Friday, March 16, 2018
NATIONAL REPORT EXPOSES PROBLEMS AT DEADLY PRISONS
The lead investigator from the National Institute of Corrections told legislators Thursday that the state’s prisons fall woefully short of national standards and lawmakers need to make more than 100 changes as soon as possible to avoid more tragedy
The NC Department of Public Safety called in the NIC for a complete review following the deadliest year in prison system history Five correctional personnel were killed in separate attacks at Bertie and Pasquotank Correctional Institutes in 2017 A prison employee is assaulted every eight hours in North Carolina
The NIC highlighted understaffing, outdated policies, inadequate training, and faulty and insufficient equipment among the many problems putting correctional personnel at risk Watch the entire meeting here
Larger prisons in this state are still running at vacancy rates of 20 to 30 percent This is not sustainable and another tragedy is inevitable unless the General Assembly takes immediate action to raise salaries significantly and invest in appropriate protective gear for prison personnel
SEANC members have taken the lead on listening to workers who have a first-hand view of the situation on the ground Correctional personnel are the true experts in what s wrong and how to fix NC prisons They need a voice and don’t always feel comfortable expressing their concerns SEANC President Stanley Drewery established a committee to hear the confidential stories of DPS personnel So if you work for a prison you do have a voice and SEANC will make sure it is heard
SEANC Government Relations Director Ardis Watkins will appear on WRAL-TV s On The Record” show on Saturday at 7 p m to discuss the report and prison reforms Be sure to tune in!
