April 20, 2020

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT:
Andy Hoover, media@aclupa.org, 717-514-2747
Rebecca Susman, rsusman@pailp.org, 412-254-4771

PHILADELPHIA - Ten people who are currently incarcerated in facilities in the Philadelphia Department of Prisons have filed a federal civil rights class action lawsuit against the city and the department over the conditions of the city’s jails.

The lawsuit is on behalf of the plaintiffs and all people who are currently incarcerated and to be incarcerated in the future in the city’s prisons and who are at heightened risk of serious illness or death from COVID-19 due to age, medical condition, or disability. They argue that the conditions of the jails increase the likelihood that they will contract the novel coronavirus and become severely sick from the disease COVID-19 in violation of their Eighth Amendment right to be free from cruel and unusual punishment, their Fourteenth Amendment right to due process, and the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Read the full press release here.

FCC Allenwood, which houses severely medically-compromised people, cancelled sick call. PILP Advocates for access to medical care, face masks, and complying with social distancing protocols.

Read full letter here.

April 8, 2020
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT: Andy Hoover, ACLU-PA, media@aclupa.org, 717-514-2747
Bret Grote, Abolitionist Law Center, bretgrote@abolitionistlawcenter.org, 412-654-9070
Rebecca Susman, PA Institutional Law Project, rsusman@pailp.org, 412-254-4771

PITTSBURGH – In the wake of the global pandemic, three people detained at the Allegheny County Jail filed a federal class action lawsuit today against the county, seeking relief from the dangerous conditions putting them and others at risk of exposure to the novel coronavirus and the disease COVID-19. The three plaintiffs are represented by the Abolitionist Law Center, the American Civil Liberties Union of Pennsylvania, the Pennsylvania Institutional Law Project, and the law firm Dechert LLP.

The Allegheny County Jail reports the release of as many as 600 people in recent weeks, reflecting a 20 percent population drop and earning the county praise for its efforts. However, as the lawsuit notes, Warden Orlando Harper has failed to properly take advantage of the decrease in the population by consolidating housing units in the jail, leaving at least one entire floor completely unoccupied and continuing to house two people per cell.

Read the full press release here

On April 6, 2020, the Pennsylvania Institutional Law Project wrote the attached letter in response to disturbing reports out of Centre County Correctional Facility. These reports detailed the prison’s failure to isolate incarcerated people who are exhibiting symptoms of COVID-19, and not providing face masks for jail staff or for the prisoners in the facility.

Two specific examples of reports our office received include: one incarcerated person with a severe cough and chest pains, and another with a temperature of 100.4 degrees. Neither of these people were placed in isolation or provided with a face mask.

The letter requests a response from the Centre County Commissioners by Friday, April 10, 2020. PILP asked for an explanation of the steps they intend to take to address the issues we raised in the letter and any other measures they are taking to address the COVID-19 situation in the jail. If we do not receive a response, we will consider taking further action. PILP will continue report about the status of the situation.

Read the full letter here.

Over 140 youth are held in Philadelphia’s juvenile detention center and adult jails as COVID19 spreads rapidly.

On April 2, 2020, the Pennsylvania Institutional Law Project joined 30+ organizations and individuals dedicated to the health and safety of Philadelphia’s youth in signing a letter imploring Philadelphia Mayor James Kenney, Philadelphia City Council, and the Philadelphia Courts to take immediate action to protect incarcerated youth from COVID-19. The letter demands prompt action to keep all young people and families safe during this unprecedented public health crisis.

Read the full letter here

The Pennsylvania Institutional Law Project (PILP) sent a letter to Timothy Holmes, Acting Chief Counsel for the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections (DOC) stating our serious concerns regarding the DOC’s protocols for testing incarcerated people for COVID-19 (Coronavirus).

Dear Mr. Holmes:

I am writing on behalf of the Pennsylvania Institutional Law Project to express grave concern regarding the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections’ protocols for testing incarcerated people for COVID-19 (Coronavirus). Our concern stems from the DOC’s refusal to test Walter Ogrod, who is currently incarcerated at SCI Phoenix, for COVID-19. We recently learned through media reports that Mr. Ogrod may have had a fever of up to106 degrees, coughing, and difficulty breathing. We are not only concerned about Mr. Ogrod’s medical condition and his possible infection with COVID-19, but also the possible impact on other incarcerated individuals, prison staff, and the broader community. We are alarmed that if the Department of Corrections (“DOC”) is refusing to test Mr. Ogrod, the DOC might not test anyone, no matter how severe their symptoms, to avoid reporting infection in DOC facilities.

Read the full letter here.

The Pennsylvania Institutional Law Project (PILP) and the Lewisburg Prison Project (LPP) sent a letter to the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) expressing our grave concerns regarding the possible transfer of incarcerated people in New York federal facilities to Pennsylvania federal facilities in light of the current Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

A copy of the letter is available at this link.

Three prison reform groups sent letters today to every county jail, federal prison and immigration detention center in Pennsylvania as well as the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections urging evidence-based responses to the coronavirus pandemic, with an expectation that the jails and prisons will be transparent in how they are responding. Calling people who are incarcerated “highly vulnerable to outbreaks of contagious illnesses,” the American Civil Liberties Union of Pennsylvania, the Pennsylvania Institutional Law Project, and FAMM outlined ten areas of concern in the letter, including proper education for prisoners and staff, the availability of hygiene products, and precautions for prisoners who are at increased vulnerability.

The letter also notes that the organizations intend to follow up with Right To Know requests to facilitate public knowledge of the institutions’ plans.