Trevor Wingard joined the Allegheny County Jail as its new warden on Jan. 13, days after the county’s jail oversight board confirmed his appointment. He joins the long-troubled facility amid a staffing shortage and ongoing concerns about living conditions and inadequate health and mental health care.
Wingard previously worked at the facility as an interim warden before returning to his nearly three-decade long career at the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections.
“After leaving [the Allegheny County Jail] and having a really good experience there … I always thought if I got a chance to go back to the ACJ, if something opened up, I may do that,” Wingard said in an interview with WESA.
That opportunity came about when former warden Orlando Harper retired in September 2023. County Executive Sara Innamorato nominated Wingard for the position after an eight-month search process and more than a year without a permanent warden.
As Wingard moves into his new office, the jail itself is struggling with an effort to decrease the inmate population. During the COVID-19 pandemic, officials released some people serving sentences who were eligible for early parole, as well as those who had not been convicted and could safely be released while awaiting trial or probation violation hearings, and older people with failing health. However, that trend has reversed in recent years. As of Jan. 24, the jail population was 1,972, according to county data — up 4% from last month and up 8% from the same time last year.
Some activists say part of the reason is that county judges are unusually quick to issue probation detainers — which return people to jail if they are accused of another offense or otherwise violate the terms of their probation. Wingard said it wouldn’t be appropriate to weigh in on such decisions, which are handled by judges. But he said in general, “There's a lot that goes into population management. There's no exact science to it.”
Strategies to reduce the head count might include: diverting would-be inmates to drug and alcohol treatment programs; ensuring people who are meant to be serving state sentences are sent to state facilities; and sending more people to alternative housing — facilities outside the jail that offer employment opportunities, classes, and other services meant to help people reintegrate into their communities.
Much of Wingard’s career was spent in state prisons, where those incarcerated have been convicted of a crime and are serving long-term sentences. He said working at ACJ, where most have not been convicted and may stay in the facility for a relatively short period, is a new challenge.
“It's the biggest difference between a jail and a prison: Understanding that when I'm talking to individuals as I walk around the facility, I may be talking to someone who's leaving the next day. That was not common for me. I had years, if not decades, to work with incarcerated individuals,” he said. “In a jail, you don't always find time is on your side. So, I've had to make those adjustments.”
Part of Wingard’s job will be to change the culture of the jail.
“I believe that now and even a year from now, it'll be a professional experience,” he said. “You just try to meet people where they're at and understand that this is definitely a traumatic event for them, coming into a correctional facility.”
Advocates said they’re cautiously optimistic about Wingard’s appointment.
“The jail has had a lot of problems, but there also has been a lot of progress in the past two years. There is still work to be done,” Alliance for Police Accountability president and CEO Brandi Fisher told WESA shortly after Wingard was selected. “I'm hopeful that there's going to be a lot of positive changes over the course of the next year.”
