Prisons Info on COVID-19
Keeping the public, staff and offenders safe
During this COVID-19 pandemic, the safety and health of employees, those incarcerated in state prisons, and the general public remains a top priority.
Prisons is actively monitoring the health conditions of the offender population, with specific focus on frequent cleaning, good hygiene practices, medical triage, appropriate testing and tracking.
As the pandemic evolves, NCDPS is implementing necessary measures (see list) to ensure the safety and health of all North Carolinians. The department continues to monitor the constantly changing situation and will update this list as we take additional safety steps to help address impacts from the COVID-19 virus and do our part to protect North Carolinians.
Serving Sentences Outside a Prison: ELC Program
Updated 8/19/2020
To help keep staff and offenders safe during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Division of Adult Correction and Juvenile Justice is transitioning select individuals to serve their remaining sentence under the supervision of community corrections officers. To be considered for Extended Limits of Confinement (ELC), offenders must:
* NOT be currently serving a sentence for crime against a person during the current incarceration AND must meet at least one of these criteria:
* Be pregnant
* Already be on home leave with a 2020 or 2021 release date
* Already be on work release with a 2020 or 2021 release date
* Be age 65+ with a 2020 or 2021 or 2022 release date
* Have a 2020 or 2021 release date and underlying health conditions deemed by CDC that increase a person’s risk of severe illness from COVID-19
More details here OR Print the ELC Program Summary
Programa de Extensión de Límites de Confinamiento
Actions Taken
November 25, 2020
- Consolidated some prison operations to allow more offenders to be medically treated within the prison system, reducing the stress on hospitals and increasing public safety by reducing offender transports for medical treatment. Operations were temporarily suspended:
• at Randolph Correctional Center in Asheboro on Nov. 22 and the staff reassigned temporarily to other prisons in the region.
• at Southern Correctional Institution’s minimum custody unit on Nov. 20, enabling staff there to better assist in other sections of the prison.
• at the Piedmont Correctional Institution minimum custody unit on Nov. 25 so staff can assist in the medium-custody facility in the prison complex.
November 9, 2020
- Initiated a staff COVID-19 testing regimen to weekly test five percent of the employees at every facility for COVID-19. This ongoing testing initiative will result in 20 percent of the staff at every prison facility being tested on a monthly basis. Any staff who tests positive for the virus will be off the job until he or she meets the Centers for Disease Control and North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services criteria to be considered presumed recovered from the virus. This testing effort will help to keep the staff healthy, their families safer from the virus, and will better protect our offender populations. Staff may continue to be tested on their own with no co-pays through a partnership with the State Health Plan, FastMed and LabCorp, which has been extended through the end of the year.
November 3, 2020
- Distributing three-ounce bottles of hand sanitizer to the staff at every prison. These personal bottles of hand sanitizer may be refilled from the one-gallon hand sanitizer shipped to each prison by Correction Enterprises, which has produced large quantities of hand sanitizer and disinfectant used by the staff and offenders at every prison. Distribution of the three-ounce bottles begins this week and is expected to be completed next week.
October 12, 2020
- Initiated a staff testing pilot project at three prisons. The facilities were chosen because they feature one dormitory-style housing at Dan River Prison Work Farm, one single-cell housing facility at Scotland Correctional , and because the third prison --- Greene Correctional -- houses a COVID-vulnerable offender population with pre-existing medical conditions. Once an initial round of testing is completed, ACJJ-Prisons leadership will review the staff COVID-19 positivity rates at each prison to determine how to continue with additional staff testing. This initiative later was expanded to more than two dozen other prisons that experienced viral outbreaks.
September 18, 2020
- Limited visitation at all the state’s prisons and will resume Oct. 1 with significant restrictions due to the pandemic. Visits will be by appointment only and must be scheduled through the prison. Visits will not be permitted if the prison is experiencing a significant outbreak of COVID-19. Children under the age of 12 will not be allowed to visit at this time. All visitors will be medically screened with temperature checks, in addition to standard security procedures. Anyone with symptoms of COVID-19, or who has a fever of 100 degrees or more, or who has been exposed to someone who is COVID-positive, will be denied entry. Offenders who are in medical isolation or medical quarantine, or who have any symptoms of COVID-19, will have their visit rescheduled. Visits will be limited to two visitors per session. Each offender will be allowed one visit per calendar month. Visits will be limited to 30 minutes. Everyone must wear a face mask covering their nose and mouth at all times and must sanitize their hands when entering and leaving the visitation area. Masks may not have offensive language, pictures or symbols. Gaiters, bandanas and masks with a one-way valve are not permitted. Masks will be provided if needed. For more information, click here.
