The Philadelphia Inquirer
Each night, Philly jails release scores of inmates without returning their IDs, cash or phones
According to data obtained and analyzed by The Philadelphia Inquirer, 73% of all inmates released from Philadelphia jails from April 2017 to April 2018 — more than 16,000 prisoners — were discharged after the cashier’s offices had closed, leaving them without any identification, cash, phone or other possessions for hours or even days. The offices are closed on weekends.
Ruth Shefner, SP2 alum and director of the School’s Goldring Reentry Initiative, weighs in on the discharge procedure for inmates.