Press Releases
To stop the spread of coronavirus, the North Carolina Division of Prisons will not accept offenders from the county jails and will dramatically reduce the transfers of offenders within the prisons for the next 14 days, effective at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, April 7.
“We must deny this virus the opportunity to spread,” said Todd Ishee, Commissioner of Prisons. “It has gotten into three of our prisons and we must contain it there to the greatest degree possible. This is imperative for the health and safety of our staff and the men and women who are in our care.”
A collection of North Carolina experts today released a composite modeling forecast looking at how COVID-19 could affect North Carolina in the coming months. The models, constructed by experts from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Duke University, RTI International, and others reinforced the need for limiting personal contact to slow the spread of COVID-19 and ensure that health care is there for people who need it.
The North Carolina Division of Prisons this week enacted staff coronavirus medical screenings that include temperature checks at every prison, in an additional effort to reduce the chances the virus gets into a prison.
“These hardworking men and women in uniforms and medical scrubs report to work before the sun comes up or as the sun sets,” said Todd Ishee, Commissioner of Prisons.
Leading health scientists across public and private sectors will present information and answer questions at noon on Monday, April 6 on predictive modeling data studying the spread of COVID-19 in North Carolina.
At the request of Secretary Cohen, experts from Blue Cross and Blue Shield of NC, Duke University, NoviSci, RTI International and the University of North Carolina worked together to develop North Carolina-Specific data to help guide the state’s response to COVID-19.
What: COVID-19 Media Availability
At approximately 12:15 p.m. on April 2, Neuse Correctional Institution Warden Morris Reid and members of his custody and medical staffs attempted to speak with a group of offenders outside of their living dormitory to explain that proper Centers for Disease Control guidelines were being instituted after an offender there had tested positive for the COVID-19 virus.
Other offenders from different dorms then came outside and would not go back inside despite orders from the warden and other staff.
North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Mandy Cohen, M.D., Assistant Secretary of the Division of Employment Security Lockhart Taylor, Commissioner of Prisons Todd Ishee and Director of NC Emergency Management Mike Sprayberry will be available today for a dial-in media briefing at 2 p.m. regarding COVID-19. Please see below for details on how to join the call. A live stream video feed will be available from a pool camera.
Two offenders in the minimum custody unit at Neuse Correctional Institution in Goldsboro have tested positive for coronavirus.
They are the second and third offenders in the state prison system to test positive for the virus also known as COVID-19. The first offender to test positive, on April 1, is housed at the Caledonia Correctional Institution in Tillery.
HOOKERTON--An offender died after being attacked by another offender during an altercation at Maury Correctional Institution late this afternoon.
Offender Charles Rogers, 75, #0350031, was stabbed with a homemade weapon around 4:37 p.m. Thursday in one of the prison’s housing units. After facility medical personnel performed life-saving procedures on the scene, Rogers was pronounced dead at 4:46 p.m.
An offender at the minimum custody unit of the Caledonia Correctional Complex in Tillery has tested positive for coronavirus. This is the first positive test for the virus known as COVID-19 of an individual in custody at a North Carolina state prison.
“We have prepared long and hard for this day,” said Todd Ishee, Commissioner of Prisons. “This is not a surprise and we are following the infectious disease protocols we have in place for exactly this type of situation. Our top priority is the health and safety of our staff and the men and women in our care.”
North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Mandy Cohen, M.D. and Director of NC Emergency Management Mike Sprayberry will be available today for a dial-in media briefing at 2 p.m. regarding COVID-19. Please see below for details on how to join the call. A live stream video feed will be available from a pool camera. In order to maintain social distancing guidelines and further prevent the spread of COVID-19, the media room at the State Emergency Operations Center will not be open for media to attend in person.