September 18, 2020
- Distributed 300,000 disposable three-ply cloth masks to the staff and offenders at all the prisons. An additional 300,000 washable three-ply masks have been ordered and are expected to be received and distributed in the next few weeks, enough for all staff and offenders to have five of these washable masks.
September 1, 2020
- Resumed limited educational programs for eligible offenders, with no face-to-face instruction and continued implementation of all COVID-19 safety measures for classes from community colleges and other post-secondary education entities. Learning packets will be distributed for independent learning for high school equivalency, adult education, literacy and vocational training. Also, taped lectures from educators will be provided when available. Limited face-to-face instruction by Division of Prisons educators, with COVID-19 protocols in place, will resume for offenders assigned to high school equivalency classes.
August 21, 2020
- Continuing the suspension of visitation, work release, volunteers and in-person educational classes through Sept. 11, 2020, when they will be reevaluated.
August 6, 2020
- Completed COVID-19 mass testing at all prison facilities: 29,062 offenders were tested of whom 619 tested positive. The positivity percentage of 2.1 percent is much lower than in prison systems in many other states. Those who tested positive are either in medical isolation or are considered presumed recovered following NCDHHS guidance. The entire current prison population now has been tested for COVID-19. In addition to the 29,000 offenders tested, an additional 1,600 offenders were tested for the virus on their transfer from county jails to prison over the past two months. Find more information on the mass testing here.
July 30, 2020
- To date, COVID-19 mass testing has been completed at all prison facilities with results received so far on 25,684 offenders. Since the mass testing initiative got underway June 22, 2020, a total of 598 of offenders tested have positive results, with 25,086 testing negative. Those who tested positive are either in medical isolation or are considered presumed recovered following NCDHHS guidance. More information on the facilities where mass testing has taken place can be found here.
July 24, 2020
- Continuing the suspension of visitation, work release, volunteers and educational classes until Aug. 16, 2020, when they will be reevaluated.
July 22, 2020
- To date, COVID-19 mass testing has been completed at 39 prison facilities with results received on 12,524 offenders. Since the mass testing initiative got underway June 22, 2020, a total of 290 (1.4 percent) of offenders tested have positive results, with 12,234 (98.6 percent ) testing negative. Those who tested positive are either in medical isolation or are considered presumed recovered following NCDHHS guidance. More information on the facilities where mass testing has taken place can be found here.
July 10, 2020
- Extended current temporary pandemic emergency pay for staff who work in a prison facility through December. Based on their current salaries, health care staff will receive a temporary 20 percent pay increase, while all other Prison employees working inside a facility will receive a 10 percent increase. Also, added all Prisons facility positions not originally receiving the emergency pay retroactive to April 1, 2020.
June 18, 2020
- Initiating a plan to test all offenders in the state prison system for COVID-19, starting with Albemarle Correctional Institution. This testing of the population is estimated to require at least 60 days to complete, at a projected cost of more than $3.3 million. COVID-19 tests are being done on all new offenders when they arrive at the prison from the county jails.
June 10, 2020
- Extended current temporary pandemic emergency pay for staff who work in a prison facility through June. Based on their current salaries, health care staff will receive a temporary 20 percent pay increase, while all other Prison employees working inside a facility will receive a 10 percent increase. Also, added all Prisons facility positions not originally receiving the emergency pay retroactive to April 1, 2020.
June 7, 2020
- Again, modified criteria for consideration of extended limits of confinement. To be considered, offenders must meet all legal requirements and one or more of these strict criteria. Offenders who have been convicted of crimes against a person will not be considered.
- Pregnant
- Already on home leave with a 2020 release date
- Already on work release with a 2020 release date
- Age 65+ with a 2020, 2021 or 2022 release date
- Age 50-64 with underlying health conditions and a 2020 or 2021 release date
May 29, 2020
- Extending the initiative through July 31, 2020 to make COVID-19 testing available to more than 21,000 employees in the Division of Adult Correction and Juvenile Justice, which includes the Division of Prisons. The initiative provides for free, confidential, flexible and voluntary COVID-19 testing. Testing will occur at identified FastMed Urgent Care locations throughout the state. LabCorp will provide employees with results through its secure online portal.
