Update

The Prison Society congratulates Trevor Wingard on his appointment as the new warden of the Allegheny County Jail. Steady new leadership is welcome news for a jail where incarcerated people have in recent years been subject to hunger, medical neglect, and an outsized risk of death. 

The Prison Society was among the community organizations that were given the opportunity to meet with Wingard before his appointment.

“We are impressed by Warden Wingard’s track record of successful leadership in the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections, his knowledge of the Allegheny County Jail, and his concern for people affected by the problems it is now his job to fix,” said the Prison Society’s executive director, Claire Shubik-Richards.

Wingard brings three decades of experience serving in the Department of Corrections, where he started as a corrections officer before moving up the ranks to serve as superintendent of two state prisons and then deputy secretary of corrections for the western region of the state, a role in which he oversaw nine prisons. Wingard also served as interim warden in the Allegheny County Jail for seven months in 2011.

During his tenure as superintendent at State Correctional Institution Somerset, he made reforms to the disciplinary system that helped significantly reduce rulebreaking. He also introduced a program that gives incarcerated people the opportunity to train service dogs, as well as a mural program. 

Like many jails across the state, the ACJ has struggled to hire and retain a sufficient complement of staff. Medical staffing in the jail has come under particular scrutiny in recent years, with high vacancy rates leading to delays in receiving care. In a survey administered by the Prison Society in 2022, more than half of incarcerated respondents reported being unable to access medical care. In addition, 95% reported regularly going hungry due to insufficient meal portions or inedible food.

Since former warden Orlando Harper stepped down in September of 2023, the jail has made progress in filling vacancies and addressing the range of other issues that compromise the well being of incarcerated people. The Prison Society commends Interim Warden Shane Dady for his contributions during this transition. 

Securing new permanent leadership was an important next step toward continuing progress in the ACJ. 

“We are grateful to Allegheny County leadership for including the Prison Society in the process of selecting a new warden, and look forward to supporting Warden Wingard as he works to continue to improve conditions in the jail,” said Shubik-Richards.

The Prison Society also helped interview candidates in Philadelphia when the city hired a new prisons commissioner last year, and stands ready to assist other counties with searches for qualified leadership.