DPS Dispatch

The ongoing pandemic temporarily halted in-person educational programs in every state prison due to restrictions placed on outside visitation by instructors, as well as community colleges stopping classes. But it did not stop the N.C.

The Division of Prisons works tirelessly to train offenders for life back in the community. Educational and job training opportunities abound in the state’s 50-plus facilities through Correction Enterprises and other avenues, but the majority of those opportunities benefit male offenders.

Updated 3-3-2021: Requirements for the ELC program were recently ammended. Offenders with projected release dates in 2021 will be reviewed for possible participation in ELC. A review does not guarantee participation.

One of the most important – yet easily overlooked – ways to be disaster ready is making sure you have critical information stored in a safe place.

A major change has arrived in the Juvenile Justice section, for the second time in just nine months.

COVID-19 has affected our lives in so many ways. That is especially true when it comes to sheltering plans during an emergency. We are approaching the peak of hurricane season and the landscape for evacuation shelters is drastically different this year.

August is Preparedness Month in North Carolina. So, it’s somewhat fitting that the month kicked off with a hurricane that brought flooding, damaging winds and tornadoes to the eastern portion of the state.

Gov. Roy Cooper has proclaimed August as Reentry Month in North Carolina, a time to highlight efforts at the local, state and federal level to assist formally incarcerated individuals with a smooth transition back into their communities. 

Tucked away off Blue Ridge Road in Raleigh in the same secure facility as the NC National Guard’s Joint Force Headquarters is the North Carolina State Emergency Operations Center (EOC).

Law enforcement and first responders work tirelessly to keep the public safe day and night. They navigate the roads, especially in times of emergencies, to ensure that everyone remains safe.

This week we celebrated the probation and parole officers (PPO) of North Carolina. We thanked them for their service to our communities and all they do to help keep us safe.

An electronic billboard I pass on my commute to work frequently changes its message. One of its recent one-word messages still resonates with me. The word was “community,” written in such a way as to highlight the word’s final five letters:  UNITY.

Jerlene Epley, one of hundreds of employees who worked at Western Youth Institution during its 41 years of operation, saw it built from the ground-up. On Saturday, June 11, she will see the “High Rise” fall back to the earth.

Summer is upon us, bringing weekend getaways, barbecues, pool excursions and more across the state. This year, summer plans may look a bit different as North Carolina kicks off July in Phase 2 “Safer at Home” as we continue the fight against COVID-19.

Raise the Age – which increased the age of juvenile jurisdiction to include 16 and 17-year-old children – is bringing an older population in need of services to the Juvenile Justice section of the N.C. Department of Public Safety.