Dear Prison Society Supporters:
As Pennsylvania’s independent prison monitor, the Prison Society regularly visits jails and prisons across the state to assess conditions and support people in custody. This May, we returned to the Allegheny County Jail (ACJ) for our first walkthrough of the facility since Warden Trevor Wingard assumed leadership in early 2025. Only a handful of months into Wingard's tenure, we’ve seen encouraging progress—particularly around a reduction in delays in medical care, a chronic concern across Pennsylvania facilities.
But persistent problems remain. People inside continue to report frequent lockdowns, insufficient food, and unprofessional treatment by staff.
Our visit included structured interviews with 70 incarcerated men in three housing units and a tour of the jail’s unit for young people, which has undergone promising changes under new leadership.
Signs of Progress
Our walkthrough of the prison found improvement since our previous walkthrough in November, 2024. At that time, 88% of people we interviewed reported waiting more than a week for medical care. By May, that number had dropped to 52%.
We also noted a decrease in complaints about access to jail-provided tablets since our last visit. In November 2024, 59% of interviewees reported a lack of daily access, during this most recent visit, the number was 38%.
Where There’s Still Work To Do
While conditions have improved in some areas, serious challenges remain.
The majority of people we interviewed (75%) said they don’t get out of their cells every day. Even on days they are allowed out, lockdowns are so frequent that frustration runs high.
Food remains another serious concern. Over 78% of the men we interviewed said they don’t get enough to eat, and many described portions as inadequate unless they can afford supplemental food from the commissary. One man told us, “If you ain’t got commissary, you’re going to be hurting in here.”
Treatment by staff was also a recurring issue. Seventy-one percent of residents said they aren’t treated with professionalism or respect—citing frequent use of abusive language, racial slurs, and group punishment. In a few cases, people reported physical assaults, which we have brought to the Warden’s attention.
A Remodeled Unit For Young People
During this walkthrough, we also observed the redesigned unit for young people, where the jail has introduced a new unit manager role—the first of its kind at the ACJ. This model, common in the state prison system, provides more localized leadership within housing units and allows greater flexibility in the day-to-day management.
Young people there reported expanded recreation time, more access to outdoor space, and additional programming such as chess and video games. Staff and residents of this unit also reported that disciplinary practices have also shifted: individuals on restricted status remain in the unit rather than being placed in separate housing unit so that they can continue their education.
Both the staff and young people we spoke to shared that the physically and programmatically redesigned unit have been a positive shift. The young people are more engaged in programming, receive fewer behavioral infractions and relations with staff have improved. These changes reflect an effort to pilot new approaches that could be expanded across the facility if proven effective.
You can read the complete walkthrough findings and the warden’s response here.