Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Prohibit Solitary Confinement Initiative (May 2021)
| Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Prohibit Solitary Confinement Initiative | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Election date May 18, 2021 | |
| Topic Local law enforcement | |
Status Approved | |
| Type Initiative | Origin Citizens |
The Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Prohibit Solitary Confinement Initiative was on the ballot as an initiative in Allegheny County on May 18, 2021. It was approved.
A "yes" vote supported amending the Allegheny county code, chapter 205 to add Article III concerning standards governing confinement in the Allegheny County Jail to prohibit solitary confinement except in cases of lockdowns, medical or safety emergencies, and protective separation requests. |
A "no" vote opposed amending the Allegheny county code, chapter 205 to add Article III concerning standards governing confinement in the Allegheny County Jail, thus maintaining the existing code. |
This measure was one of two initiated measures on ballot in Allegheny County, the other measure was a No-Knock Warrant Ban in Pittsburgh.
Election results
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Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Prohibit Solitary Confinement Initiative (May 2021) |
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|---|---|---|---|---|
| Result | Votes | Percentage | ||
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168,907 | 69.51% | ||
| No | 74,077 | 30.49% | ||
Text of measure
Ballot title
The ballot title for this measure was as follows:
| “ | Shall the Allegheny County Code, Chapter 205. Allegheny County Jail, be amended and supplemented to include a new Article III, as set forth below, which shall set forth standards governing conditions of confinement in the Allegheny County Jail? | ” |
Full Text
The full text of this measure is available here.
Support
The Alliance for Police Accountability led the campaign in support of this measure, they are also supporting a No-Knock Warrant Ban initiative.[1]
Supporters
Political Parties
- Green Party of Allegheny County[2]
Organizations
Arguments
The following arguments in support of the referendum were posted on the Alliance for Police Accountability website:[3]
| “ |
Why does this matter? Solitary confinement is torture, according to the United Nations. Solitary confinement has been shown to increase recidivism rates — it creates more crime and makes the public less safe. Solitary confinement, along with the general lack of mental healthcare, is partially responsible for the Allegheny County Jail’s (ACJ’s) suicide rate – one of the highest in the nation. Solitary confinement is used in lieu of mental healthcare. Restricting it will force the jail to address its shameful lack of mental healthcare infrastructure. Why should I care? Solitary confinement hurts the general public, not just inmates Most people in jail are facing charges of nonviolent offenses. Solitary sharply increases the odds that someone will commit a violent crime [4] |
” |
Brandi Fisher, Alliance for Police Accountability President, said regarding the Prohibit Solitary Confinement Initiative and the Ban No-Knock Warrants Initiative:[5]
| “ | These two initiatives are critical to the public health and safety of the residents of Allegheny County, the community has the power to make the decisions that impact their lives, and this initiative is one way for that to manifest.[4] | ” |
Opposition
If you know of endorsements or arguments that should be posted here, email editor@ballotpedia.org.
Background
Allegheny County Jail Lawsuits
Two class action-lawsuits were filed against the Allegheny County Jail regarding the use of solitary confinement, one in 2016 and one in 2020.[6][7]
Howard v. Williams (2020)
In a class-action lawsuit filed September 15, 2020, by five inmates at the Allegheny County Jail, plaintiffs detailed allegations of misconduct, denial of mental health services, and excessive use of solitary confinement for persons with mental illness.[8] As of April 19, 2021 the lawsuit had not yet reached a settlement.
The complaint can be accessed here.
Seitz v. Allegheny County (2016)
December 19, 2016, a class-action lawsuit was filed on behalf of five pregnant women in the Allegheny County Jail. The complaint alleged improper use of solitary confinement for pregnant women, and that inmates in solitary confinement were denied proper nutrition for pregnant women. The lawsuit was settled in November of 2017, and resulted in the Allegheny County Jail implementing new accountability measures and policies including a ban on putting pregnant women in restrictive housing except in certain circumstances.[9]
The complaint can be accessed here, and the settlement agreement can be accessed here.
