Public Source: “The Allegheny County Jail’s population has risen since 2022, defying a decade-long trend and the goals of county leaders.

It’s been three years since Allegheny County agreed to pay a design firm $700,000 to create plans for a major overhaul — and reduction in size — of its jail. Since then, the county has not publicly discussed any of the firm’s recommendations, and the jail’s population has trended in the opposite direction.

The jail’s population has steadily risen since hitting a historic low in 2022, reversing a long downward trend. The jail’s headcount has increased from 1,517 on Jan. 1, 2023 to 2,106 on July 28 of this year.

The growth runs counter to the county’s longtime goal of shrinking its jail population and Executive Sara Innamorato’s focus on diversion programs aimed at keeping people out of the lockup.

Attorneys and advocates who observe the county’s justice system say the increase is driven by people staying in jail for longer. They pointed to various causes, including court backups and the possibility that judges are more hesitant to let people out on low- or no-cash bail….

Tanisha Long, an activist with the Abolitionist Law Center, said some judges have ‘lost their commitment’ to depopulating the jail and ‘it went back to business as usual.'”

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