Big news today in our COVID-19 prison litigation! 

Judge Rozier has ordered the Department of Public Safety to take immediate steps to keep incarcerated people safe from COVID-19 —  including moving beds six feet apart, providing full access to soap and alcohol-based hand sanitizer, and providing masks that are the same quality as the masks that staff get.

If DPS can’t do that — within a week — Rozier implied that people may need to be released.

Rozier rejected affidavits from prison officials that claimed they were already taking adequate measures, calling them “form” and “non-specific.”

Rozier asked us to provide information about re-entry services for folks coming home. He wants to know that if he makes the call to let people out, there will be resources to take care of them. Do you know about re-entry resources in your community? Email us at elizabeth@emancipatenc.org and let us know.

Thank you for your support of incarcerated people. Thank you to our co-counsel, Forward Justice, ACLU of North Carolina, Disability Rights North Carolina, and the National Juvenile Justice Network for your tireless work on this litigation. Thank you Judge Rozier for listening to the voices of incarcerated people.

Read the Order