RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) - A state judge on Friday demanded that North Carolina’s prison system provide detailed information about how it’s trying prevent the spread of the new coronavirus among offenders.
Superior Court Judge Vince Rozier, who is considering a lawsuit seeking the release of prisoners at high risk for COVID-19 and those near the end of their sentences, also wants specifics on accessible prisoner reentry programs.
Rozier raised the possibility of appointing a special master to help him evaluate prison conditions. Affidavits already provided by prison wardens and Department of Public Safety officials describing their attempts at best practices aren’t useful enough, the judge wrote.
“It is impossible for the court to determine whether specific practices and procedures undertaken at each of North Carolina’s incarceration facilities comply with defendants’ statutory and constitutional obligations,” Rozier wrote. He is seeking the information by May 8, after which he’ll hold a hearing.
Several prisoners and civil rights groups, which include the state NAACP and Disability Rights North Carolina, filed a petition three weeks ago with the state Supreme Court asking the justices to act. The Supreme Court dismissed the case but left open the door for the matter to be refiled in another court, Disability Rights attorney Susan Pollitt said Friday.
In addition to issuing prisoner restrictions and visitation bans, state prison leaders have said they are allowing some inmates out of prison early to finish serving their sentence under community supervision.
More than 600 offenders out of more than 33,000 state prison system have tested positive for COVID-19, according to Division of Prisons data. There have been three virus-related deaths. Most of the positive cases are within two prisons where mass testing has occurred - Neuse Correctional Institution in Goldsboro and the North Carolina Correctional Institution for Women in Raleigh.
Overall, North Carolina has recorded more than 10,900 positive cases and about 400 virus-related deaths as of Friday morning, according to the Department of Health and Human Services.
___
Follow AP news coverage of the coronavirus pandemic at https://apnews.com/VirusOutbreak and https://apnews.com/UnderstandingtheOutbreak
Please read our comment policy before commenting.