Allegheny County Jail

Jail Layout

Interview with Brian


JM: How many different blocks were there?
Brian: There are 8 floors with Pods A-F on them.

JM: Did they have names? If so, what were they?
Brian: First floor was where the Kitchen was at the second Floor and third floor was for Inmates who were sentenced. The Fourth floor was the Psychiatric Floor and was the Main Intake floor when you first came in to the Jail. It was called the "Shoe". It was the first floor you were put on prior to being Classified to the floor you were going to. Level 4a or 4b. It was called the level that you were put on when you first came in before moving to the 2nd floor for Sentenced Inmates. The 6th to 8th floor was for inmates who were looking at alot of Time in Jail and who were charged with serious accounts and charges. The 7th floor was called the hole and you were put there if you were involved in fights. The 5th floor was a Drug and Alcohol treatment floor but it is for hard core drug addicts. It is a bad floor and it is Program that you have to do all the time.

JM: Which inmates were housed in the different blocks?
Brian: It depended upon their charges and what they had on their previous Criminal History as to what Blocks they were put in. It also depended upon what they did to be put in Jail. Psychiatric Inmates were housed on the 4th floor. Inmates who were sentenced were on the 2nd floor and the 3rd floor. Inmates who worked in the Kitchen were on the first floor. Inmates who were Murders and other crimes were on the 7th to 8th floor.

JM: What do you remember being the nicest and worst parts about the different blocks?
Brian: There was fights all the time on the 5th floor and upper floors, 6th-8th. There was fights and people who just arrived to the jail on floor 2 B. This is where the younger inmates were at and Inmates that I knew from the Academy. The floor was very chaotic and was very loud and fights alot.