One out of every three people behind bars in the U.S. is in a local jail. Philadelphia has one of the largest county jail populations nationwide and is the heart of the carceral empire in Pennsylvania.

More than 30,000 people cycle in and out of the Philly jails each year, and, on any given day, at least three thousand people are locked up inside them. 74% of them are Black and 90% have not been convicted of a crime, and they all struggle every day with access to basic human rights like medical care, showers, phone calls, meals, and visits from loved ones. 

As of September 2026, we have a new mechanism to address decarceration of the Philly jails and human rights issues within them.

After years of effort by the ALC-led Philly Jails Coalition – a group of 20+ grassroots organizations and community leader – the Philadelphia Community Oversight Board launched its public meetings last month. The Oversight Board meetings are a venue for the community to report issues within the jails, discuss ongoing policy matters about them, and push for change—and the Coalition will be organizing to make the meetings as impactful as possible.

Sign up below to get involved with this campaign. Our group’s meetings are online the 3rd Thursday of each month, preceding the Philly Prisons Oversight Board meetings on the 4th Wednesday of every month.