- Implementing the testing of all offenders at Caswell Correctional Center in Blanch, to determine the extent of a COVID-19 outbreak that has seen a gradual increase in the number of staff and offenders who have tested positive for the virus. Staff is continued to be encouraged to be tested for the virus in an initiative extended through July 31, 2020.
- Continuing the suspension of visitation, work release, and educational programs until June 15, when they will be reevaluated.
May 27, 2020
- Resuming limited number of offender transfers between prisons to make room for other offenders sentenced to state prisons. Transfers will be conducted in keeping with guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and N.C. Department of Health and Human Services.
May 14, 2020
- Enacting an initiative to make COVID-19 testing available to more than 21,000 employees in the Division of Adult Correction and Juvenile Justice, which includes the Division of Prisons. The initiative provides for free, confidential, flexible and voluntary COVID-19 testing. Testing will begin on May 18 at identified FastMed Urgent Care locations throughout the state. LabCorp will provide employees with results through its secure online portal.
May 13, 2020
- Releasing data regarding the number of offenders who, after testing positive for COVID-19, are presumed recovered under criteria established by the Centers for Disease Control and the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services. This information is included in a chart at the bottom of this webpage. The chart is updated daily. When unveiled on May 12, the data revealed more than 500 offenders were presumed recovered of the 642 offenders who, at that point, had tested positive for COVID-19. All prisons remain on pandemic response mode, with continued staff screenings, isolation and quarantine protocols and offender movements designed to prevent the mixing of offenders from different housing units.
- Continuing to produce hygiene and personal protection equipment, Correction Enterprises so far has manufactured:
- 203,033 washable face masks
- 15,429 face shields
- 957,200 bars of soap
- 281,376 bottles of disinfectant spray
- 15,260 gallons of antibacterial liquid soap
- 7,952 gallon jugs of hand sanitizer
- 3,042 hospital-style gowns
- And more.
May 7, 2020
Modified criteria for consideration of extended limits of confinement. To be considered, offenders must meet all legal requirements and one or more of these strict criteria. Offenders who have been convicted of crimes against a person will not be considered.
- Pregnant
- Already on home leave with a 2020 release date
- Already on work release with a 2020 release date
- Age 65+ with a 2020 or 2021 release date
- Age 50-64 with underlying health conditions and a 2020 or 2021 release date
April 30, 2020
- Implementing an aggressive, proactive medical initiative at the North Carolina Correctional Institution for Women to test every offender in one housing unit for COVID-19. Understanding the extent of the spread of COVID-19 in the Canary housing unit allowed the enactment of contingency plans designed to prevent further spread of the virus and to better protect the staff and the offenders. The testing was conducted April 25th in consultation with the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) and the Wake County Health Department.
- Extending through May 17 the April 7 moratorium on the acceptance of offenders from the county jails, in effect a “stay at home” initiative. This second extension of the moratorium was supported by the North Carolina Sheriffs’ Association.
- Enacting a prison safety initiative to give some infraction-free offenders three days off their sentences for each month they and do not commit a disciplinary-worthy offense. This “incentive time” sentence reduction credit is intended to encourage good behavior, particularly as the staff deals with COVID-19 issues in the prisons. It goes into effect May 1.
April 21, 2020
- Effective immediately, issued cloth masks will be mandatory to wear for all facility staff. New hires will be required to keep their issued mask with them and use when going to classes off site for training. This includes ALL prison facilities, not only those on RED Status.
April 20, 2020
- Extending through May 3 the April 7 moratorium on the acceptance of offenders from the county jails, in effect a “stay at home” initiative. This extension was supported by the North Carolina Sheriffs’ Association.
- Continuing for another 30 days, until May 16, the suspension of visitation, offender outside work assignments and offender home leaves. Legal and pastoral care visits will continue with medical screening. Also continuing are two free five-minute phone calls each week for offenders who are eligible for phone calls.
- Temporarily closing the Johnston Correctional Institution and transferring hundreds of offenders to other prisons to free the staff for reassignment to Neuse Correctional Institution, to help with managing that facility where a mass testing operation of the 700 offenders at Neuse Correctional Institution has revealed hundreds of offenders there are infected with COVID-19 and 98 percent are asymptomatic. The staff at Neuse Correctional have been working under intense conditions for more than two weeks, when the first two offenders there tested positive for COVID-19 on April 2.
