Allegheny County Jail Oversight Board meets after inmate survey
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — The public had a chance Thursday to speak during the Allegheny County Jail Oversight Board meeting.
The public spoke out about a recent University of Pittsburgh survey of inmates. During the meeting, the 17 people who have died while in custody and in the care of the Allegheny County Jail since 2020 were remembered.
"Nobody needs to die in their jail, period," Rev. Richard Freeman said. "The last thing I will say. If this were a dog, everybody would be outraged. These are human beings."
The board met for four hours on Thursday. Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald, who is on the board, did not attend the meeting.
Warden Orlando Harper was peppered with questions after the survey of inmates, who claimed inhuman and dangerous conditions and poor medical care, among other things.
Janelle Tipton claims her son was searched and got his arm broken in his cell. Three days later, she was notified by an inmate that her son was in the hospital.
"On Sept. 16, he was stripped-searched. He was handcuffed first, he was tazed over five times to find nothing in his cell and to also find nothing in his body," Tipton said.
People also dropped off blankets for inmates.
"I hear the prisoners don't have the blankets to have a decent night's slept," one person said.
KDKA-TV asked County Controller Corey O'Connor about any changes.
"I think hiring a liaison, which has been discussed, will go a long way, having eyes and ears there on almost a daily basis," he said. "So there are small changes coming, takes time to overcome a lot of the issues that we are hearing."