Criminal Justice

Creating a Path Forward to Reduce Racial Disparities in the Criminal Justice System in Allegheny County

On December 12, 2023, at 11:00 a.m., County Executive Rich Fitzgerald and the Institute of Politics released an in-depth, mixed-method analysis of the racial disparities present in the Allegheny County criminal justice system. In 2021, the IOP commissioned the RAND Corporation and RTI International to develop a distinctive approach to understanding racial disparities across Allegheny County’s entire system beginning with law enforcement and extending into pretrial services, the courts, and ending with probation. The research not only was successful at identifying where the racial disparities exist within each stage and substage of the system, but the drivers of those disparities were also identified. The research process involved a comprehensive stakeholder engagement process including those who work within the system and community members who have lived experiences with incarceration, have family members who have been incarcerated, or as victims. By understanding the causes of the disparities, the researchers worked intensively with system stakeholders to develop a set of twenty-nine actionable policy and practice recommendations that can mitigate the concerning trend of racial disparities in our criminal justice system.

For a complete review of the project along with an outline of the report’s recommendations organized by strategies that create a pathway to reduce racial disparities, please refer to the IOP Project Overview.

For a comprehensive review of the quantitative and qualitative research findings and recommendations organized by the junctures within the criminal justice system, please refer to: 

Executive Summary: Shamena Anwar, John Engberg, The Rand Corporation. Yamanda Wright, Megan Comfort, Monica Sheppard, Ashley Lowe, RTI International. “Creating a Path Forward to Reduce Racial Disparities in the Criminal Justice System in Allegheny County.” December 2023

Comprehensive Research Report: Shamena Anwar, John Engberg, The Rand Corporation. Yamanda Wright, Megan Comfort, Monica Sheppard, Ashley Lowe, RTI International. “Creating a Path Forward to Reduce Racial Disparities in the Criminal Justice System in Allegheny County.” December 2023

Press Release

Jail Forum

In December 2019, the Institute sponsored “Repurposing Jails to Meet 21st Century Needs,” a conference devoted to promoting national best practices in jail use and programming. The conference featured national experts who examined the best practices of New York City and other jurisdictions in repurposing the use of jails, redesigning reentry programming, and addressing racial disparities. Videos and additional resources from the jail forum can be found here.

2019 Progress Panel Report

In September 2019, the Progress Panel released its latest report, “Criminal Justice in the 21st Century: Imrpvoing Incareceation Policies and Practices in Allegheny County,” highlighting local criminal justice reform advances.The report outlines the impact of the MacArthur Foundation’s Safety and Justice Challenge initiative in Allegheny County. Through the Challenge, the county has committed to achieving a 20 percent reduction in its jail population by September 2020 and a reduction in racial and ethnic disparities throughout the system. Also described is the Heinz Endowment’s generous commitment to criminal justice reform through $10 million in grantmaking, including generous support of the work of the Institute in this area. Finally, the report examines a local initiative funded by the Buhl Foundation and launched in Pittsburgh’s Northside neighborhoods, which approaches criminal justice through a community lens by means of relationship-based policing, public safety partnerships, and the establishment of neighborhood safety centers.

To learn more, please contact us: iop@pitt.edu