A recent article in The Assembly, “The Politics of a Prison-Release Settlement,” by Michael Hewlett, examines the political debate surrounding a 2021 settlement that reduced North Carolina’s prison population during the COVID-19 pandemic. The article highlights Emancipate NC’s central role in the litigation, which sought to protect incarcerated people from the deadly spread of the virus.
Emancipate NC Strategic Director Elizabeth Simpson reflected on the state’s opposition to the case, telling The Assembly, “It was an extremely adversarial litigation.” Her comments underscore the years-long legal battle to secure life-saving protections for people incarcerated in North Carolina’s prisons.
As the article explains, the settlement has become a topic in current political campaigns, but Emancipate NC remains focused on the facts: advocating for the health, safety, and constitutional rights of incarcerated people through strategic litigation and systemic reform.