Our Nonprofit Partners Challenged Allegheny County to Rethink Solitary Confinement for Pregnant Inmates

A lawsuit pursued by our nonprofit partner, American Civil Liberties Union of Pennsylvania, regarding the Allegheny County Jail’s practice of putting pregnant inmates in solitary confinement has reached a settlement. Recognizing the harm of such a practice, Allegheny County has agreed to reform the procedures for housing pregnant inmates with a comprehensive and humane approach.

“The settlement prohibits the jail from placing pregnant women in restrictive housing except in rare instances in which the inmate poses a serious and immediate risk of physical harm, and decisions to place pregnant women in restrictive housing must be reviewed by the deputy warden and cleared by a medical professional," the ACLU said. Diet and physical needs during pregnancy are also taken into consideration.

Our nonprofit partner, Pennsylvania Institutional Law Project, also represented women for the complaints. Alexandra Morgan-Kurtz, staff attorney for the Pennsylvania Institutional Law Project, said, “These policy changes will provide a healthier and safer environment for pregnant women detained at ACJ.”

It's great when our nonprofit partners can work together for not only Philadelphians but our citizens in the Greater Commonwealth needing assistance. Read the full story at Trib Total Media.