Correctional staff with the assistance of law enforcement evacuated a portion of Neuse Correctional Institution this morning following a disturbance that started late Sunday afternoon. Due to damage inside some sections of the facility, approximately 500 inmates were transferred to other prisons leaving about 288 at Neuse CI. One corrections staff member and one inmate were both treated and released from a local hospital for non-life threatening injuries.
The disturbance was started by a small group of inmates at about 4:30 p.m. and was brought under control around 8:15 p.m. Sunday evening. The inmates set two separate fires, one inside the prison's diagnostic building and one that destroyed a storage shed that held supplies. Both fires have been put out. The inmates involved in the disturbance also broke windows and damaged four dorms.
The Prison Emergency Response Team (PERT), Goldsboro Police Department, Wayne County Sheriff's Office, Johnston County Sheriff's Office, State Highway Patrol, probation officers and several fire departments (Goldsboro, Rosewood and Belfast) all responded to the incident. Currently, an investigation is underway to determine who was involved and why the inmates started the disturbance. The unaffected portion of the facility will return to normal operations as promptly as possible and PERT will remain onsite to maintain safety and security at the prison.
Neuse Correctional Institution is a minimum security facility that has served as the point of entry into the prison system for adult male offenders from all counties. The prison houses approximately 790 inmates. Its primary mission had been to perform the diagnostic process for new inmates entering the system.
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