Future of the Allen County Jail

On January 2, 2020 a lawsuit was filed on behalf of all persons currently confined, or who would in the future be confined, in the Allen County Jail. On March 31, 2022, a Federal judge in the United States District Court - Northern District of Indiana - Fort Wayne Division, issued an Opinion & Order concerning the lawsuit after several rounds of hearings and attempts at mediation. That document can be read here. The judge ordered Allen County to

a) in the short-term address current conditions at the Allen County Jail and

b) in the long-term find a permanent solution to address conditions at the Allen County Jail. 

According to the Judge's Opinion & Order, the complaints in the lawsuit concerning conditions in the Allen County Jail are largely attributable to the population of inmates in the jail and staffing levels of employees working in the jail.

Allen County has been ordered by the Federal court to address conditions in the Jail. Leaders in Allen County must now determine the best court forward for accomplishing that. This website will be in the repository for all public information that can be shared on the process to determine how to address the long-term condition issues of the Allen County Jail contained in the lawsuit. The size, scope, and shape of the solution has not been determined, but Allen County has been ordered to make progress on finding a long-term solution and report its progress back to the lawsuit plaintiffs and the Federal court.