April 17, 2020
- Providing the latest information on Prisons' actions and issues via teleconference to members of the media. This recorded media availability can be found online at https://www.ncdps.gov/documents/media-availability-prisonscovid-19-audio-recording.
April 16, 2020
- Implementing an aggressive, proactive medical initiative at Neuse Correctional Institution to test every offender in the facility; and, through the Wayne County Health Department, to offer testing to the staff at Neuse CI who chose to be tested. Understanding the extent of the spread of COVID-19 in the facility’s offender population will allow the enactment of contingency plans designed to prevent further spread of the virus and to better protect the staff and the offenders. This large-scale testing is being done in partnership with the State Lab, LabCorp, the state Department of Health and Human Services, following recommendation by Prisons’ medical leadership.
- Boosting pay temporarily for staff who work in prisons that face the exceptional challenges of high vacancy rates and a significant number of COVID-19 cases. Staff in these specially designated facilities will temporarily be paid time and a half, based on their current salaries, for the time they work at those facilities. This includes staff who are assigned to specially designated facilities on a temporary basis.
- Purchasing 265 machines, capable of large-scale disbursement of disinfectant, for Prisons facilities. Seventy Power Breezers so far have been distributed to prisons, and more will be distributed when they are delivered. These machines will be used to spray disinfectant up to 65 feet in a 60-degree cone over walls, floors, cafeterias and other large areas to kill any COVID-19 that may be present.
April 13, 2020
- Secretary Erik Hooks announced he is using his limited statutory authority to extend the limits of confinement (ELC) of incarcerated persons, allowing certain individuals to continue serving their sentence outside of a DPS prison facility, but under the supervision of community correction officers. See the press release and FAQs below.
- Awarding discretionary time credits where appropriate to allow some offenders who are nearing their release date, to reduce their maximum sentence and be released to community upon completion of the minimum sentence.
- NC Post-Release Supervision and Parole Commission is expediting review of offenders under its authority for possible release.
- Again increased Correction Enterprises production of washable cloth face masks (made 40,000 last week; additional 30,000 expected this week). Around 60,000+ have been produced so far. Masks are distributed to staff and offenders in facilities where an offender had tested positive for COVID-19.
- Burke Confinement in Response to Violations facility moved all offenders housed there for parole technical violations to Foothills or Morrison correctional institutions or released on supervision. The action was taken to: 1) reassign staff to other nearby facilities to adjust staffing levels, and 2) prepare for the potential COVID-19 contingency plans across the state, if necessary.
- Bonus bags filled with snacks and other food offered for purchase to help boost offender morale (and consequently facility operations). Offender friends and families will be offered opportunities in May and June to purchase one of three bonus bags to be delivered to their loved ones. The bonus bag program will be offered to offenders in regular population, as well as those in restrictive housing for administrative and disciplinary purposes and especially to those who are isolated or quarantined as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
April 9, 2020
- Began transitioning some non-violent offenders who meet strict criteria and legal guidelines, including victim notification in certain cases, to serve their sentence outside of a DPS prison facility, but under the supervision of community corrections officers and/or special operations officers.
- Done under laws authorizing the Secretary of Public Safety to do this.
- Approximately 500 offenders are being considered. They cannot have been convicted of a violent crime against a person and must be one of the following:
- Pregnant
- Age 65 and older with underlying health conditions
- Female age 50 and older with health conditions and a release date in 2020
- Age 65 and older with a release date in 2020
- Already on home leave with a release date in 2020
- Already on work release with a projected release date in 2020.
April 6, 2020
- Instituting a two-week moratorium on accepting offenders from county jails.
- Reducing offender transfers between prisons beginning April 7 to contain additional spread.
- Providing additional personal protective equipment (PPE):
- Distributing washable face masks to all staff and offenders at three prisons where offenders have tested positive for COVID-19 – Caledonia Correctional Institution (CI), Johnston CI and Neuse CI. The goal is to issue these face masks to all staff and all offenders in every prison.
- Increasing Correction Enterprises’ production of PPE for prisons. Correction Enterprises is now producing each week more than 3,600 clear face shields; 6,000 washable face masks; 500 hospital-style gowns; and more than 6,000 four-gallon cases of disinfectant spray, in addition to large quantities of hand lotion.
