direct the jail’s 560 employees. In July, the Post-Gazette called for Mr. Harper’s resignation, as have the employees’ union and many members of the public.”
On November 2nd, 2022, the Abolitionist Law Center reported that a recent jail inspection on October 26th disclosed that rat droppings were still found in the jail kitchen and food storage area.
On November 23rd, 2022, the Abolitionist Law Center released a statement that folks held in the jail wrote a letter stating that the jail had been without heat for days. Later that day, the jail released a statement on social media that the lack of heat was reported on a Saturday and not fixed until Tuesday — marking at least 3-4 days without heat without any explanation or details beyond calling it an unspecified “heating system issue”. Why did it takes days and a letter from those in the jail before officials acted?
In December 2022, an unannounced jail inspection by Allegheny County Controller Corey O’Connor and Terri Klein, both members of the county’s Jail Oversight Board, found numerous problems reported by folks held in the jail. “Surprise inspections led by two Jail Oversight Board members raise new concerns about sanitation, dire understaffing, mental health care, and conditions for teenagers at the county jail.” This includes reports of an unclean kitchen with staff reporting problems with rodent droppings and roaches. Lack of access to nutritious food and hygiene products (commisary being too expensive). Collective punishment of juveniles and humiliating strip searches. Long wait times for healthcare and generally understaffed with overworked staff.
A January 5, 2023, Jail Oversight Board meeting discussed the jail inspection report and revealed that school students were touring the jail bringing questions of privacy and humiliation of those being held at the jail. There were also concerns that the jail was violating a voter referendum that had banned solitary confinement by the repeated use of lockdowns through the month of December.
On January 18, 2023, it was reported that Denzelle Kendrick was denied medications by the jail and suddenly taken off several medications they’ve been on since birth without explanation. The jail did not immediately respond other than to say the person could “file a grievance”. The Abolitionist Law Center demanded the jail provide immediate emergency medical care for Kendrick on January 26, 2023. On January 27, 2023, it was reported that Kendrick suffered a stroke in the jail from lack of care and that “he was left laying unresponsive on the floor of his cell for more than an hour during a medical emergency late last year”.
On January 22, 2023, Allegheny County Jail still held about 20 teenagers with no plans on releasing them. The federal Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act of 2018 ordered that no child is to be held in an adult jail unless “in the interests of Justice”. With the Shuman Center closed, the county argues there’s no place to put them but the jail — but lack of a plan isn’t an acceptable answer in the interest of justice.
On February 2, 2023, lawyers representing Denzelle Kendrick reported that Kendrick has still not received medication and treatment over a week after previously reporting the issue publicly. The Jail Oversight Board meeting that same day showed that those being held in the jail were not receiving commisary stipends previously approved, those held in the mental health wing were not receiving recreation time, and that the jail was still holding people in solitary confinement for weeks despite a citizen referendum that made the practice basically illegal.
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. While the public press release is from February 2023, it refers to a memo with survey results that was sent to Warden Harper in December 2022, showing further that Harper is aware of the conditions yet continues to downplay and ignore the issues at Jail Oversight Board meetings since the new year.
On February 27, 2023, lawyers in a federal lawsuit against the jail stated that mental health treatment in the jail is “shockingly substandard”. The report cites continued shortages of staff, inadequate training, punishment of those being held for seeking treatment, and continued use of solitary confinement despite the citizens’ referendum banning such confinement. From the article: “Patients are ignored unless they express suicidal ideation, and if they do express such thoughts, they are mocked.”
At the March 2, 2023, Jail Oversight Board meeting, numerous issues were again raised, including concerns about changes to healthcare staffing that were not reported to the board. Reports filed in a federal lawsuit on the jail filed February 16, 2023, include a report from expert Brad Hansen (a warden with 42 years of experience) who found "a pattern of policy violations and failure to protect people held in the jail," found "systemic and gross deficiencies which should have been obvious to any jail administrator." Hansen notes that the use of force and solitary confinement in the jail is “against national standards and protocols”. An expert report from Dr Terry A. Kupers found that “there are systemic and gross deficiencies in ACJ’s mental health care system, evidenced by repeated and widespread occurrences of failure to provide adequate and appropriate care as well as the meting of punishments in place of treatment for serious mental health conditions.”
On March 7, 2023, WPXI reported that the last medical director at ACJ has resigned. Over 50% of the medical positions at ACJ are unfilled, showing the staffing crisis continues without any specific plan from Warden Harper on how to fix it. Harper claimed at the oversight board meeting that there was a plan, but “not written down”, leaving concern about if there really is a plan.
On March 9, 2023, PA Spotlight reported the story of a woman’s fight to get out of ACJ after courts tried to keep her there for mental health reasons, despite knowing ACJ is not a place for treating mental health.
On April 7, 2023, at the monthly Jail Oversight Board meeting, Warden Harper confirmed that minors (under 18) are treated “like adults” and strip searched as if they were adults. Video of Harper responding to questions is available on YouTube. The American Bar Association considers strip searching of minors to be “state-imposed trauma” and advises other less invasive methods. Harper also showed a complete lack of understanding of the difference between allegations prior to a trial versus actual serving a sentence.
On May 9, 2023, it was reported another person died in the jail intake, apparently of overdose after the jail apparently failed to properly recognize and treat symptoms. James Washington, age 42.
On May 26, 2023, it was reported yet another person died in the jail intake. Tim Manino, age 60, died after the jail placed Manino under “detox protocols”, similar to the May 9th incident.
On May 29, 2023, a lawsuit was filed against the Jail Oversight Board for allegedly violating the Sunshine Act in how it conducts business. The Board is supposed to oversee the jail but as the timeline in this article shows, very little has been done despite years of serious reports. Many Board members represent Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald and his appointee Warden Orlando Harper.
On June 9, 2023, it was reported that jail staff, including Warden Harper, walked out of a Jail Oversight Board meeting before the meeting could actually conduct business and adjourn, apparently in response to public comments and protest about conditions in the jail. From the Pittsburgh City Paper article:
Kyna James, an organizer with the Alliance for Police Accountability and participant in the protest tells Pittsburgh City Paper the protest was planned ahead of time to convey frustration and anger that the oversight board has failed to act on repeated reports of unsanitary conditions, medical neglect, excessive use of force, and frequent deaths at the Allegheny County Jail.
“We come here time and time again, month after month. We respectfully listen, and nothing happens,” she says.
On June 14, 2023, PINJ reported that a survey of 100 jail employees “reported inadequate staffing, forced overtime, dangerous work conditions and unsympathetic management.” This includes reporting that workers experienced that jail warden Orlando Harper “rules with fear, discipline and micromanagement”.
On July 6, 2023, at the monthly Jail Oversight Board meeting, a survey of jail staff show over 90% of staff feel they are NOT “valued and respected”. PINJ further reported that healthcare workers felt their licenses were threatened by worker shortages and working conditions in the jail.
On July 23, 2023, the jail announced the death of another incarcerated person who was waiting for months for mental health care.
On August 8, 2023, Warden Harper announced his intention to retire at the end of September.
On August 21, 2023, a lawsuit was filed alleging that the Jail Oversight Board has been violating transparency laws under the Sunshine Act.
On September 11, 2023, more criticism how the jail does not prove rehabilitation services.
On September 13, 2023, it was reported that another person had died at the hospital after being taken into jail custody.
On October 17, 2023, it was reported that an autistic man had died at the jail after his wounds were not properly treated. He was being held in jail for the first time in his life after the group home he lived in called police because he wanted to cook dinner and wasn’t allowed.
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.
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.