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North Carolina Temporarily Closes Three Prisons for Lack of Guards; Final One Reopens During COVID-19 Pandemic

Loaded on Nov. 1, 2020 by Edward Lyon published in Prison Legal News November, 2020, page 35
Filed under: Work Conditions/Safety, Staffing. Location: North Carolina.

by Ed Lyon

The North Carolina Department of Public Safety’s (DPS) Division of Adult Correction and Juvenile Justice (DACJJ) has been in a severe crisis mode regarding prison guard understaffing. The August 2019 vacancy rate was 21 percent, causing prisons to be unable to safely.

DPS and DACJJ administrators decided to close three of their minimum-security facilities, on a temporary basis, to allow them to operate their remaining prisons at a constitutionally acceptable level. Yet prisoner Scott Whitmeyer was stabbed to death on the evening of September 28, 2019. He was assigned to Whiteville’s Columbus Correctional Institution and was living in a dormitory within the medium-security prison.

Republican state Senator Bob Steinburg questioned the closing of the three prisons. One of them is in Steinburg’s district and another is not far away, which would no doubt cause an economic slowdown for his constituents. Steinburg issued a statement saying that “Secretary Moose and senior staff at the Division of Adult Corrections have agreed to appear before the Senate Select Committee of Prison Safety so that other Senators may ask questions.”

There were multiple delays. However, by August 2020 all three prisons had been reopened. On August 10, State Treasurer Dale Folwell stated that more than 100 prisoners would be sent to the Tyrrell Prison Work Farm. “Not only will it help the economy of the area, but it will help alleviate the overcrowding in other prisons that could help prevent the spread of COVID-19 to inmates and employees of the prisons,” he said. He thanked Steinburg and other senators for pushing for the three prisons to be reopened. 

 

Source: nsjonline.com

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  1. Milestone: Thirty Years of Prison Legal News and the Human Rights Defense Center, by Paul Wright
  2. Fifth Circuit Reinstates Lawsuit Over Texas Jail Prisoner’s Death, by Matthew Clarke
  3. From the Editor, by Paul Wright
  4. Denied Medical Care During Pandemic, New Jersey Prisoner Treats Infected Wound With Bleach, by Dale Chappell
  5. Ninth Circuit: No Summary Judgment for Prison Officials Who Allegedly Allowed Attack on Nevada Prisoner, by David Reutter
  6. Lives at Stake as Pennsylvania County De-privatizes Prison, by David Reutter
  7. Coronavirus: A Second Wave of Infection, by Michael D. Cohen, MD
  8. Eleventh Circuit Vacates COVID-19 Injunction Against Miami Jail, by David Reutter
  9. Former Sheriff Joe Arpaio Loses Another Arizona Republican Primary, by Matthew Clarke
  10. Nebraska Declares Overcrowding Emergency in State Prisons, by Kevin Bliss
  11. Fourth Circuit: Opening of Detainee’s Legal Mail Outside His Presence Violates Right to Free Speech, by David Reutter
  12. Federal Judge Rules Prisoners Eligible for $1,200 Stimulus Checks; Application Deadline Extended to Nov. 21 for Online Filing, by Derek Gilna
  13. California Prison Guards Keep Jobs After Aiding Attacks on Sex Offenders, by Jayson Hawkins
  14. Texas: Prison Air Conditioning Needs Revisiting, by Edward Lyon
  15. Efforts to Keep COVID-19 Out of Montana Prisons Fuels Outbreaks in County Jails, by Alex Sakariassen
  16. Denial of Recruitment of Counsel for Wisconsin Prisoner Affirmed by Seventh Circuit, by David Reutter
  17. DOJ Finds Frequent Use of Excessive Force in Alabama Prisons, by David Reutter
  18. Two-Thirds of Nevada Prisoners Confined in Arizona Private Prison Test Positive for COVID-19, by Mark Wilson
  19. Third Circuit: District Court Erred in Ruling Against Pennsylvania Prisoner’s Civil Rights Complaint, by David Reutter
  20. Washington Prisoner’s State Public Records Act Lawsuit Results in His Freedom and $111,194 Award, by Matthew Clarke
  21. New Jersey Guard Acquitted in Sex Scandal, by David Reutter
  22. North Carolina Temporarily Closes Three Prisons for Lack of Guards; Final One Reopens During COVID-19 Pandemic, by Edward Lyon
  23. $225,000 Windfall in Lehigh County, Pa. But Officials Don’t Cut Jail Phone Costs, by David Reutter
  24. Second Circuit Reverses Summary Dismissal of Connecticut Prisoner’s Failure-to-Protect Lawsuit, by Matthew Clarke
  25. Private Prison Industry Ramped Up Campaign Contributions, Favoring Republicans, by Derek Gilna
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  27. Florida Spent $1.7 Million, and Counting, to Impede Felon Voting Rights, by David Reutter
  28. Investment Firm Buys Corizon, by Matthew Clarke
  29. $1.25 Million Settlement Against Tennessee County Over Sheriff’s Violations of Labor Law, by Douglas Ankney
  30. Violence at New York City’s Rikers Island Jail Increasing Even as Population Falls, by Edward Lyon
  31. Ankle Monitor Shortage at Chicago Jail Put Prisoner Releases During COVID in Limbo, by David Reutter
  32. Failed Michigan Jail Site to Host Innovation Center, by David Reutter
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  34. Second Circuit: Denial of Exercise Over Four Months Defeats Summary Judgment, by David Reutter
  35. Rikers Island Death Case Against City of New York Settles for $5.5 Million, by Derek Gilna
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  41. Mental Health Crisis in California’s Lock-Ups Worsens With COVID-19, by Edward Lyon
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  49. Captain Accused of Abusing Mentally Ill Prisoners Cleared in Internal Investigation, by Kevin Bliss
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  51. Former Pennsylvania Prison All Solitary with Silence Mandatory, by Edward Lyon
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