March 31, 2020
- Medical screenings for all staff entering a prison beginning April 1. Any of the following result in denied entry:
- Temperature of 100 degrees or more
- Symptoms of respiratory illness
- Exposure in the past 14 days to anyone who is suspected or diagnosed with COVID-19
- A 14-day quarantine period for all incoming offenders from county jails to help prevent the introduction of COVID-19 to the prison system.
- Reducing offender interactions at all prisons to reduce the potential for additional COVID-19 exposure.
- Providing additional PPE:
- Distributing washable face masks to staff at Central Prison, NCCIW, and Wake Correctional Center where COVID-19 community cases are rapidly increasing.
- Ordering additional PPE for staff, including 100,000 medical-grade surgical masks, 15,000 N95 masks, 5,000 face shields, and 4,000 gowns.
- Increasing Correction Enterprises’ production of washable masks, face shields, and washable gowns for prisons. Distribution of the masks prioritized to facilities located in counties with increasing COVID-19 community cases.
- Face masks: distributed 3,500 washable masks; 6,000 masks produced per week
- Face shields: 60 produced per hour
- Washable gowns: 200-300 produced per week
- Communicating COVID-19 risk information:
- Distributing informational posters regarding proper PPE usage to all prisons.
- Distributing fact sheets on sanitation expectations and prisons cleaning procedures to all offenders.
- Providing double rations of soap to all offenders.
- Limiting staff gatherings to fewer than 10 people and requiring social distancing.
- Designating two COVID-19 response coordinators at each prison.
March 25, 2020
- Suspending the work release program to limit offenders’ potential exposure to COVID-19. Monitoring will continue to determine if exceptions are required for essential job functions.
- Reducing offender movements and interactions in prisons with medically vulnerable offenders.
- Limiting educational and self-improvement programming to reduce the number of outside staff entering a prison. [BC1]
- Reducing exposure risk in basic training by:
- Suspending all basic training classes from March 13 to March 23 for new correctional, probation and parole, and juvenile justice officers who commute to class.
- Limiting class sizes and practicing social distancing between instructors and trainees.
March 19, 2020
- Suspending visitation and volunteering at all prisons beginning March 16.
- Medical screenings for legal and pastoral care visitors, vendors, and contractors prior to entering a prison. Visitors who show symptoms of COVID-19 are denied entry.
- Activating the Prison Incident Command System to coordinate COVID-19 response efforts.
- Promoting clean environments within prisons:
- Aggressively cleaning prison facilities.
- Distributing additional supplies of disinfectants and soap to all facilities.
- Increasing Correction Enterprises’ production of spray bottle disinfectant. 1,100 cases are being produced per day.
- Providing hand sanitizer produced by Correction Enterprises to staff and offenders at all facilities.
- Thoroughly cleaning all transport buses and vehicles after each use.
- Displaying CDC COVID-19 prevention posters at all facilities to explain how to reduce exposure to, or transmission of, the virus.
- Medical screenings for all new offenders entering the state prison system. Those who have symptoms are isolated while the source of their medical issue is investigated. Additional COVID-19 tests are being done as necessary, in accordance with public health guidelines.
- Limiting external movement by offenders to reduce potential COVID-19 spread.
- Limiting offender transportation to only court-ordered, high priority, and health care movements. If an offender is being transported, they are medically screened for COVID-19 symptoms. Those who have symptoms are isolated while the source of their medical issue is investigated.
- Scaling back the work release program.
- Canceling non-essential medical appointments for offenders so medical staff can focus on COVID-19 issues.
- Waiving medical co-pays for offenders with fevers or flu-like symptoms.
- Increasing recreational opportunities where possible and providing access to a movie subscription service for all offenders.
- Increasing offenders’ communication options by:
- Providing offenders two free five-minute phone calls to family and friends each week.
- Providing pre-paid postcards for offenders in restrictive housing who do not have phone privileges.
- Hosting Facility leadership meetings with offenders to explain the actions taken and the need for frequent hand-washing regimens and social distancing, to the extent possible.
- Promoting social distancing between staff where possible:
- Canceling large staff gatherings.
- Suspending staff training including Basic Correctional Officer Training and In-Service training. Interviewing and hiring will proceed, including new employee orientation, using alternate interview methods, such as Skype, where possible.
