NEWS
a crime. Many suffer from substance abuse or mental health issues, some are being held on a technical probation violation (like missing a meeting or violating a curfew) and are waiting for a judge to hear their case. According to the language in Hallam’s bill: “more than 80% of those at ACJ are not convicted of any criminal offense; instead, 44% are held on alleged viola-
tions of probation, many of them technical violations or based on non-violent charges; 28% of them are held pretrial, with their presumption of innocence intact; countless numbers are held simply because they cannot afford cash bail.” Hallam has firsthand knowledge of life in the ACJ. She has not been shy about discussing her past issues with
drug addiction and she has been incarcerated at the jail. “I can’t fathom being at the county jail during a pandemic,” Hallam says. “You can’t share a cell, a toilet and a sink with somebody else and practice social distancing. Now more than ever, we have to speak out against the injustices going on there. I know the public defender’s office is working as hard as they can to get as many people out as possible.” But Hallam says she worries that it will be difficult to get enough people out fast enough. That’s why she and Bennett have brought forth the legislation. It would reduce the population not just in the ACJ but in alternative housing facilities. According to the bill: Pursuant to the terms of this Ordinance, the Allegheny County Jail and alternative housing facilities located within Allegheny County are hereby directed to immediately undertake substantial reduction of their population by releasing the following categories of people incarcerated there in order to limit the spread of COVID-19 within the jail and to the broader community, and to reduce the risks and burdens upon correctional staff at this time of emergency: Those alleged to have committed a technical probation or parole violation; Those alleged to have violated probation or parole by committing a misdemeanor and/or non-violent offense; Anybody charged with a misdemeanor and awaiting trial; Anybody charged with drug possession, sex work, or other nonviolent offenses and who is awaiting trial; For any individuals currently held in Allegheny County Jail or alternative housing facilities that do not fall into any of the above-mentioned categories, an individualized review should take place. This will explicitly include who have been convicted of a crime and are serving a sentence which includes a term of incarceration in Allegheny County Jail. In particular, individualized review should be expedited for: All elderly individuals (over 50) and those at high risk of vulnerability, including but not limited those with respiratory conditions, heart conditions,
diabetes, cancer, or other autoimmune diseases; All pregnant and postpartum individuals; All children younger than 18 years of age. It’s unclear what the likelihood is of Hallam and Bennett’s legislation passing (it just needs a simple majority). However, Hallam and Fitzgerad have butted heads in the past so his support is an unknown at best. However, Hallam says Fitzgerald has spoken publicly before saying he would like to someday see the population of the Allegheny County Jail consistently below 600 inmates. In December, Fitzgerald spoke at the Pitt Institute of Politics at a “Jail Repurposing Forum.” At that time, Fitzgerald did indeed talk about a shrinking prison population. He was talking about the way that officials in New York City reduced their jail population. “We’re at 2400 [incarcerated], we used to be at 2800,” Fitzgerald said. If Allegheny County Jail reduced its population the same percentage as New York, “...in Pittsburgh that number would be 600. Can you imagine what our jail would be like if we got it down to 600? These are the goals we can reach if we do things the right way. “Seventy-five percent of the people who are in our jail are there because they have a substance abuse or a mental health issue. Think about that...is that who we should be incarcerating? Is that the best use of our tax dollars? ...It makes no sense.” Hallam for one says she certainly agrees with the county executive’s goal of 600 inmates and says this is the time to make it a reality because there is a public health crisis. “What we want to see now with these releases, that’s the new normal we’ve been advocating for,” Hallam says. “The county executive has said that’s what he wants to do. Well, then I say let’s do it. Now is the time.”
PITTSBURGH CURRENT | MARCH 24, 2020 | 5