The majority of people held at the Allegheny County Jail on any given day are pretrial detainees — people who have been charged with crimes but not convicted, held because they could not afford the cash bail set at their preliminary arraignment. Under the U.S. Constitution, they are presumed innocent. They are being detained not because they have been found guilty of anything, but because the bail system has set a financial condition they cannot meet.
How Bail Is Set in Pennsylvania
In Pennsylvania, bail is set by a Magisterial District Judge (MDJ) at the preliminary arraignment — typically within hours of arrest. The MDJ may release the person on their own recognizance (ROR), set monetary bail, impose non-monetary conditions, or deny bail entirely for specific offenses. The bail amount is supposed to be set at the minimum amount necessary to ensure the person's appearance at court — but in practice, bail amounts often reflect risk assessments and offense severity rather than a careful calculation of financial necessity.
Most people arraigned in Allegheny County are arraigned in the middle of the night — the county's MDJ system operates 24 hours, but arraignments happen when arrests happen, which is frequently in the early morning hours. A person arrested at 2 a.m. may be arraigned at 4 a.m. with no attorney present and no opportunity to present information about their community ties or their inability to pay before the bail amount is set.
The Impact of Cash Bail on ACJ's Population
Allegheny County, like virtually every Pennsylvania county, uses a cash bail system in which a person must pay a percentage of their bail to a bail bondsman (typically 10 percent, non-refundable) or post the full amount directly with the court. A person set at $25,000 bail who cannot afford a $2,500 bondsman fee sits in the ACJ for weeks or months before their case is resolved — not because a judge determined they were dangerous, but because they were poor.
Pennsylvania has been engaged in a multi-year debate about bail reform. The ACLU of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia's Defender Association, and several county-level reform advocates have pushed for elimination of cash bail for low-level offenses and expansion of supervised release programs as alternatives. Allegheny County has its own Pretrial Services program that monitors people released on non-monetary conditions — an alternative to cash detention that has been expanded in recent years.
How to Post Bail or Request a Bail Reduction
To post bail:
- Cash bail can be posted directly with the Allegheny County Jail cashier or through the court
- A licensed bail bondsman can post a surety bond for a non-refundable premium (typically 10 percent of the bail amount)
- Bail bondsmen licensed in Allegheny County can be found through the Pennsylvania Insurance Department's producer search tool
To request a bail reduction:
- Defense counsel can file a motion for bail modification with the Court of Common Pleas
- A bail reduction hearing is scheduled before a judge — family members may be permitted to attend and provide information about ties to the community
- Presenting evidence of stable housing, employment, and family support strengthens a bail reduction argument
- The Allegheny County Public Defender can represent people who cannot afford private counsel on bail reduction motions
Speeding Up Resolution: Preliminary Hearings and Plea Negotiations
For pretrial detainees, the fastest path to release is often plea negotiation — resolving the case through a guilty plea to a lesser charge or time served, rather than waiting months for trial. This creates a documented coercive dynamic: people plead guilty to crimes they may not have committed simply to get out of jail. Defense attorneys at the Allegheny County Public Defender's office are aware of this dynamic and work to ensure clients understand the full consequences of plea agreements before accepting them.
Allegheny County Jail: 950 Second Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15219. Phone: (412) 350-2000. Allegheny County Public Defender: (412) 350-2400. Allegheny County Pretrial Services: (412) 350-4040.