Topics Related to Prisons

Behind Bars, Reaching for the Stars

The graduates wore traditional black gowns and tasseled mortarboards. The university president gave his congratulations. The student body representative spoke of resilience.

One-by-one, the students came forward to be presented with their Associate of Science degrees and the applause of their professors and visitors.

The branch campus was ringed in barbed wire and guard towers.

State Public Safety Officials Conclude Project Providing COVID-19 Quarantine Shelter to Recently Released Offenders

With new COVID-19 cases on the decline, prisons providing vaccinations to all incarcerated individuals who want the vaccine; and  vaccines now widely available in communities across the state; the N.C. Department of Public Safety is wrapping up a project that provided quarantine space to recently released offenders who may have been exposed to COVID-19 prior to release. This group would have otherwise been homeless or didn’t have a stable home to go to following completion of their sentences.

Prisons’ Leadership Honors Fallen Comrades in Staff Appreciation Ceremony

Celebrates Staff for a Year of Dedication in a Pandemic

North Carolina Prisons leadership today honored the men and women who fell in the line of duty, mourned those who succumbed to COVID-19 and celebrated the staff who have worked with such dedication during the past year of pandemic.

From Bertie Cadet to Bertie Sergeant: Russell is a Trailblazer

Bertie Correctional Institution Sgt. Robert Russell is a trailblazer in his northeastern North Carolina county. Not only was he a member of the first Public Safety Cadet Program class back in 2017 at Bertie High School, he also was the first member of the program to be hired by the state prison in 2018. 

National Organization Honors S.H.I.E.L.D.’s Billups for Heroic Action

At its September National Memorial Ceremony and Training Institute Recognition Luncheon in Bloomington, Minnesota, the Correctional Peace Officers Foundation honored Division of Adult Correction and Juvenile Justice’s S.H.I.E.L.D. Critical Incident Administrator Jeffery Billups for his heroic actions last summer while driving home from work.

Billups (pictured in center) received the CPOF Above and Beyond the Call of Duty Award from the CPOF Board of Directors Chairman Glenn Mueller and National Director Ron Barnes.

Mack Jarvis the First to Rise from Correctional Officer to Correction Secretary

Mack Jarvis, the former Secretary of Correction from 1997-98 and lifetime correctional professional, died at his home in Hudson on June 3. The 82-year-old left a lasting legacy in adult correction both in western North Carolina and the state, and was the first person to rise through the ranks from correctional officer to secretary.

Prison Leadership Reorganized; Senior Staff Named

As the new Commissioner of Prisons, I’ve traveled the state, visited all of our prisons and listened to the concerns of the staff.

I’ve reached some conclusions.

Great things are being done by the men and women who manage our offender populations.

Prisons staff deserve an organizational structure that works better to help them in their mission.

To that end, I’ve restructured the Division of Prisons.

Central Prison's Employee of the Year

She remains unnamed, saying the entire staff should be considered Employee of the Year

Central Prison has named its annual Employee of the Year. 

With that honor comes respect, some glory, $100 in cash and a designated parking space for a year.

She remains unnamed, asking not to be identified to the staff or the public.

Alexander CI Honors Military Employees, Others with Recognition Boards

Alexander Correctional Institution, like most Department of Public Safety entities, honors employees who served in the military during holidays such as Memorial Day, Veteran’s Day or Military Appreciation Week.

However, Alexander CI took it one step further recently. One big step, in fact.