prison-issues
Pa. prison guards union sues to block Wolf’s vaccine policy
The union representing 11,000 Pennsylvania prison guards and other corrections staff has filed a lawsuit to block Gov. Tom Wolf’s vaccine policy. The policy, announced last month, required thousands of state employees working in congregate settings — such as state-run hospitals, homes for the disabled, and prisons — to get vaccinated or be tested for […]
Controversial Allegheny County Jail contractor has criminal history, served time in U.K.
The contractor, Joseph Garcia, also once warned of a race war against correctional officers
Life without parole has turned Pa.’s prisons into hospices for the hopeless | Opinion
People are aging and dying in prison, withering away to nothing with no chance of ever returning to the free world
Hunger strike ends at Pa. prison; organizers proclaim it a success
The hunger strike by more than 20 incarcerated men at State Correctional Institution-Phoenix in Montgomery County over prolonged solitary confinement is now over.
Inmate Mental Health: The other public health crisis in Pa.’s prisons and jails | Opinion
Stopping the spread of COVID-19 in Pennsylvania prisons and jails and alleviating mental health crises are not mutually exclusive projects.
Amid harsh winter for the pandemic, advocates, lawmakers pressure Wolf to release more from state prison
Thirty Democratic members of the state House and Senate wrote to Wolf on Monday urging him to use reprieve powers to cull the state’s prison population.
Inmates sue Allegheny County Jail, alleging inadequate mental health care and ‘dehumanizing’ conditions
The lawsuit contends that jail staff have used tasers, pepper spray, and restraint chains for inmates requesting mental health care.
New study: Amid pandemic, jail releases for Black youth lag white youth | Monday Morning Coffee
"One of every three young people in detention on June 1 would not have been in detention if the release rate had stayed at its March level," the report concluded.
Without comprehensive testing, detention facilities will become epicenters of the pandemic | Opinion
More than 20,000 people in detention have been infected with the coronavirus that causes COVID-19, and more than 300 have died from their infection.
Wolf issues executive order to thin state prison populations amid COVID-19 outbreak
The announcement comes after legislation to reduce prison populations stalled in the state House and Senate, where lawmakers could not agree on conditions for release or which inmates deserved eligibility.
COVID-19 Outbreak: Inmate advocate group calls for ‘Decarceration’ of Allegheny County Jail
By Charlie Deitch PITTSBURGH — An alliance of elected officials and other organizations led by the Coalition to Abolish Death By Incarceration, a statewide advocacy group for individuals in lockup, is calling for the “decarceration” of the Allegheny County Jail in light of the COVID-19 virus. While drastic steps have been taken to slow the […]
‘This is about using our budget dollars wisely’: Pa. Corrections Dept. establishes new guidelines for former inmates seeking help
The state spent $18 million on those services in the fiscal year that ended on June 30. It hopes to shave that figure down this year by $2 million.