- Allowing telecommuting for non-essential personnel during the State of Emergency. Approval to telecommute is at the discretion of the warden or Facility director to ensure adequate staffing levels are in place to meet safety and security requirements
Offender-Related COVID-19 Data - updated daily at 3 p.m.
Facility Testing Data
Notes:
- Some offenders may be tested multiple times for COVID-19. Also, the columns for test performed, offenders tested, positive and negative show the facility where the offender was housed when the test results were received while the presumed recovered and active cases columns show where the offender is currently located (excluding those off the premises, such as in court or at a hospital) when the chart is updated daily. Total offenders testing positive and negative columns include offenders who are no longer incarcerated while the presumed recovered and active cases columns reflect offenders currently incarcerated.
- Prisons is following NCDHHS guidance on presumed to be recovered patients, which can be found online on the COVID-19 North Carolina Dashboard.
- As testing frequency within prisons increases, data entry associated with testing and its results may be delayed. This chart is updated once daily, therefore it may not represent the most current information.
Tests Performed/Positives/Hospitalizations/Deaths
*This is the number of hospitalized offenders with a COVID-19 diagnosis entered into the Division of Prisons medical database at the time the chart is updated each day.
| Confirmed COVID-19-Related Offender Deaths by Facility |
|
|---|---|
| Albemarle CI | 3 |
| Alexander CI | 1 |
| Anson CI | 1 |
| Caldwell CC | 1 |
| Central Prison | 3 |
| Greene CI | 1 |
| Harnett CI | 1 |
| Lumberton CI | 1 |
| Mountain View CI | 1 |
| NCCIW | 1 |
| Neuse CI | 3 |
| Pender CI | 4 |
| Scotland CI | 2 |
| Tabor CI | 1 |
FAQs on Serving Sentences Outside a Prison
What ELC means
Extending the Limits of Confinement (ELC) means certain incarcerated offenders are allowed to continue serving their sentence outside of correctional facilities. This is authorized under North Carolina General Statute §148-4 which gives the Secretary of the Department of Public Safety the authority to extend the limits of confinement in limited circumstances for certain incarcerated individuals.
This is NOT an early release from a sentence, nor commutation.
Offenders on ELC are serving part of their active sentence outside the confines of a correctional facility, and are under the supervision of community corrections officers and/or special operations officers. If an offender fails to remain within the extended limits of confinement or fails to otherwise follow the conditions of their community confinement, they will be returned to a correctional facility to serve the remainder of their active sentence. Offenders who willfully fail to remain within the boundaries of their alternate “confinement” in the community may also be charged with escape.
In addition, depending on an individual offender’s unique circumstances, the crime for which he/she was convicted and other factors, the offender may have additional security measures put in place while on ELC, such as:
* Electronic monitoring
* Curfew
* Drug testing
The differences between ELC and Post-release/Probation
- ELC allows individuals who have not completed their minimum sentence to transfer outside of a correctional facility to continue serving their active sentence. This is not a release from custody.
- Post-release is a period of structured supervision after completion of an active sentence in a correctional facility. Not every offender is sentenced to post-release supervision.
- Probation is a period of community supervision imposed by the courts instead of an active prison sentence. A violation of probation could result in an active sentence.
Offenders impacted by ELC
These criteria were used to select offenders for ELC
- Public Safety – Non-violent offenders (no crimes against a person), many of whom have already been back in communities through home leave and work release.
- Time served – Offenders near their release date with a strong priority for those with release dates in 2020 or 2021.
- Health Risk – Pregnant offenders, offenders age 65+ with a release date in 2020 or 2021 or 2022, and offenders with a scheduled release date in 2020 or 2021 and certain underlying health conditions who are at increased risk of severe illness from COVID-19.
How many offenders have been transferred under ELC?
Since the department started transferring offenders to ELC, 699 individuals have been transferred to this status as of Nov. 11, 2020. Currently, about 357 are actively on ELC. The active number is lower because the majority have completed their active prison sentence and transitioned to post-release supervision.
Are any other offenders being considered for ELC?
Those being reviewed have not been convicted of a crime against a person and must meet at least one of these criteria:
- Pregnant
- Already on home leave with a 2020 or 2021 release date.
- Already on work release with a 2020 or 2021 release date.
- Age 65+ with a 2020 or 2021 or 2022 release date.
