Lela Lescallette
412-618-5603
Whiteford, Taylor & Preston LLP | 11 Stanwix Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15222

Media Advisory | Settlement Requires Major Changes and Increased
Staffing at Allegheny County Jail
Comprehensive upgrade of mental health program among sweeping changes

WHAT: An agreement has been reached in Howard v. Williams, a class action lawsuit on behalf of people with psychiatric disabilities incarcerated in Allegheny County Jail (ACJ).Filed on September 15, 2020, the suit alleged severe and systemic constitutional violations, as well as violations of the Americans with Disabilities Act, for the jail’s failure to provide adequate mental health care and its discriminatory and brutal treatment of people with psychiatric disabilities. The settlement, which is subject to court approval, demands substantial changes that will impact all people with psychiatric disabilities who are currently, or will in the future, be held at ACJ.  

Attorneys from the Abolitionist Law Center, Pennsylvania Institutional Law Project, and Whiteford, Taylor & Preston LLP, as well as community organizers from Abolitionist Law Center and 1Hood Media will be on hand to discuss what this means for Allegheny County residents.

WHO: Jaclyn Kurin, attorney Abolitionist Law Center
Tanisha Long, organizer, Abolitionist Law Center
Alexandra Morgan-Kurtz, Deputy Director, Pennsylvania Institutional Law Project
Keith E. Whitson, attorney, Whiteford

WHEN:  Wednesday, March 20, 2024 at 10am

WHERE: Whiteford, 11 Stanwix Street, 14th floor, Pittsburgh, PA 15222

WHY:  To provide an overview and answer questions about the changes coming for Allegheny County Jail that will protect the constitutional rights of people with mental health conditions incarcerated at ACJ. 

HOW: For interviews or additional information, please contact Lela Lescallette at 412-618-5603 or llescallette@whitefordlaw.com

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