Wednesday, August 20, 2025
County Courthouse: 4th Floor Gold Room
436 Grant St, Pittsburgh

ACJOB chair Judge Evashavik has called a last-minute special meeting for board members to vote on whether to continue the $125 monthly commissary stipend to people being held in the jail. This money helps people call & video visit their families and buy essentials like toiletries and hygiene items. The money to fund it comes from the profits the county receives off of their phone calls, video visits, and commissary purchases.

The Trump administration put a hold on a recent FCC ruling that capped the price of prison and jail calls and video visits. That cap would have decreased the amount generated for this fund. But since the ruling is on hold and those prices are not capped, the proceeds are there and shouldn’t be diverted to other uses.

Please be at this meeting to show that the public cares about our neighbors and won’t tolerate this end-run around public input. You can give public comment by signing up at the meeting; there is a three-minute maximum speaking time,