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PITTSBURGH - The Pennsylvania Prison Society today released the findings from its latest walkthrough of the Allegheny County Jail. Conducted in November with the results submitted to jail and county leadership at the end of January, the report finds increased out-of-cell time and a positive response by residents to a staff leadership restructure. The report also notes continuing concerns about food service, access to healthcare, and tensions with some jail staff.
The Prison Society acts as a monitor for Pennsylvania’s prisons and jails, advocating for the health, safety, and dignity of people in custody. Its walkthroughs of the Allegheny County Jail are part of the organization’s partnership with the county, providing independent, outside perspective on the jail’s operations.
“To effectively manage a jail, the people who are incarcerated there have to be treated with dignity and respect,” said Matt Dugan, the Western Pennsylvania region director for the Prison Society. “Most people we talked with reported that staff let them out of their cells on a daily basis, which is critical for relieving the stress that comes with being incarcerated. And that is a noticeable change for the better from our last walkthrough.
“While this tour is encouraging, there is more work to be done to improve conditions at the facility.”
In its November walkthrough, Prison Society representatives interviewed 72 people in three different men’s units and also toured the juvenile unit and the kitchen. Among people interviewed, 78% reported being out of their cells every day during the previous two weeks. During the organization’s last walkthrough, in May 2025, only 25% of people interviewed said they were out of their cells on a daily basis.
Concerns about food service were common, with 82% of people interviewed reporting that serving sizes are not sufficient for an adult. Some of the people interviewed responded that food is sometimes served rotten, cold, or is the wrong food according to their approved diets and that there is evidence of rodents in the kitchen. One man said, “I’m never not hungry.”
Access to healthcare also lags at the jail, according to the incarcerated people who were interviewed, with 57% saying they wait more than a week to see a provider and some reporting a wait time of over a month.
“Food and healthcare are basic needs for everyone, whether they’re incarcerated or not,” said Noah Barth, the prison monitoring director at the Prison Society. “As long as people are residents of the jail, the county has a responsibility to meet the fundamental necessities of life at a minimum. We hope to continue working with leadership on improvements in these two critical areas. We are cautiously optimistic.”
A restructure of staffing at the jail by Warden Trevor Wingard led to the placement of staff with decision-making authority on each housing unit. Jail residents interviewed by the Prison Society expressed their appreciation for the new structure, saying that it provides identifiable leadership with whom they can discuss issues.
The Prison Society’s report also found that a majority of incarcerated people interviewed say that jail staff are frequently disrespectful and unprofessional. Those interviewed described a mix of good staff and some “bad apples.”
“Professional and respectful treatment of incarcerated people by prison staff is imperative to creating a safe and productive environment in all correctional facilities,” Barth said.
The interviews that informed the report were voluntary, anonymous, and randomly selected. The organization's report was shared on January 29 with Wingard. This week, it was also sent to Allegheny County Executive Sara Innamorato, the Allegheny County Jail Oversight Board, and the state Department of Corrections.
The report is available on the website of the Prison Society.