In 2021, Ballotpedia covered a selection of local police-related measures concerning police oversight, the powers and structure of oversight commissions, police practices, law enforcement department structure and administration, law enforcement budgets, law enforcement training requirements, law enforcement staffing requirements, and body and dashboard camera footage.
| State | Jurisdiction | Title | Election date | Description | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York | Albany | Proposal 7 | November 2 | Increases the authority of the Community Police Review Board over investigations and oversight of complains against police |
|
| Texas | Austin | Proposition A | November 2 | Requires a minimum number of police officers and certain police training and sets demographically representative hiring practice guidelines | 
|
| Washington | Bellingham | Initiative 2 | November 2 | Prohibits facial recognition and predictive policing technology |
|
| Colorado | Denver | Referred Question 2G | November 2 | Transfers the power to appoint the Independent Monitor to the Office of the Independent Monitor, which is responsible for disciplinary investigations concerning the Denver police and sheriff’s departments, from the mayor to the Citizen Oversight Board |
|
| Minnesota | Minneapolis | Question 2 | November 2 | Replaces the police department with a department of public safety in the city charter |
|
| Ohio | Cleveland | Issue 24 | November 2 | Changes the oversight structure of the Cleveland Police Department |
|
| Michigan | Detroit | Proposition P | August 3 | Revises the Detroit City Charter, with multiple changes to the Detroit Police Department included |
|
| Texas | Austin | Proposition C | May 1 | Establishes the position of the Director of Police Oversight in the city charter |
|
| Texas | San Antonio | Proposition B | May 1 | Repeals provisions allowing police officers to collectively bargain with the city |
|
| Pennsylvania | Pittsburgh | Ban No-Knock Warrants Initiative | May 18 | Requires police to knock on a door, announce their presence, and wait at least 15 seconds before entering a residence to execute a warrant |
|
| Pennsylvania | Allegheny County | Prohibit Solitary Confinement Initiative | May 18 | Prohibits the solitary confinement of persons held in the Allegheny County Jail |
|
| Illinois | Oak Park | Police Defunding Advisory Question | April 6 | Advises the city to defund the police department |
|
In 2020, Ballotpedia identified 20 police-related measures in 10 cities and four counties within seven states that appeared on local ballots. All 20 of the ballot measure were approved.
Path to the ballot
The ballot initiative was placed on the ballot after the Allegheny County legal counsel approved the petition filed on February 16, 2021, by the organization Alliance for Police Accountability who submitted 45,076 signatures.[10][11]
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Alliance for Police Accountability, "Home," accessed 14 April, 2021
- ↑ 2.00 2.01 2.02 2.03 2.04 2.05 2.06 2.07 2.08 2.09 2.10 2.11 2.12 2.13 2.14 2.15 2.16 2.17 2.18 2.19 2.20 2.21 2.22 2.23 Alliance for Police Accountability, "Endorsements," accessed April 14, 2021
- ↑ Alliance for Police Accountability, "Stop Solitary Confinement," accessed April 14, 2021
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Pennsylvania Capital Star, "Pgh advocates gather 65K signatures for no-knock warrant ban and solitary confinement limit ballot initiatives," accessed April 14, 2021
- ↑ United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania, "Howard v. Williams," accessed April 17, 2021
- ↑ United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania, "Seitz v. Allegheny County Settlement Agreement," accessed April 17, 2021
- ↑ Trib Live, "Inmates at Allegheny County Jail sue over dangers to their mental health," accessed April 17, 2021
- ↑ ACLU Pennsylvania, "Seitz v. Allegheny County" accessed April 17, 2021
- ↑ Facebook, "Alliance for Police Accountability," February 16, 2021
- ↑ Allegheny Elections Board, "April 13, 2021 Meeting," accessed April 14, 2021
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