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A new report says too many people are being sent to jail by Allegheny County law enforcement and courts, mostly because of pre-trial incarcerations. The report says the county could save $12 million annually without compromising security.
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Report: Too many being sent to Allegheny County Jail

Post-Gazette

Report: Too many being sent to Allegheny County Jail

Law enforcement and courts in Allegheny County are putting too many people in jail, at great cost to taxpayers and families, according to a report released today by the University of Pittsburgh Institute of Politics.

During two decades of falling crime rates, the Allegheny County Jail's population has increased by 70 percent, driven mostly by pre-trial detention, even though effective tools are available to decide who should be locked up, said former U.S. Attorney Fred Thieman and institute chairman Mark Nordenberg, who led the year-long effort. The resulting report, Criminal Justice in the 21st Century: Improving Incarceration Policies and Practices in Allegheny County, suggests that the county could save $12 million a year without jeopardizing public safety.

Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald, who asked for the report, said he could "think of ways we'd much rather spend this money, assuming, of course, that public safety isn't compromised."

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"The system can be made fairer and more cost-effective," said Mr. Nordenberg, even as it "can achieve even higher levels of community safety."

The jail's daily population hovers around 2,200, said Mr. Thieman, and criminal justice takes up 42 cents out of every property tax dollar.

A lot of that expense is driven by a tendency in the county to jail people who haven't yet been convicted and who may be driven by problems other than criminal intent. Mr. Thieman said that 81 percent of the people in the Allegheny County Jail are not serving sentences, compared to a national average of 62 percent.

District judges make key decisions on whether to jail, release or place bond on defendants pretrial. While district judges have access to powerful computer tools that predict whether a defendant is a danger to the public or a risk to flee pre-trial, they are only following the program's recommendations in 63 percent of cases, Mr. Thieman said.

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District judges should make "rare use" of monetary bond, he said, because it often results in the lengthy incarceration of people who pose little risk, but have little money.

Jailing someone for even a few days can cost them their job, custody of their children, their housing "and even their lives," added Mr. Nordenberg.

"We take away the rights of the individual to succeed when we use this type of system" to create a sense of criminal justice, said Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto. The report found that people jailed for four to seven days were 50 percent more likely to commit future crimes than were those who were free while awaiting trial.

Some 75 percent of the people in the Allegheny County Jail suffer from either mental illness, substance abuse or both, Mr. Thieman said. Only 19 percent of the jail's population is charged with violent crime, with the rest held for drug, public order or property offenses.

The impact falls disproportionately on African Americans. The report found that the booking rate for black men in Allegheny County is nearly double the national average. Nationally, African-American males are six times more likely to be locked up than white males, according to The Sentencing Project, an advocacy organization that supports alternatives to incarceration.

"You need to recognize and understand that it is about race," said Mr. Peduto. He said a reduced emphasis on incarceration would allow governments to "start putting the resources behind the core issues of mental health and addiction."

Another factor: Allegheny County probation terms "are uniquely long compared to the rest of the nation," Mr. Thieman added. People who violate probation often end up back in jail.

The report, crafted by a 40-person working group, recommends that:

  • Police, courts and prosecutors should work together to find the earliest possible opportunities to get nonviolent suspects out of custody and into treatment and support services.
  • Prosecutors should guard against overcharging.
  • Public defenders should be available at preliminary arraignments, when initial decisions on incarceration or release are made.
  • More police should be trained to handle mental health crises, to reduce arrests, and those officers who have the training should divert more people to an underutilized recovery center.
  • Judges should carefully weigh the costs of lengthy probation terms.
  • The savings could be spent on more police, probation officers and programs to help people to stay out of trouble.

Rich Lord: rlord@post-gazette.com or 412-263-1542. Twitter @richelord.

First Published: November 16, 2016, 3:56 p.m.

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A new report says too many people are being sent to jail by Allegheny County law enforcement and courts, mostly because of pre-trial incarcerations. The report says the county could save $12 million annually without compromising security.  (Post-Gazette)
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