Stop Solitary Confinement
As detailed in the lawsuit filed by advocates against the Allegheny County Jail in October 2020, people inside the ACJ are routinely subjected to long stretches in solitary confinement as, essentially, punishment for having a mental illness.
Our ballot initiative will virtually end this barbaric practice, currently deployed by jail authorities in lieu of providing actual mental healthcare.
Click here for a printable petition & the full text of the charter amendment!
One chilling example:
“Plaintiff…is currently incarcerated at ACJ and has been since February 2015. He suffers from psychiatric disabilities, including bipolar disorder, depression, anxiety, and PTSD. Mr. Byrd has been repeatedly issued misconducts and kept in solitary confinement for seeking mental health or medical care, and he has been repeatedly assaulted with a taser, sprayed with OC spray, and placed in the restraint chair. He has been placed in the restraint chair approximately 20 times or more, including one instance of being strapped to the chair for 28 hours. These conditions have caused his mental health to deteriorate, and led to a series of selfharm attempts.”
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does this matter?
Why should I care?
Who is behind this?
Don’t they deserve it? They’re in there for a reason.
I hear the ACJ “doesn’t do solitary.”
People get put in solitary for a reason – they’re acting out and dangerous to others, right?
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