Letter to the editor: Deaths at jail must be investigated

The Allegheny County Jail Oversight Board has the statutory responsibility of providing “oversight of the health and safekeeping” of the residents and “investigate allegations of inadequate prison conditions” at the Allegheny County Jail. Since April 2020, there have been 11 deaths of jail residents (“Allegheny County Jail inmate dies,” Dec. 23, TribLIVE). This tragic number far exceeds the average number of deaths of a jail the size of ACJ, according to the U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics.

The board and the public receive very limited information from the county when an investigation of a death occurs. Board members have many other responsibilities and do not have the time or expertise to conduct investigations of deaths at the jail.

The oversight board on two occasions, including in November, has voted to hire a liaison who may have the responsibility to interview staff and residents and review charts when someone dies at the jail. The county needs to move forward and approve the contract for this position to give the board the ability to conduct an independent investigation of these deaths and fulfill its statutory responsibilities. County politics should not get in the way of the board saving lives at ACJ.

John Kenstowicz

Morningside