Press Releases

An offender housed at Albemarle Correctional Institution who tested positive for COVID-19 has died at the hospital as a result of pre-existing conditions complicated by COVID-19. This is the seventh coronavirus death of an individual in custody at a North Carolina state prison.

An offender housed at Albemarle Correctional Institution who tested positive for COVID-19 has died at the hospital as a result of pre-existing conditions complicated by COVID-19. This is the sixth coronavirus death of an individual in custody at a North Carolina state prison. 

The North Carolina Department of Public Safety is continuing its efforts to contain and reduce the spread of COVID-19 in state prisons by conducting testing of the offender population statewide.

State prison officials have initiated a plan to test all 31,000 offenders for COVID-19.

Today, Governor Roy Cooper signed Executive Order 143. to addresses the social, environmental, economic, and health disparities in communities of color

An additional 31 asymptomatic offenders at Caswell Correctional Center have tested positive for COVID-19, as part of a mass testing operation conducted on Friday by the Division of Prisons.

To protect staff and offenders, Division of Prisons officials today initiated the testing of all 420 offenders at Caswell Correctional Center, as well as continuing to provide testing access and to encourage staff to be tested.

The N.C. Department of Public Safety today announced it will extend until July 31 an initiative that provides voluntary COVID-19 testing to employees in its Division of Adult Correction and Juvenile Justice (ACJJ).

The Division of Prisons has resumed a limited number of transfers of offenders to make room for other offenders sentenced to state prison.

Following testing earlier this week, children at two state juvenile justice facilities have tested negative for COVID-19; testing of juveniles at a third facility will take place today.

Upon the advice of the Cabarrus Health Alliance, (Cabarrus County’s local health department), all juveniles at Stonewall Jackson Youth Development Center will undergo COVID-19 testing over the next few days after a staff member there tested positive for the coronavirus.

The majority of offenders in the state prison system who tested positive for COVID-19 are now presumed to have recovered pursuant to guidance issued yesterday by the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS).

An offender housed at Neuse Correctional Institution who tested positive for COVID-19 has died at the hospital as a result of pre-existing conditions complicated by COVID-19. This is the fifth coronavirus death of an individual in custody at a North Carolina state prison.

An offender housed at the North Carolina Correctional Institution for Women who tested positive for COVID-19 has died at the hospital as a result of pre-existing conditions complicated by COVID-19.