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Jail Collaborative created
The lack of a standardized process for exiting incarceration was found to be an issue. While some Allegheny County inmates received a pre-release interview assessing their service needs for reentry, the interview process was limited to only those inmates whose next step was probation. Those without interviews were released without guidance. To begin to address this and other critical issues, county leadership establishes Allegheny County Jail Collaborative to support reentry of former inmates. -
The Community Re-Integration Program further developed
The Community Re-Integration Program was developed further in the 2001 report "A Path to Success: A Comprehensive Service Design for the Allegheny County Jail." -
Allegheny County Jail Collaborative expands
The ACJC was expanded when service providers from the community were invited to participate. The collaborative now focuses on three key elements to support successful reentry of ex-offenders: service planning & coordination, service provision, and post-release services. -
Foundation's "Advocating for Children of Prisoners" initiative is launched
The Pittsburgh Child Guidance Foundation begins a 10-year initiative to learn about the issues that confront children when family members are arrested & incarcerated in Allegheny County. -
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Phase one of 10-year initiative "Advocating for Children of Prisoners"
This phase of the Foundation's initiative included: surveys of parents in Allegheny County Jail; focus groups with children and caregivers; and interviews with criminal justice and child welfare officials, service providers, and researchers. -
First Report to the Community published
Foundation publishes highlights of study's key findings in first "Report to the Community." Key report findings include: (1) children of prisoners are "invisible"; (2) families often struggle without support; (3) children may live in fear, confusion, and longing; (4) children's grief can be overlooked; and (5) obstacles hinder contact between children and parents. -
Stakeholders convene to discuss children and jail visits
Foundation and Heinz Endowments convene stakeholders to discuss children waiting at Jail. Becuase children routinely wait up to 3 hours before getting to see their parents in the Allegheny County Jail, and becuase the difficult environment adds to children's anxieties and creates stress for childrens' caregivers and correctional staff, the Foundations and other stakeholders begin to identify the waiting and visitation environments as critical to relationship preservation. -
Systems Advocate hired as "point person" for children and families of prisoners
Following from the Foundation's first "Report to the Community," the County Human Services Agency creates a position to increase awareness of children of prisoners among all people working in the child welfare and criminal justice systems. With funding from the Pittsburgh Child Guidance Foundation, this "Systems Advocate" is hired in July 2006 as the county government’s first point person for children and families of the incarcerated. -
Second Report to the Community published
Foundation publishes second "Report to the Community" which highlights the soon-to-open Family Activy Center, efforts to improve visitation procedures at the jail, the then-in-development training protocols for police to assist children at the time of parental arrest, and various family support services. -
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Phase two of 10-year initiative "Advocating for Children of Prisoners"
In the second phase of the Foundation's initiative, an intensive five-month focus group was conducted with fathers in jail, as well as with their children, family members, and officers. Unlike in phase one, these focus groups were more intimate, longer, and were not confidential. -
Gwen Elliott Family Activity Center opened
The Gwen Elliott Family Activity Center, the area where children await a visit with their incarcerated parent, opens. The Family Activity Center is outfitted with colorful and comfortable furnishings, supplied with games and activities and staffed with professionals and volunteers who assist caregivers and children prior to visits. -
Family Ties video released
Foundation releases "Family Ties," a short video that includes footage from five months of discussion between fathers in the Allegheny County Jail and a design team from the Pittsburgh Child Guidance Foundation. -
Evaluation of Jail Collaborative released
Results from the University of Pittsburgh Allegheny County Jail Collaborative Evaluation study, released today, demonstrates the value (by reducing recidivism and justice-related expenses) of the services coordinated by the Jail Collaborative. In addition, former inmates reported a personal value in taking part in the services. -
Arrest Protocol Committee submits report to Judge Kim Clark
Stakeholder efforts and research have by now identified the long-term impacts of parental arrests on children. The "Time of Arrest" task force created by Judge Kim Clark develops a protocol to guide police in assisting children when their parents are arrested. The protocol was piloted by the Pittsburgh Police Bureau and continues to be incorporated into ongoing trainings of police in Pittsburgh and other county municipalities. -
County wins Second Chance Act award
In 2009, Allegheny County made a successful application, on behalf of the Allegheny County Jail Collaborative, for a U. S. Department of Justice Second Chance Act Prisoner Reentry Initiative competitive grant. The grant, $600,000 per year for up to three years—if the county meets federal standards for performance—is intended to fund programs to support members of the sentenced jail population to make a successful re-integration into their communities after release. -
Foundation convenes funders and integrates family support into the Jail Collaborative
The Foundation's intensive focus groups with father in the county jail led to one consistent finding: fathers wanted support to preserve their relationship with their children and families. To aid in this effort, the Foundation brought together 11 other local foundations to match a national funder and generate $1 million to provide a menu of services to strengthen family relationships of parents in the Allegheny County Jail. -
Discharge Center opens
The Discharge Center, a new area of the Allegheny County Jail, is opened to allow a planned discharge process which assures both support for the resident and notification to family before discharge. No longer will releases occur in the wee hours of the morning – an often voiced concern – but rather between the hours of 8am and 9pm.