Organizations Demand Prison Population Reduction After Helene

RALEIGH , N.C. (Oct. 31, 2024) — North Carolina human rights organizations signed onto a letter to demand the release of 400 incarcerated women and 1,500 incarcerated men to ease dangerous, inhumane overcrowding after evacuations and shut-downs due to Hurricane Helene.

The ACLU of NC, Disability Law United, Disability Rights NC, Emancipate NC, Forward Justice, the NC Justice Center, NC Prisoner Legal Services, Southern Coalition for Social Justice, and the Wilson Center for Science and Justice at Duke Law all joined the request for humanitarian release to NC Department of Adult Correction and Post-Release Supervision and Parole Commission officials.

The groups will hold a press conference Nov. 1, 2024, at 9:30 a.m. at the NC Correctional Institution for Women, 1034 Bragg Street, Raleigh.

Hurricane Helene shut down four North Carolina prisons due to severe damage. Many incarcerated people at these prisons suffered days without running water or electricity, forced to defecate in plastic bags. Now, prisons further east that are already experiencing overcrowding and understaffing are being overwhelmed with people from evacuated WNC prisons. Incarcerated people report sleeping on the floor in gymnasiums with little to no access to communication with loved ones, reduced food rations, unreliable access to medical and mental health attention, and increased tension and violence. Overcrowding and understaffing have an especially negative impact on individuals with disabilities who require assistance with activities of daily living and medical and mental health care.

It does not have to be this way— during the COVID-19 pandemic, North Carolina prison officials successfully sent nearly 4,500 trustworthy individuals home through a variety of mechanisms, including parole, application of discretionary time credits, Extended Limits of Confinement authority, and discretionary action by the Post-Release Supervision and Parole Commission. These efforts kept vulnerable people safe from the virus, reduced overcrowding issues, saved millions in taxpayer dollars, and had no negative impact on public safety.

With some state prisons now operating at more than 130% capacity, while severely under-staffed, we are urging state officials to revive these available, common-sense efforts by the Department of Adult of Corrections and the Post-Release Supervision and Parole Commission, which are well within the agencies’ existing statutory authority.

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Southern Coalition for Social Justice partners with communities of color and economically disadvantaged communities across the South to defend and advance their political, social, and economic rights. SCSJ uses legal advocacy, research, and communications, among other tools, to promote social, economic, and racial justice, focusing on directly affected communities who bear the brunt of inequitable, racist, and overly punitive systems.

The ACLU of North Carolina is the state affiliate of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), a nationwide organization dedicated to defending and preserving the individual rights and liberties guaranteed by the Constitution and laws of the United States. The ACLU of North Carolina Legal Foundation (ACLU-NC/LF) brings together litigation, legislative advocacy, communications, and organizing strategies to empower communities and achieve our objectives in major issue areas including criminal law reform, racial justice, LGBTQIA+ equality, reproductive freedom, and the rights of immigrants.

Disability Law United (formerly CREEC) is a national, nonprofit legal organization that fights for liberation and equity through the lens of intersectional disability justice. Grassroots movements for systemic change inform our work, and we focus on the concerns and goals of people with disabilities who experience barriers and discrimination when attempting to access programs and services.

Disability Rights North Carolina is the federally mandated protection and advocacy system in North Carolina, dedicated to advancing the rights of all people with disabilities, of all ages, statewide. DRNC is an independent, 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and a member of the National Disability Rights Network.

Emancipate NC is dedicated to ending mass incarceration and structural racism in the legal system through community education, narrative shift, and litigation.

Forward Justice is a nonpartisan law, policy, and strategy center dedicated to advancing racial, social, and economic justice in the U.S. South.

The North Carolina Justice Center works to eliminate poverty in North Carolina by ensuring every household in the state has access to the resources, services, and fair treatment it needs to achieve economic security. The NC Justice Center works on issues that concern low- and middle-income North Carolinians, including consumer rights, housing, education, health, immigrant and refugee rights, collateral consequences, mass incarceration, access to the courts, and worker’s rights.

North Carolina Prisoner Legal Services is a non-profit law firm. Since 1979, we have been dedicated to ensuring access to the courts for people incarcerated in North Carolina state prisons. NCPLS attorneys work to correct unlawful criminal sentences and advocate for safe, humane, and constitutional prison conditions.

The Wilson Center for Science and Justice at Duke Law works to advance criminal justice and equity through science and law. The Center’s work is non-partisan and evidence-informed. We engage with community stakeholders, academics, and policy makers to conduct and translate interdisciplinary research into effective and practical policy change.