Allegheny County Jail
PINJ’s investigations into the jail and its conditions
Latest STORIES
- Incarcerated man dies at Allegheny County Jail
- A second man in federal custody dies at Renewal, Inc.
- Man transferred from Allegheny County Jail intake dies at nearby hospital
PINJ has paid particular attention to the Allegheny County Jail throughout the pandemic, as virus mitigation forced incarcerated individuals to remain in their cells for 23 hours a day, illness and staff shortages among incarcerated kitchen workers caused meals to be limited at times to baloney sandwiches prompting an investigation by the County Controller and severe staff shortages in the medical and mental health staffs, reduced treatments and programs for the incarcerated. PINJ has tracked the deaths of those in custody of the Allegheny County Jail for two years, culminating in a three-part series.
MORE ALLEGHENY COUNTY JAIL COVERAGE
Incarcerated man dies at Allegheny County Jail
by Brittany Hailer Tim Manino, 60, died in the Allegheny County Jail Thursday, according to the Allegheny County Medical Examiner. Jail staff performed CPR …
A second man in federal custody dies at Renewal, Inc.
By Brittany Hailer Damon Leroy Kayes, 54, died Monday at Renewal Inc., a detention center in downtown Pittsburgh that houses federal, state and local …
Man transferred from Allegheny County Jail intake dies at nearby hospital
By Brittany Hailer James Washington, 42, a man released from Allegheny County Jail custody, died Monday around 5 p.m. at UPMC Mercy Hospital. He …
Incarcerated person dies after jumping from building in downtown Pittsburgh
Brittany Hailer William Spencer, 24, a man in custody of the Federal Bureau of Prisons, jumped from a building on the 300 block of …
A Criminal Solution
Determining whether someone is mentally fit to stand trial in Pennsylvania often traps them in the very place making them worse — jail. This …
Incarcerated man with intellectual disabilities died of natural causes according to Allegheny County Medical Examiner
by Brittany Hailer Anthony Talotta, 57, an intellectually disabled man who died at UPMC Mercy in August after being transferred from the Allegheny County …
‘Try to do something’: 97-year-old Marion Damick shares 20-year history of attending Jail Oversight Board meetings
by Amy Whipple At the January Jail Oversight Board meeting, Marion Damick stands behind a podium—her shoulders barely clearing its top—and pulls the microphone …
Manner of death ruled as ‘natural’ for two men who died in Allegheny County Jail
by Brittany Hailer Two men who died in the Allegheny County Jail earlier this year, died of natural causes related to heart disease, according …
Jail officials across Pa. sound alarm as mental health crisis puts people at risk, survey finds
A statewide survey of county jails by Spotlight PA and the Pittsburgh Institute for Nonprofit Journalism revealed many facilities openly admit they are not …
‘A significant history of fraud and deception’: Allegheny County Jail doctor disciplined by medical licensing boards across the country
by Brittany Hailer UPDATE, October 5, 2022: After learning of PINJ’s investigation and subsequent story, Dan Laurent, vice president of corporate communications of Allegheny …
Combined drug overdose cited as cause of death for man incarcerated at Allegheny County Jail
By Brittany Hailer Victor Joseph Zilinek, 39, an incarcerated person at the Allegheny County Jail, suffered a drug overdose resulting in his July 13 …
Hours before he died, the Allegheny County Jail released an incarcerated man with intellectual disability from custody
by Brittany Hailer Anthony Talotta, 57, died Wednesday at UPMC Mercy Hospital after he was found unresponsive in his cell at the Allegheny County …
Allegheny County announces contract for ‘historical review of fatalities’ hours after fifth jail death
By Brittany Hailer Ronald James Andrus, 78, died in the Allegheny County Jail Sunday. Andrus was being held on a probation violation at the …
Citations, fines, and terminated contracts: an inside look at the Allegheny County Jail health code violations
The jail has been cited by the Allegheny County Health Department 162 times since 2014. By Jake Dabkowski Since 2014, The Allegheny County Jail’s …
A fourth person dies in Allegheny County Jail custody
By Brittany Hailer Victor Joseph Zilinek, 39, died Wednesday in the Allegheny County Jail, according to the Allegheny County Medical Examiner, marking the fourth …
Allegheny County sued after jail allegedly failed to prevent the suicide of incarcerated person
By Brittany Hailer Content warning: this story includes topics of suicide, suicidal ideation and self-harm A year after he was found unresponsive in the …
“Are we running a jail or a cemetery?” Mother asks Allegheny County Jail warden
Jake Dabkowski Inadequate medical staffing at the Allegheny County Jail, jail officials' failure to notify families of deaths in a timely manner and Warden …
A man died in jail. Now his mother calls for an investigation into a judge’s decision to keep him there despite charges being dropped.
