Educational Programs
Adult and Juvenile Programs
Through its partnership with the Allegheny Intermediate Unit (AIU), the Allegheny County Jail provides a wide range of educational opportunities for incarcerated juveniles and adults. That partnership has been in place for over two decades, and it’s allowed the ACJ to offer a variety of educational options taught by teaching professionals in an effort to prepare incarcerated individuals for the next step in life.
Juvenile Services
Juveniles at the Allegheny County Jail attend the Academic Institute School on a daily basis. The school is managed by the Allegheny Intermediate Unit (AIU) and partners with Pittsburgh Public Schools to enable students the opportunity to achieve credits toward a high school diploma. Courses offered are in line with the curriculum at the Pittsburgh Public Schools. The staff are Pennsylvania-certified teachers employed by the AIU. A licensed professional counselor and a special education teacher are also on staff.
The Academic Institute has historically engaged in partnerships with other educational entities with the goal of enhancing the educational opportunities for the students.
Adult Education Program
Allegheny County Jail inmates 18 and older are eligible for the Adult Education Workforce Program, also managed by the Allegheny Intermediate Union (AIU). Adults interested in pursuing opportunities in the Adult Education Workforce Program, have two tracks available:
AIU GED (General Education Diploma) Track: Upon entering the AIU GED Track, individuals go through an assessment and are placed in one of three classes. Each class is designed to put the incarcerated individual on a path to earn his or her GED.
AIU Workforce Track: Designated only for individuals with a high school diploma or the equivalent, the AIU Workforce Track has two options. An eight-week Computer Workforce Literacy program helps individuals learn computer skills, including resume writing to basic keyboarding to Word, Excel and PowerPoint. The second option is a Pre-Apprenticeship program designed to prepare the incarcerated individuals for acceptance into a building trade union.
Additional Information
In addition to the above options, the Adult Education Program has a partnership with the Petey Greene Program, which provides tutoring opportunities. Volunteers (see the Petey Greene Program Volunteer page) from the program help instructors and inmates achieve their goals across both educational tracks.
Any inquiries into the educational programs at the Allegheny County Jail should be directed to Jack Pischke at 412-350-2187.