Safety + Justice Challenge

This project is designed to safely reduce the population of the Allegheny County Jail and reduce racial and ethnic disparities.

In October 2018, Allegheny County received a grant to participate in the Safety and Justice Challenge (SJC), supported by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation. More than seven years since its public launch, the SJC has grown into a collaborative network of 74 sites in 33 states modeling and inspiring reforms to create more fair and equitable local justice systems across the country.

In February 2023, Allegheny County was awarded an additional $1.17 million grant to sustain its progress. For additional information, download the full press release(PDF, 153KB).

The current goals of the project are to:

  • Safely reduce the population of the Allegheny County Jail by 20% over two years
  • Reduce racial and ethnic disparities in the criminal justice system

To submit questions or ideas about the Safety and Justice Challenge, please email SJC@alleghenycounty.us.

 

Partners

  • Fifth Judicial District Court Administration
  • Allegheny County District Attorney's Office
  • Executive Branch of the County government, including the Jail, the Office of the Public Defender, and Human Services
Back to top