February 2021 • Vol. 38, Issue 2
THE
REPORTER
State Employees Association of North Carolina
FRUSTRATIONS GROW AS
C VID HITS PRISONS As COVID cases increased exponentially with the onset of winter, conditions at North Carolina prisons received national attention. Across North Carolina, the coronavirus has claimed the lives of 32 prison inmates, and at least seven staff members. Most of the state’s prisons have now experienced outbreaks according to The Charlotte Observer. More than 7,400 inmates and 2,300 prison staff have tested positive for the virus. The New York Times covered the dangers of COVID outbreaks facing North Carolina correctional officers in a front-page article on Jan. 2. They reported that nearly 100,000 correctional officers have tested positive nationwide and 170 have died. North Carolina is now under court order to test officers every two weeks. In the same article, SEANC Executive Director Ardis Watkins called for the end of all movement of inmates and staff from jails and prisons until the pandemic is under control. This movement occurs when facilities are closed and inmates and staff are forced to relocate to other facilities, which increases the number of people they come into contact with and, therefore, the risk of contracting the virus. “The nature of the job is, ‘anything could happen, including getting killed.’ But what they’re not used to is knowing that going to work might mean their family can get a disease that they could die from,” Watkins said in the article. Watkins also pointed out, “People
don’t see the prison system. They don’t think about it. In this pandemic, the work that’s done that is so dangerous is not being valued. So that frustration is growing. They feel like, as usual, they’re forgotten and left behind.”
TABOR CORRECTIONAL HIT HARD The Charlotte Observer reported in late December that Tabor Correctional
Associate Warden Julian Priest
Warden Brad Perritt
Institution had been hit particularly hard. At the time the article was published, more than 670 inmates and staff members had tested positive for COVID-19 there. They also lost two of their top leaders in December. Associate warden Julian Priest, a 29year veteran of the state prison system, died from coronavirus complications on Dec. 24, his son confirmed. The prison’s warden, 46-year-old Brad Perritt, also died, on Dec. 15, though a family member said that Perritt did not die as a result of COVID-19. Watkins said the situation at Tabor should show state leaders that more needs to be done to protect state employees at our prisons. Specifically, she said, the movement of inmates and
staff needs to end. The state has closed at least three facilities in recent months and shifted both inmates and staff. “If the governor is encouraging individuals to stay in their homes, it seems we’d be rational enough to shut down the movements in our prison system,” Watkins said.
VACCINES ON THE WAY? The Food and Drug Administration approved two vaccines for COVID in December, but roll out to essential workers and those most in need has gone slower than expected. State officials were forced to change their earlier plan to distribute the vaccine because of this lack of availability. The state moved to Phase 1b of its plan in early January — when correctional staff were slated to be offered the vaccine on a voluntary basis.
SEANC CONTINUES TO FIGHT! SEANC continues to fight for increased safety for all state employees during the pandemic and monitor the vaccination roll out. We will provide more information as it is available through our social media accounts. If you have concerns, please contact us at seanccares@seanc.org.