Board expected to vote on new Allegheny County Jail warden
TribLive, 12.31.24: “The Allegheny County Jail oversight board is expected to vote on a new warden at its Jan. 9 meeting.
The new warden, whose name has not yet been released, is expected to meet with members of county council on Monday, said Council President Pat Catena.
Catena said he hasn’t talked to anyone in the administration about who the pick is or their background.
‘I know very little,’ he said. ‘I look forward to meeting the person.’
County spokeswoman Abigail Gardner said that the new candidate will begin making the rounds to meet county officials on Monday prior to the approval vote on Thursday.
The new warden will replace former Warden Orlando Harper, who retired in September 2023, and interim warden Shane Dady, who filled in for more than a year, before returning to his position with the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections last month.
They will fill the role at a facility that has long been under fire for being understaffed in its corrections, medical and mental health departments.
The jail, with a population this week of 1,892, has a bad reputation, including complaints of excessive force and a troubling number of deaths among those incarcerated there. There have been a number of federal lawsuits alleging misuse of solitary confinement as well as a lack of medical care.”