- Individuals with a 2020 or 2021 release date and underlying health conditions deemed by CDC that increase a person’s risk of severe illness from COVID-19
Impacts on pregnant offenders
Due to COVID-19 concerns, NCDPS is trying to transition pregnant offenders out of prison. Not all are being transferred under ELC. Some are being returned to supervision by the Post-Release Supervision and Parole Commission.
What’s being done to make sure the pregnant offenders continue to get prenatal care?
The health and well-being of both mom and child are greatly important to DPS. During this pandemic, unprecedented demands are being placed on our healthcare system from all sides. Thus, DPS has to ensure that anyone we transfer to ELC who has medical issues is properly transitioned with a health care plan. To that end, we are partnering with NC FIT (Formerly Incarcerated Transition Program) affiliated UNC Department of Family Medicine to connect individuals with federally qualified health centers in their county of supervision.
Impacts on juveniles
Extended Limits of Confinement does not apply to juveniles. However, Juvenile Justice has been working to release non-violent juveniles from detention who are awaiting trial. The Juvenile Justice section is working to safely return juveniles committed to youth development centers to their home communities. Prior to releasing any juvenile from a youth development center, Juvenile Justice works to ensure that the home and community environments are safe, supportive of the juvenile’s continued growth, and able to meet the juvenile’s needs in the areas of education and mental health treatment.
Factors that prevent or delay offenders from participating in ELC
Offenders will be disqualified from consideration if any of the following apply:
- During the current term of incarceration, they are serving a sentence for conviction of a crime against a person
- Existence of detainers, or hold on an offender from another jurisdiction
- There is a pending charge reviewed by district attorney and either DA does not consent to ELC or offender has not made secured bond for the pending charge
- Has been validated as a Security Risk Group (SRG) member
- Has Class A or B prison rule infractions in the last six months
- Has no viable in-state residence plan and refused transitional housing when offered
- Upon review, crime version for current incarceration has a crime against a person that was not immediately apparent (for example, a habitual felon with an underlying crime against a person)
Offenders may be disqualified from consideration if any of the following apply:
- Has SRG affiliation – SRG associates will be evaluated on case-by-case basis
- If the offender is ready to be transitioned to the community, and his or her projected release date is within 7 days. Rationale: Placing an offender on ELC within 7 days of release means the offender must be added to a PPO caseload for ELC and then in less than a week transitioned to post-release status (either post-release status or unsupervised release).
Offenders may have a delay in transfer to ELC if any of the following apply:
- Pending charge is under review by district attorney
- Medical/mental health review suggests it would be extremely difficult to ensure certain medical/mental health concerns could be addressed adequately and ELC transfer may not be the best course of action at the time.
- Medical/mental health needs require additional time to procure durable medical equipment, schedule follow-up appointments in the community, identify suitable housing.
- In a quarantine status due to possible exposure or isolation status due to COVID-19 positive status or COVID test results are pending
What happens to offenders serving sentences outside a prison?
Will offenders continue to get the medical care they received in a correctional facility?
That is considered when looking at the home plan and if there are medical needs. The goal is to help ensure the offender has access to care in their community.
Will offenders be placed on electronic monitoring?
It depends on each individual situation.
What happens when an offender completes their active sentence?
Once an individual offender on ELC completes their active sentence, they may be required, as part of their sentence to serve a period of post-release supervision in the community.
Who is going to keep track of people on ELC?
Individuals on ELC will be supervised by probation/parole officers from Community Corrections. They may also be supervised, or have periodic checks by special operations officers. Those on ELC will be required to check-in regularly with their assigned officer, or an officer on-call. Some will also be on electronic monitoring. They are still considered to be offenders; however, the limits of their actual confinement have been extended, therefore, Prisons will take part in some monitoring of ELC individuals.
What happens when the COVID-19 crisis is over? Do they return to prison?
That will be determined on a case-by-case basis and where they are at that point in time with their active sentence.
Family/Victim notification
How can I find out if my family member is being transferred to the community through this ELC process?
Unfortunately, we are unable to answer questions on specific individuals. If the offender is deemed to be eligible, they will be contacted directly. Family may also be contacted to inquire about the individual home plan.
How are victims notified of a release?
In some circumstances, a victim is entitled to receive notification prior to release of an offender. If the victim is registered with SAVAN, they will be notified if the individual is being considered for release. Details are on the website under Victim Services.
Is this the only way people are currently being released from prison?
No. Prisons continues to release individuals daily as they complete their court ordered sentence.
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