By Brittany Hailer The mother of a man who died at the Allegheny County Jail in March has filed a request for an investigation …
Blunt force trauma to the head cited as cause of death for former Catholic priest incarcerated at Allegheny County Jail
By Brittany Hailer Paul Spisak, an incarcerated person at the Allegheny County Jail, suffered blunt force trauma to the head resulting in his Jan. …
An incarcerated man died in the Allegheny County Jail Thursday, marking third death this year
By Brittany Hailer Jerry Lee Ross Jr., 48, died at the Allegheny County Jail Thursday, according to the Allegheny County Medical Examiner. This death …
County Officials Release Few Details On a Holiday Weekend Death at the Allegheny County Jail
Details are scarce about the death of an incarcerated man at the Allegheny County Jail over the July 4 weekend. The Allegheny County Medical …
Ex-wife questions death of Martin Bucek, Allegheny County Jail resident with psychiatric disability
When Allegheny County police officers knocked on Dolly Bucek’s door on July 3, they brought news of her ex-husband who she hadn’t heard from …
Recent focus on the deaths of incarcerated individuals at the Allegheny County Jail raises questions: Are all deaths reported? And what details are released?
Earlier this month, Martin Bucek, 55, was found unresponsive in his cell at the Allegheny County Jail and transported to UPMC Mercy, where he …
Jail Oversight Board member Chelsea Wagner describes “a real veil of secrecy” around deaths reported at the Allegheny County Jail
County Controller Chelsea Wagner, a member of the Allegheny County Jail Oversight Board, said today that the handling of deaths at the jail represents …
Allegheny County Controller’s office to investigate allegations of inadequate meals, food shortages tied to kitchen staff COVID cases
According to interviews of incarcerated persons and affidavits shared with the Pittsburgh Institute for Nonprofit Journalism (PINJ), food issues at the Allegheny County Jail …
Three deaths in one month at Allegheny County Jail
Three incarcerated persons have died in Allegheny County Jail (ACJ) custody so far this September. The most recent, Justin Brady, is the second member …
Fifth death reported by the Allegheny County Jail this year
Another individual incarcerated at the Allegheny County Jail has died. Paul Allen, 55, died at UPMC Mercy Hospital on Saturday, October 9 after being …
“I am still on edge” — one incarcerated man’s experience in the extended Allegheny County Jail lockdown
Corey Durrett-King was released from the Allegheny County Jail in May and still suffers from the effects of the 23-and-one lockdown that keeps the …
Allegheny County Jail called an “outlier” for its continued ‘23-and-one’ practice
During the Covid-19 pandemic lockdown, people the world over saw their lives shrink into confined spaces. While the terms of that confinement sometimes felt …
Three years in solitary confinement: An open letter from the Allegheny County Jail
James Byrd has been held in the Allegheny County Jail’s men’s solitary confinement unit for over three years.
COVID-19, Rodents, Unpaid Labor: A Year In The Allegheny County Jail Kitchen
By Brittany Hailer This story first appeared in the Pittsburgh Current on May 3, 2021. The Pittsburgh Current converted to The Pittsburgh Institute for …
Incarcerated person dies at Allegheny County Jail
By Brittany Hailer Roger Millspaugh, 74, died in the Allegheny County Jail on Dec. 22 according to the Allegheny County Medical Examiner. Millspaugh was …
Allegheny County Jail reports nearly 300 incarcerated persons in solitary confinement after county voters banned practice
By Brittany Hailer The Allegheny County Jail was supposed to end most uses of solitary confinement on Dec 5 as a result of a …
Recreation time at the Allegheny County jail means being handcuffed to a table for four hours in the women’s acute mental health unit
Brittany Hailer A woman incarcerated at the Allegheny County Jail mental health unit said she spends four hours a day –the entirety of her …
At the same time the Allegheny County Jail returns to 23-and-one lockdown, more than three dozen corrections officers test positive for COVID-19
Medical staff is also short, with reports of just one nurse available at times By Brittany Hailer The Allegheny County Jail is once again …
County officials investigate accounts given by the incarcerated about conditions at the jail. Was it investigation or intimidation?
By Brittany Hailer Allegheny County Police Superintendent Christopher Kearns and County Jail Warden Orlando Harper on Friday released the initial findings of an investigation …
Incarcerated person dies following incident at Allegheny County Jail
By Brittany Hailer Paul Spisak, 77, died Sunday in a hospital after the court released him from Allegheny County Jail custody following an incident …
A death in a Allegheny County Jail exposes COVID’s hidden toll
Brittany Hailer This story first appeared in the Pittsburgh Current in December 2020. For days, members of the Allegheny County Jail Oversight Board did …
Medical emergency in the Allegheny County Jail results in the thirteenth death since April 2020
As with other jail deaths, few details have been made available By Brittany Hailer Another man incarcerated at the Allegheny County Jail has died …
Thirteen men died after going to the Allegheny County Jail. Here are their stories.
By Brittany Hailer Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic two years ago, 13 men incarcerated at the Allegheny County Jail have died, the …